Fish etc in China

[liuzhou]

Crucian Carp (centre)*

Although grass carp (see first post) is probably China's most consumed species of fish, more valued is 鲫鱼 (jì yú), Carassius carassius, the Crucian Carp. Resembling overgrown goldfish, to which they are related, as are all carp, these freshwater fish are native to northern Europe but have long since been introduced worldwide. Indeed, they are considered an invasive species in many places.

China has been raising crucian carp for over 1,000 years, and until relatively recently, in inland areas such as the land-locked provinces of Sichuan and Hunan, carp was often the only fish easily available and crucian carp were the prime choice.

 

Their flesh is described as “particularly delicious” and “similar to cod”, although they are quite bony. They are generally fried or grilled and sauced or added to hot-pots, stews and soups. It is also used to make a delicious, milky-white fish stock.

* Note, in the image above, that the fish is mislabelled as 鲈鱼 (lú yú), a totally different (seawater) species. This is one of the problems I am up against all the time when trying to identify fish. Mislabelling is the norm. The tank also contains (left) the cheaper but less common, 丁桂鱼 (dīng guì yú ) or tench to which I will return.

 

Sweet  snd Sour Crucian Carp

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

For a long time I've been puzzling over what these are. The are labelled as 芒鱼 (máng yú). Google does turn up a few similar looking fish, but the vast majority look nothing like these.

 

Today I worked out what they are!

They are about 30 cm - 51 cm / 12" - 20" long, dark skinned on the back and lighter on the belly and shiny bodied. I was fairly sure that they were a seawater species, but whether they were just a local or more widely distributed one, had no idea. One suggestion that they are caught in coastal areas around Guangdong and Hong Kong proved false.

 

 I decided we really needed a better look at the mysterious 芒鱼 (máng yú), particularly its unusual head. Today, I looked a bit more closely. And got some stats. The fellow below is 48 cm / 19 inches from tip of nose to end of tail. It weighs 1.2 kg or 2.7 lbs before evisceration.

 

They are a river fish, but imported from Vietnam's Mekong Delta where the fish enjoy the brackish water, hence them being included in the seafood sections of the supermarkets.  Yes it's good old pangasius / basa fish as discussed above.

 

Apparently, the 芒鱼 term  is a Cantonese translation of the scientific name for the entire genus, although Cantonese uses the rare character 𩷶 which is not available in Mandarin.

 

 

 

 

He's now sitting in my fridge waiting to become fish and chips for tomorrow's lunch!

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I mentioned in this post that, when the fish counter staff clean your fish for you, they will try to hold on to the creatures’ float bladders (aka fish maws) in order to sell them separately. Another part they like to collect is the liver. Again, these will be sold separately, even though they made up part of the weight which determined how much you were to be charged.

 

Float bladder (maw)

 

OK. They don’t usually weigh much and one won’t go far in feeding a family. But some can be sizeable. What I see in the supermarket is this.

 

 

These are freshwater 鱼肝 (yú gān) fish livers - mainly from various carp . That ¥9.80 is the equivalent of $1.54 USD for 500 grams / 1.1 lbs. These are best fried and, in my home, eaten on toast. My neighbours probably don’t know what toast is. They are mild tasting and not overly fishy - the livers, not my neighbours. They taste of pork and some definitely seem a bit fishy.

 

If you get the chance to buy a monkfish liver 安康鱼肝 (ān kāng yú gān), jump at it. They are delicious. Like eating foie gras by the beach. They cost more. Last time I bought them, they were ¥65 per 500 g. These I like to briefly brine (usually in soy sauce and vinegar) then steam in foil wrappers. I've also happily eaten them raw as sashimi in Japan.

 

Monkfish Liver

 

Strangely, although I can get the monkfish liver, I've never seen monkfish among any fishmongers' wares in China. It is available frozen, online.
 

Edited November 23, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Image by Totti - This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

 

This is a fish I rarely see. In fact, it’s been about two years. For good reason. This is 石斑鱼 (shí bān yú - literally ‘stone spotted fish’), Epinephelus akaara, Grouper, specifically Hong Kong Grouper. Groupers are, again, a huge family. The HK grouper is native to the East China sea from Japan and down to the Tonkin Gulf, passing HK en route.

 

The species is considered to be endangered due to over-fishing. China, excluding Hong Kong, has introduced some controls. Farming the fish has proved unsuccessful as few of the hatchlings survive.

When it was available it was, like so many other varieties, mainly steamed and dressed with soy sauce. I hope it recovers.

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

The Chinese love 鱿鱼 (yóu yú), Squid. 70% of the world’s catch is landed in China. In order to satisfy the demand, fleets of boats travel all over the oceans in search of the shrinking squid populations. This naturally causes disputes and recently the Chinese agricultural ministry has announced that they will limit the amount permitted to be caught. Whether they follow up on that remains to be seen.

 

The squid I buy is fished in the Gulf of Tonkin area and landed in the coastal city of Beihai a short way south of me near the border with Vietnam. The city is famous for its squid and squid products. Exactly what species of squid, I’ve never been able to determine. In fact, it may be a mixture of species from the Loligi genus.

 

Public Domain image.

 

It goes by many names in English. I’m using ‘squid’ as it seems to be the oldest, but it is also known as ‘calamari’ (in various spellings), cuttlefish, pen fish etc. Of course, they aren’t fish, but cephalopods.

 

Here, I never let the fish sellers clean them for me. They only know one recipe and always prep the critters for that dish. There is nothing wrong with that dish (I often make it myself), but I also use it in different ways. Anyway, I like cleaning squid! Although, they occasionally surprise me.

 

Surprise! Squid hadn't finished dinner. Now he's my dinner.

 

Their preferred dish is made by removing the innards, then cutting open the body sac and scoring a cross-hatch pattern before cutting them into bite size pieces. These and the tentacles are then stir fried with garlic, ginger and chillies along with snow peas, before being dressed with soy sauce. The snow peas go in early as the squid is only fried for the briefest of times. Once it curls up, it’s done. I never order this in restaurants; it's always overcooked. The skin is edible, but is normally removed for aesthetic reasons.

 

Cross-hatched squid

 

Squid with snow peas

 

We also get baby squid which are cleaned but left whole and stir fried.

Baby Squid

 

I should note here that the 'salt and pepper squid' which seems to appear on so many 'Chinese' restaurant menus, I've never seen here. It may exist somewhere, but...

Also very popular is dried squid which comes in many forms. I see it as whole animals and as strips sold as snacks. Many bars will serve you some dried squid with dips as beer food. Apart from t hat it is also used to add unami to soups and hotpots etc.

 

Whole Dried Squid

 

Dried Squid Strips

 

Dried squid served with dips in a local bar. Top: soy sauce and fake wasabi. Bottom: Black rice vinegar.

 

And if you still haven't had enough:

 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

Another mystery today. These are labelled as 黄尾鱼 (huáng wěi yú) which translates as “Yellowtail fish’. Given that hundreds of different species are labelled as ‘yellowtails’, this is less than unhelpful.

 

They are about 15 – 18 cm / 6 - 7 inches long and I would classify them as an oily species, similar in taste to mackerel, but not so strong. I like them a lot and would love to finally nail down an identification.

 

They are usually gutted and fried whole, but would work well on a grill, too I suppose.

Edited November 26, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

 

Another mystery today. These are labelled as 黄尾鱼 (huáng wěi yú) which translates as “Yellowtail fish’. Given that hundreds of different species are labelled as ‘yellowtails’, this is less than unhelpful.

 

They are about 15 – 18 cm / 6 - 7 inches long and I would classify them as an oily species, similar in t aste to mackerel, but not so strong. I like them a lot and would love to finally nail down an identification.

 

They are usually gutted and fried whole, but would work well on a grill, too I suppose.

were they similar to a hamachi type yellowtail? Those match your description (but I think they're typically a bit bigger)... one of my favorite fishes for sushi/sashimi.

[liuzhou]

44 minutes ago, KennethT said:

were they similar to a hamachi type yellowtail? Those match your description (but I think they're typically a bit bigger)... one of my favorite fishes for sushi/sashimi.

 

They are similar but, as you say, himachi (Japanese amberjack) tend to be larger than mine.  Also, they aren't native to local waters, not that that proves anything. Also, most of the images of himachi I can see seem to show more coloured heads in the himachi than in my find.

I need to find an ichthyologist urgently!

Edited November 26, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

金枪鱼 (jīn qiāng yú) Thunnus, Tuna is not an important fish in China. Both Thunnus albacares, Yellowfin Tuna and Thunnus obesus, Bigeye tuna were available a few years ago when there was a craze for “Japanese” sushi restaurants (all Chinese owned and operated) but that has faded.

 

I’m not even sure if there are any remaining in town. There used to be four in my local shopping mall alone. One supermarket did sell fresh sashimi grade tuna, but hasn’t for a long time. Now I can only buy it online at crazy prices.

 

Most tuna that is caught, is exported to Japan.

 

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

 

In any case, bigeye tuna is considered to be an endangered species and should be avoided.

 

Thai Tuna in Olive Oil

 

Canned tuna in varous oils or water, mainly from Thailand or Korea, is available in speciality stores and online, but is expensive compared to the domestic canned fish I mentioned before.

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[catdaddy]

On 11/25/2021 at 8:03 PM, liuzhou said:

 

Another mystery today. These are labelled as 黄尾鱼 (huáng wěi yú) which translates as “Yellowtail fish’. Given that hundreds of different species are labelled as ‘yellowtails’, this is less than unhelpful.

 

They are about 15 – 18 cm / 6 - 7 inches long and I would classify them as an oily species, similar in taste to mackerel, but not so strong. I like them a lot and would love to finally nail down an identification.

 

They are usually gutted and fried whole, but would work well on a grill, too I suppose.

Could these be Decapterus macarellus, or related?

[liuzhou]

52 minutes ago, catdaddy said:

Could these be Decapterus macarellus, or related?

 

Maybe related, but not the same, I suspect. The body shape is quite different. Mine are more rounded. Also, other distinct features and markings of that species are absent.

 

But thanks for the suggestion.

[farcego]

On 11/26/2021 at 2:03 AM, liuzhou said:

 

Another mystery today. These are labelled as 黄尾鱼 (huáng wěi yú) which translates as “Yellowtail fish’. Given that hundreds of different species are labelled as ‘yellowtails’, this is less than unhelpful.

 

They are about 15 – 18 cm / 6 - 7 inches long and I would classify them as an oily species, similar in taste to mackerel, but not so strong. I like them a lot and would love to finally nail down an identification.

 

They are usually gutted and fried whole, but would work well on a grill, too I suppose.

That's a type of jack mackerel, both based on its physical appearance and from your description of taste (I have fish them extensively both in Europe and in Australia).

You may get the exact species you get from their genus page in Wikipedia, because they may came from anywhere, not necessarily from near chinese waters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachurus

 

cheers

 

Edit: my mother use to eat the large ones open (butterfly) in the oven, throwing some garlic, olive oil and salt on top of it, and even sometimes, a bit of red vinegar. Smaller ones at home classically eaten deep fried.

Edited November 27, 2021 by farcego
add a recipe (log)

[liuzhou]

7 hours ago, farcego said:

That's a type of jack mackerel, both based on its physical appearance and from your description of taste (I have fish them extensively both in Europe and in Australia).

You may get the exact species you get from their genus page in Wikipedia, because they may came from anywhere, not necessarily from near chinese waters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachurus

 

 

 

Thanks for that. While I'm certainly not ruling them out, I'm not completely convinced, though. Of those pictured, although close, none quite match those I get. I will  investigate further.

 

I've already said which waters they come from proves nothing, (although West Pacific is more likely)

 

 

[liuzhou]

Cooked Hairy Crab

大闸蟹 (dà zhá xiè), Eriocheir sinensis, Chinese Hairy Crab, also known as 上海毛蟹 (shàng hǎi máo xiè ) or Chinese Mitten Crab, in reference to their hairy legs, are highly valued in China, especially in the east of the country around Shanghai. But I get them here, too.

 

These small crabs are native to China and Korea but have been introduced in both North America and Europe where they are considered to be an invasive species. Possession or trading in them is banned in the European Union and in most US States.

 

 

They inhabit rivers, lakes and rice paddies but, in Autumn, move to saltwater to spawn. Most prized are those from Yancheng Lake in Jiangsu Province, with rich Chinese prepared to may hundreds of dollars for each one. This lead in the past to massive fraud, until the Jiangsu authorities started laser etching individual security numbers on their shells to ensure traceability. This reduced the number of fakes significantly, but not entirely.

 

Laser etched Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab

 

Doubly desirable are the females, especially just before spawning as their roe is particularly tasty! So, the two genders are usually sold separately in supermarkets, with the females attracting a premium price. The males make good eating, too though.

 

Female (母 - mǔ) Hairy Crab in Liuzhou Supermarket

 

These crabs are always steamed and their sweet meat picked using chopsticks or crab torture instruments such as these.

 

 

Steamed Hairy Crab

Edited March 27, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Cooked Hairy Crab

大闸蟹 (dà zhá xiè), Eriocheir sinensis, Chinese Hairy Crab, also known as 上海毛蟹 (shàng hǎi máo xiè ) or Chinese Mitten Crab, in reference to their hairy legs, are highly valued in China, especially in the east of the country around Shanghai. But I get them here, too.

 

These small crabs are native to China and Korea but have been introduced in both North America and Europe where they are considered to be an invasive species. Possession or trading in them is banned in the European Union and in most US States.

 

 

They inhabit rivers, lakes and rice paddies but, in Autumn, move to saltwater to spawn. Most prized are those from Yancheng Lake in Jiangsu Province, with rich Chinese prepared to may hundreds of dollars for each one. This lead in the past to massive fraud, until the Jiangsu authorities stared laser etching individual security numbers on their shells to ensure traceability. This reduced the number of fakes significantly, but not entirely.

 

Laser etched Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab

 

Doubly desirable are the females, especially just before spawning as their roe is particularly tasty! So, the two genders are usually sold separately in supermarkets, with the females attracting a premium price. The males make good eating, too though.

 

Female (母 - mǔ) Hairy Crab in Liuzhou Supermarket

 

These crabs are always steamed and their sweet meat picked using chopsticks or crab torture instruments such as these.

 

 

Steamed Hairy Crab

how much meat are in one of these crabs?  I'm sometimes disappointed by crabs because I find that they're often a lot of work for very little payout.

[liuzhou]

20 minutes ago, KennethT said:

how much meat are in one of these crabs?  I'm sometimes disappointed by crabs because I find that they're often a lot of work for very little payout.

 

Yeah. I'll go with your assessment in this instance. Not a lot of meat. But, my neighbours don't think that way. The crabs wouldn't ever be served on their own, but as part of a larger meal with several dishes. Think of them more as a condiment. Or a starter, if Chinese cuisine really did starters.

I do love crabs and shall return to some of the more common ones later. They make more complete dishes.

 

[liuzhou]

Abalone

鲍鱼 (bào yú) Haliotis, Abalone are not to be confused with halitosis, which is something very different. Whether eating haliotis causes halitosis is not for me to speculate.

 

The little muscles of sea snail are a luxury item here. To say they are tough is to be polite.

 

They are sold cleaned but have to be trimmed of their outer skin, then sliced thinly and beaten into submission. This can take some time and effort, but you will eventually feel that muscle relaxing (unless you have given up in disgust after the first hour).

Then they can be eaten as sashimi, if that is your preference. Or they can be cooked in one of two methods.

 

Either they can be flash fried at high heat for mere seconds (about 5 on each side*) or they can be slow -cooked in not quite simmering water (92-95℃ 198-203℉) for up to six hours. For obvious reasons, I’ve only ever used the former method.

 

That said, I’ve only ever cooked them once. Too much trouble, but I will have them in restaurants. They are said to taste like foie gras crossed with scallops. Hmmm.

 

*Some online sources suggest up to two minutes per side. That seems excessive to me.
 
They are, I’m told, sold canned (not here) but I can’t comment on how good they are. I avoid cans.

 

The only abalone product I do sometimes use is this abalone sauce, which is an upmarket variation on oyster sauce.

 

 

[farcego]

9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Abalone

鲍鱼 (bào yú) Haliotis, Abalone are not to be confused with halitosis, which is something very different. Whether eating haliotis causes halitosis is not for me to speculate.

 

The little muscles of sea snail are a luxury item here. To say they are tough is to be polite.

 

They are sold cleaned but have to be trimmed of their outer skin, then sliced thinly and beaten into submission. This can take some time and effort, but you will eventually feel that muscle relaxing (unless you have given up in disgust after the first hour).

Then they can be eaten as sashimi, if that is your preference. Or they can be cooked in one of two methods.

 

Either they can be flash fried at high heat for mere seconds (about 5 on each side*) or they can be slow -cooked in not quite simmering water (92-95℃ 198-203℉) for up to six hours. For obvious reasons, I’ve only ever used the former method.

 

That said, I’ve only ever cooked them once. Too much trouble, but I will have them in restaurants. They are said to taste like foie gras crossed with scallops. Hmmm.

 

*Some online sources suggest up to two minutes per side. That seems excessive to me.
 
They are, I’m told, sold canned (not here) but I can’t comment on how good they are. I avoid cans.

 

The only abalone product I do sometimes use is this abalone sauce, which is an upmarket variation on oyster sauce.

 

 

 

I had hips of those (both the black and green lip ones) back in Tasmania, where it use to be a big business for those lucky enough to have commercial license, as they (together with the crayfish) were mostly shipped to china (I guess abalone business may be as down as crayfish in what matters to AUS-China state of affairs, as in the last year they became in local seafood shelves around Hobart supermarkets).

I have never liked much (probably got tired of them), but I have sen them canned (small ones) labeled both in English and Chinese, maybe targeting Chinese tourists. As far as I've been told, some abalones, dried in an specific way, are most priced; a matter of texture.

 

cheers

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, farcego said:

maybe targeting Chinese tourists

 

I  think that unlikely. More probably targetting Chinese (or other Asian immigrants) to Australia.

[liuzhou]

 

Another crab we get is the 三点蟹 (sān diǎn xiè), Portunus sanguinolentus, known variously as the three-spot swimming crab , blood-spotted swimming crab or red-spotted swimming crab. This confused me at first as the three spots on the shell are often decidedly black and not red. However, when cooked, they do turn red.

 

They are native to the inter-tidal zones of river estuaries in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean areas (see map below). They can grow as large as 20 cm / 8 inches wide, but those sold as food, both fresh and frozen, tend to be younger specimens around 10 to 15 cm / 4 to 6 inches.

 

Image licenced by AquaMaps (2019, October). Computer generated distribution maps for Portunus sanguinolentus (threespot swimming crab), with modelled year 2050 native range map based on IPCC RCP8.5 emissions scenario. Retrieved from https://www.aquamaps.org.

 

These crabs can be steamed or fried. I like them simply steamed and served with a soy and vinegar dip.

 

[liuzhou]

 

I don’t see 青口螺 (qīng kǒu luó, literally ‘green mouth snail’), Mytilus edulis, Mussels in supermarkets very often but when I do I always buy some. More often, I eat them in restaurants or from night market seafood stalls.

 

They tend not to be common in tropical waters, so most here come from the cooler north-eastern waters off China. They are extensively farmed. 乳山 (rǔ shān), a city in Shandong province is famous in China for its mussels. I can buy their mussels online, but have to buy a minimum of 2.5 kg (approx 5½ lbs) at a time and delivery costs more than the molluscs – not so convenient for someone living alone.

 

The locals cook them strangely to my western mind. I prefer the simple European styles - moules marinière or moules-frites. Also, although it is highly atypical for me, but I do reluctantly admit to liking the Cantonese* favourite, mussels in soup with fermented black beans. However, I prefer my own take on the combination, cooking them broth-less with the black beans.

 

Mussels with Fermented Black Beans

 

The locals nearly always shuck them and grill them covered in minced garlic. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't want it every time.

 

Grilled Mussels with Garlic

 

*My least favourite type of regional Chinese cuisine.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[catdaddy]

On 11/30/2021 at 9:16 PM, liuzhou said:

 

I don’t see 青口螺 (qīng kǒu luó, literally ‘green mouth snail’), Mytilus edulis, Mussels in supermarkets very often but when I do I always buy some. More often, I eat them in restaurants or from night market seafood stalls.

 

They tend not to be common in tropical waters, so most here come from the cooler north-eastern waters off China. They are extensively farmed. 乳山 (rǔ shān), a city in Shandong province is famous in China for its mussels. I can buy their mussels online, but have to buy a minimum of 2.5 kg (approx 5½ lbs) at a time and delivery costs more than the molluscs – not so convenient for someone living alone.

 

The locals cook them strangely to my western mind. I prefer the simple European styles - moules marinière or moules-frites. Also, although it is highly atypical for me, but I do reluctantly admit to liking the Cantonese* favourite, mussels in soup with fermented black beans. However, I prefer my own take on the combination, cooking them broth-less with the black beans.

 

Mussels with Fermented Black Beans

 

The locals narly always shuck them and grill them covered in minced garlic. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't want it every time.

 

Grilled Mussels with Garlic

 

*My least favourite type of regional Chinese cuisine.

 

 

Most appetizing photos yet!

[liuzhou]

 

The crabs we see here most often, by far, are what appears to be 蓝蟹 (lán xiè), Callinectes sapidus or the Blue Crab. I guess that these, being native to the Americas, have been introduced at some point to local waters.

 

They are slightly less available since the pandemic, but I have no idea what causes that given that other aquatic supplies from the same area are still plentiful. Maybe coincidence.

 

My lovely seafood gal in the market sells them live, but will clean them for me in seconds if I require, which I nearly always do. I can do it myself, but it takes me longer.

 

Cleaned Crab

 

The biggest compliment I was ever paid was a few years back when I was invited to a family Chinese New Year dinner and the hostess, a proudly wonderful cook asked me to cook the crabs as “you do it best!” For a Chinese cook to hand over her kitchen, even for one dish out of many, is a rare honour.

 

Yet, what I cooked is actually quite simple and I had shown her several times how I do it. Simply fry some garlic, ginger, chilli (lots) and fermented black beans then add the crab. Stir fry until almost done and add oyster sauce and soy sauce. How much? The correct amount, as every Chinese language cookbook advises! Finish off with some Chinese chives.

 

Ken's Killer Krab

 

[farcego]

On 11/29/2021 at 1:33 PM, liuzhou said:

 

I  think that unlikely. More probably targetting Chinese (or other Asian immigrants) to Australia.

You are wrong. The "local" Chinese (or Asian) have their 'own' stores/restaurants far away from the fancy waterhouse, better prize frozen; I use to go to their stores as the fainthearth Aussie stores won't have in the counter simple stuff like sheep brain etc. I have never seen a kind of "local asian" inside one of these places; in fact, a couple of them I use to visit stop having them for sale after the ban for tourist and foreigners into Oz.

[liuzhou]

How precisely do you tell a "local Asian" from a visiting one?

 

And why would Chinese visitors want to buy something they can easily get at home for much less money?