Early spring is the best time to taste the river delicacies in the Yangtze River basin and the seasonal seafood off the coast of Jiangsu. In early spring, seafood and river delicacies have found growing popularity on the market. Let’s take a close look.
Fishing boats were anchored at a fishing port in Lianyun District, Lianyungang City, where the fishermen began to sort the catch. The largest seafood was octopus with each boat catching about 300 kg.
"Our 24 registered vessels in Liandao Fishing Port participated in the first catch in spring, mainly catching octopus to be followed by small yellow croaker, shrimp, conch and some other seafood," said Chen Xueyong, Director of Marine Fisheries Office, Liandao Street, Lianyun District, Lianyungang City.
Octopus adds fresh seafood to the local dining table. The most common practice of local restaurants in Liandao is to clean the octopus, blanch it for about 30 seconds and take it out. After adding various spices, you can serve it on the table.
A stall of about one square meter, a large basin of clams of different sizes, and some snails. Shen Xuemei, an 80-year-old woman, has been selling aquatic products in the Taihu Lake Comprehensive Market in Xinbei District, Changzhou for more than 20 years. From October to May of the next year, she would sell 50 kilograms of clams every day.
"The time before the Qingming Festival is the best time to taste clams. You can use the fresh clams to cook soup with roast meatballs, and also cook them with vegetables and bacon," said a citizen of Changzhou.
Puffer fish is the favorite food for people along the Yangtze River in early spring. In a restaurant in Changzhou, Wu Shengde was busy with responding to the continuous orders for puffer fish. When frying the puffer fish, add water with appropriate seasoning to maximize the flavor before putting some seasonal vegetables. The freshness of puffer fish and the sweetness of spring vegetables are integrated and complement each other.
