Lotus Marsh Golden Loach

Lotus Marsh Golden Loach

　　 The Huai River is like an ageless green vine, rooted in the Tongbai Mountains and sprawling its leaves across the Jianghuai Plain. As it flows into Jinhu, it leaves behind a string of crystal-clear lakes. The great poet Zhao Kai once lamented in the preface to Zhou Simin’s "Sentiments of a Lake City": “Nature is often unfair—it actually bestowed four lakes upon a single county town.”

　　　　In fact, does Jinhu have only four lakes? The area is dotted with lakes and marshes, famously known as “Thirty-Six Lakes and Seventy-Two Marshes.” With its clear lake waters, fragrant marsh soil, beautiful scenery, and abundant produce, the title “Golden Lakes and Silver Marshes” is well-deserved. The marshes are covered with aquatic plants such as lotus roots, water caltrops, and gorgon fruits, and teem with aquatic animals like hairy crabs, green lobsters, and golden loaches. The saying “a sunrise brings a bushel of gold” is no exaggeration.

　　　　The unique geographical environment of the “Golden Lakes and Silver Marshes” gives birth to the “Lotus Marsh Golden Loach,” a delicacy unique to Jinhu and truly one of a kind in the world.

　　　　The loach, also known as the pond loach or misgurnus, belongs to the order Cypriniformes and the family Cobitidae. It has a slender body, slightly rounded at the front and flattened on the sides towards the rear. Its snout is prominent, eyes small, mouth tiny, and chin horseshoe-shaped. The lips are soft and well-developed, featuring fine wrinkles and small bumps. The head is scaleless, and the body scales are extremely small, embedded beneath the skin, with abundant mucus on the surface. It has no spines on the dorsal fin and a rounded caudal fin. Its body is yellowish-brown with many tiny black spots, and its color often varies depending on the living environment.

　　　　Loaches are warm-water fish with strong environmental adaptability. They mostly inhabit still or slow-moving shallow waters such as ponds and lakes, typically living at the bottom. When water levels drop, they burrow into the mud and can survive out of water. Loaches can breathe not only through their gills but also through their skin and intestines. Intestinal respiration is a unique physiological feature of loaches. Their intestinal walls are thin and rich in blood vessels, allowing for auxiliary respiration and gas exchange. During droughts, they can burrow into 10–30 cm of mud to “hibernate,” surviving with just a bit of moisture on their skin. Loaches are omnivorous, feeding on plant and animal debris as well as microorganisms.

　　　　Loach meat is tender, delicious, and nutritious. Each 100 grams of edible flesh contains up to 22.6 grams of protein, far higher than other fish species, along with fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and various vitamins. It has a sweet and mild flavor, and eating it in abundance can have therapeutic effects. The "Introduction to Medicine" describes it as being able to “build up the middle and stop diarrhea.” The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that loach warms the middle and benefits qi. It is also said to help quench thirst, relieve hangovers, promote urination, enhance virility, and treat hemorrhoids. It is effective against hepatitis, night sweats in children, prolapsed hemorrhoids, itchy skin, bruises, finger abscesses, ascites, and mastitis.

　　　　“Each place nurtures its own produce.” The vast lotus marshes of Jinhu feature clear waters and lush grass, where large amounts of organic matter accumulate, creating an ideal environment for loach reproduction and growth. Since loach color varies with habitat, those in the lotus marshes are not only large and plump—with bodies usually over 20 cm long and weighing more than 100 grams—but also brightly colored, with yellowish-brown hues predominantly yellow. They are truly “golden loaches.” There is also a beautiful legend about the “Marsh Golden Loach”!

　　　　Yang Dapeng from Jiagou Marsh in Tajitown was born in the 42nd year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, 1777 AD. As a child, he loved literature and martial arts and had lofty ambitions. Folklore says that during his youth, a flood submerged the marsh, prompting the Yang family to relocate their ancestral grave. When they moved the coffin, they found a bowl-thick loach in the soil, entirely yellow like a golden dragon. This “great golden loach” had been lying in the moist soil for who knows how long yet remained lively and kicking—an astonishing sight. Old Man Yang felt the “great golden loach” was a celestial gift bestowed upon the Yang family and didn’t know what to do with it at first. After much family discussion, they decided to entrust the “golden loach” to Yang Dapeng for safekeeping. At first, Yang treated it like treasure, feeding it in the morning and admiring it at night, absolutely delighted. Over time, he grew bored, and in his youthful ignorance of limits, even invited some friends to cook the “golden loach” in a clay pot in the wild. By the time the family found out, it was too late to undo. After eating the “golden loach,” Yang Dapeng became incredibly strong—capable of lifting stone rollers weighing 300–400 pounds above his head. At age 20, he took part in the Jiaqing Bingchen martial examination and became the only known martial jinshi in Jinhu’s history. Since then, the tale of “eating golden loach grants strength” has lived on in local folklore.

　　　　“Lotus Marsh Golden Loach” has become a distinctive delicacy of watery Jinhu, with preparation methods including braising, stewing, stir-frying, and sautéing. Here’s how to make braised “Lotus Marsh Golden Loach”: 1. Select “Lotus Marsh Golden Loach,” keep them in a basin of clean water, and change the water several times to allow the loaches to purge any muddy water; 2. Remove the loaches, add a little salt, cooking wine, and ginger slices to the basin, and marinate for one hour to let the flavors penetrate; 3. Drain the loaches, cut open their bellies with scissors, remove the internal organs, and wash clean; 4. Prepare seasonings such as vegetable oil, soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, white sugar, salt, MSG, scallions, and ginger; 5. Heat oil in a clay pot, add scallion pieces and ginger slices to sauté until fragrant, then add loach pieces and sear until both sides change color. Add seasonings and water, then bring to a boil over high heat; 6. Simmer over low heat until the loach meat is tender and the broth is rich, then sprinkle in MSG before serving.

　　　　Sitting at the bow of a boat, listening to the breeze by the lake. Taste the “Lotus Marsh Golden Loach”—its color a golden-yellow hue, its aroma intoxicating, and its soup extraordinarily delicious. While enjoying its color, fragrance, and taste, the “Lotus Marsh Golden Loach” also offers health benefits such as boosting qi, enhancing virility, detoxifying, and nourishing beauty.