Clear Soup Fish

Clear Soup Fish

　　Yunnan people love “fish soup,” and due to differences in geography, culture, and local customs, there are many diverse and even mysterious or unusual ways to enjoy fish soup. The most delicious Yunnan-style fish soup is “Clear Soup Fish.”

　　Also known as “Live Water Live Fish” or “Dipping Sauce Fish,” it is made by cooking fresh live fish in the region’s high-quality water. Most chefs in urban restaurants—regardless of rank—know little about this “local aquatic knowledge,” and instead end up cooking fish soup that lacks the true “freshness of the fish.” Typically, they prepare “meat-flavored fish soup,” “vegetable-flavored fish soup,” or “MSG-laden fish soup.” Of course, we can’t entirely blame the chefs for their skill level or the quality of culinary education. As the saying goes, “The land nourishes its own produce.” Chefs simply can't bring all the varied “local environments” into big city restaurants to use as “seasonings.” Moreover, farmed fish today naturally don’t taste as good as wild-caught fish. Common species like carp, grass carp, silver carp, and tilapia, which are raised on artificial feed, grow quickly but have mushy flesh and an earthy, muddy taste.

　　In Yunnan’s Dian cuisine, the highest-grade and most prestigious “Clear Soup Fish” is made with “Golden-Line Carp from Dianchi Lake.” It was once a refined dish served by provincial and municipal leaders when hosting foreign dignitaries or central ministry officials. After that came other types of “clear soup fish” such as mandarin fish, black fish, catfish, carp, grass carp, and crucian carp. Eating “Golden-Line Carp Soup” involves a bit of “Yunnan knowledge”—otherwise, you won’t get to taste the authentic, traditional Dian-style “Clear Soup Fish.” Of course, timing and opportunity also matter. For example, in earlier years, when Yunnan locals made “crucian carp clear soup,” they would actually drop live fish into a pot of lukewarm water and cook it while the fish was still alive. Once the clear broth began to boil, they would skim off the scum, then add a bit of lard, salt, shredded ginger, and scallion sections before cooking it for a few more minutes—the classic, old-school Yunnan Dian-style “Clear Soup Fish” was ready.