Hongze Lake Catfish

Hongze Lake Catfish

　　During the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo tasted the delicious flavor of Hongze Lake catfish and composed the poem "A Quatrain on Catfish in Jest," which has been passed down through the ages: "Pink-headed perch, yet boneless still; Snow-white puffer, yet harmless to the will. To the River God and Dragon King I plead, Pray grant me this water sprite indeed." He likened the Hongze Lake catfish to a water spirit—an unboned “pufferfish” that could be enjoyed without risking one’s life. The poem highlights the unique qualities of Hongze Lake catfish: its tender white flesh, rich and fatty skin, a flavor that combines the deliciousness of both pufferfish and crucian carp, yet without the toxin of the pufferfish or the numerous bones of the crucian carp. In spring and winter, Hongze Lake catfish are plump and well-fed, with particularly tender meat—making these seasons the best time to enjoy them.

　　 The scientific name of Hongze Lake catfish is “Leiocassis longirostris (or Leiocassis longibarbus),” and because its name sounds like the word for “return” (回), it is commonly called “huiyu” (回鱼) among the people. It is also known by other local names such as jiangtuan (江团), baiji (白吉), feitouyu (肥头鱼), and leiyu (鮠鱼). It is a prized freshwater fish in China, and there is a saying: “If you haven’t eaten jiangtuan, you haven’t truly known the taste of fish.” It is a carnivorous fish that lives at the bottom of Hongze Lake, usually staying in areas with slow currents and overwintering in deep waters or among crevices of underwater rocks. It prefers to hunt at night. Juvenile fish mainly feed on aquatic insects and also consume plant-based food. Adult fish have a diverse diet, preying not only on small fish but also on shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans, snails, aquatic insects, and aquatic worms. Hongze Lake catfish is a scaleless fish, and while most scaleless fish tend to have high cholesterol levels, catfish have very low levels, comparable to those found in beef.

　　 Hongze Lake catfish boasts delicious, colorful, aromatic meat and is highly nutritious, making it an excellent choice for banquets. It is low in calories, salt, and cholesterol, but high in protein, and rich in a variety of essential vitamins and trace elements required by the human body. It is both nutritious and offers benefits such as invigorating the spleen, replenishing qi, stimulating appetite, and promoting diuresis. The amino acid composition of the proteins in Hongze Lake catfish is diverse and well-balanced. It contains all eight essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own, thus classifying it as high-quality protein. Its muscle fibers are short and its tissue structure is loose, allowing for an absorption rate of up to 98%. Hongze Lake catfish also contains various vitamins and fats, with the fat being mostly unsaturated fatty acids, which are easily absorbed by the body and help delay aging.

　　 There are many ways to prepare Hongze Lake catfish, including white sauce catfish, braised catfish, steamed catfish with rice flour, blanched catfish, steamed catfish, and sautéed catfish slices. A well-known dish from the Hongze Lake area is white sauce catfish, which is relatively common. It uses around 1,000 grams of spring-caught catfish as the main ingredient, stewed with spring bamboo shoots. The finished dish is elegant in appearance, with a clean white color, soft and tender catfish, bamboo shoots as delicate as tofu pudding, thick and rich soup that clings to the lips, and a fragrant, delicious taste—it can be regarded as a fine delicacy. Braised Hongze Lake catfish is famed for its bright red color, oiliness without greasiness, tender and flaky fish, and delicious flavor.