Yangzhong Hairtail

Yangzhong Hairtail

Yangzhong hairtail is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Yangzhong hairtail is a specialty of Yangzhong City, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. The fish has small, edible scales, numerous fine and soft bones, and delicious meat, making it one of the Three Delicacies of the Yangtze River. Cooking methods include steaming, pan-frying, and braising.

　　The best time to eat hairtail is before the Qingming Festival. Although it has many bones, those bones are soft before Qingming and can almost be eaten together with the flesh. After Qingming, the bones become hard and the meat becomes tougher.

　　Types of Hairtail

　　　　Lake hairtail, also known as small bristle hairtail, is thin and small with a thin body, yellowish tail, and dull skin.

　　　　River hairtail is about 40 centimeters long, with a thick body—up to 1 centimeter at its thickest—and a black tail. Its meat is tender and delicate.

　　　　The price of lake hairtail is one-third that of river hairtail.