Chenghai Fish

Chenghai Fish

　　Chenghai Fish come in a wide variety, including large carp, white minnows, pressed minnows, red-fin fish, hook-tipped fish, and the recently introduced silverfish.

The large carp are big-bodied and well-fattened, with especially rich fat around the head. Their flesh is tender. Catch some Chenghai water by the seaside, bring it to a boil in a pot, add the fresh fish, then season with scallions, ginger, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other ingredients — the taste is exceptionally delicious.

White minnows have eyes like red agate beads. Their bodies are long and round, with soft scales, and they are highly nutritious. They are excellent for building up strength in those recovering from long-term illness. During the rainy season, white minnows like to swim upstream against mountain stream floods, and people dig ponds and set traps in the gullies to catch them. The fish caught this way are called “water outlet white minnows.”

In recent years, pressed minnows have nearly become extinct, while red-fin fish have surprisingly thrived. They feed on the silverfish and seaweed farmed in Chenghai, growing large and plump. These fish taste great whether boiled, cooked, or pan-fried.

Chenghai silverfish originally came from the Lake Taihu short-snout silverfish species and were introduced in 1990. Their flesh is tender, milky-white, and boneless, with high protein, low fat, and rich in various trace elements and calcium. It is a fish species with high nutritional value.

Chenghai fish, benefiting from the pure and unpolluted water quality, are premium delicacies suitable for entertaining guests. They are not only bestsellers in markets all over Yongsheng, but are also exported to places such as Lijiang, Ninglang, Huaping, and Dunkou. Chenghai silverfish have an annual output of about 900 tons, making them a major local specialty for export earnings.