Chapter 28 Zhenjiang Dragon Boat Festival shad fat

People in the three towns of Wuhan are most proud of eating fish in Hubei.Indeed, in the Yangtze River in Hubei, there are more than a hundred kinds of edible fish, including river fish, river fish, and sea fish in the tourist river. Therefore, among the Hubei dishes, fish dishes have become a important part. When I went to Hubei ten years ago, the host hosted a banquet on the third floor of Laotong City in Hankou. There were more than ten famous dishes in Hubei, such as steamed mandarin fish, white soup dumpling bream, braised catfish, etc., and finally the famous saury noodles.It can be said to be an eye-opener and a feast for the eyes.Especially the catfish, the meat is delicious and less thorny, as delicate as fat, and melts in the mouth, everyone praised it.The owner said that the braised catfish in Laotongcheng is not the best. If you want to eat catfish, you should go to Laodaxing, where the fish is authentic.Catfish are mostly produced in Shishou, Hubei, so Su Dongpo has a saying that "the pink stone head is still boneless, and the snow-white puffer fish is not good for people".This catfish is a nameless puffer fish, so it is not poisonous (non-toxic). Because of its fat, sweet and beautiful meat, it is called "water sheep".

There is also a dish of "steamed shad" in the banquet. The host boasted that it is late spring, shad is in season, and Hankou is the season to eat shad, so everyone is invited to taste it.After I tasted it for a while, I felt that the shad in Hankow was not superior to other fish. Although it was a rare item in the banquet, it was far inferior to the steamed shad I ate in a small restaurant in Zhenjiang. In 1974, I went to Wuxi from Yangzhou. Although the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was open to traffic at that time, in order to visit Jinshan, Jiaoshan, Ganlu Temple and other places of interest in Zhenjiang, I still followed the way before the opening of traffic, that is, I went from Yangzhou first. Take a car to Liuxu, and then take a boat across the river from Liuxu to Zhenjiang.In late spring, the sun was shining brightly, and I was drowsy sitting on the boat. Suddenly someone pushed me awake, and I saw an old woman whispering to me, "Do you want zongzi?" It is legal to sell a few zongzi quietly.I suddenly remembered that it was the Dragon Boat Festival that day, watching the river rushing away, I couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy "being a stranger in a foreign land alone".

It was nearly noon when the boat was moored in Zhenjiang, and I filled my hunger with two rice dumplings bought on the boat. First, I visited Jinshan Temple and then went to Beigu Mountain.This Beigu Mountain is exactly where Xiao Yan, Emperor Wudi of Liang in the Southern Dynasty, praised it as "the best mountain in the world". It faces the river on three sides, with steep mountains and dangerous situations, so it is called "Beigu".The Ganlu Temple on the mountain was founded in the Ganlu period of the Eastern Wu of the Three Kingdoms. It is said that it was the place where Liu Bei came to the Eastern Wu to recruit relatives. There are still many legendary relics in the temple.In fact, except for the Iron Tower, which was built in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in the Northern Song Dynasty, most of the other buildings in the temple were rebuilt in modern times.But when the spring is bright and beautiful, you can see the river and the sky at a glance, and you can still arouse nostalgia for the past.

It was dusk when I returned to the city from Beigu Mountain, and the two rice dumplings in my belly had already been digested.At that time, Zhenjiang was not as prosperous as it is today. Most of the shops facing the street were lined up with wooden doors. It was hard to find a medium-sized restaurant, but it was brightly lit.Come in and sit down with me, first ask if there are soup dumplings and meat dishes?These two foods are very famous in Zhenjiang. When I passed Zhenjiang in 1966, I was in a hurry and didn’t feel at ease. It’s a pity that I missed it.The waiter replied that they have both, and asked me enthusiastically if I want a steamed shad?I don't like shad, mainly because it has too many thorns.The ancient Liu Yuan also listed dislike for too many shad thorns and regret that Zeng Zigu could not write poems as the first and last of the "five hates".In addition, shad is rare and expensive, and I was shy at that time, which was also one of the reasons.The waiter seemed to see my hesitation, and said: "The shad in Zhenjiang is the best. I will give you a smaller one, which costs only six or seven yuan. It can be eaten by one person." At this time, an old gentleman at the next table He turned his head and said, "I'm eating shad at the Dragon Boat Festival today, so I don't want it." He had already made my decision, so I had to ask for a steamed shad, replaced the meat with a small plate, and asked for a drawer of Zhenjiang soup dumplings.

The meat is excellent, cut into thin rectangular slices, carmine red, covered with fresh ginger as thin as a hair, salty and mild, taste between fresh meat and ham.Although there is no crab roe in the soup dumpling, the skin is as thin as paper, and you can lift it like a pouch, take a small bite first, and suck the soup, which is very delicious.As for the plate of steamed shad, it was even more alluring.The fish is a foot long, with four or five knives cut obliquely on its body.Embedded with thin slices of bamboo shoots and ham, surrounded by mushrooms, white, red, and black, it looks bright and clean.Except for a small amount of Shaoxing wine, almost no more condiments are used to keep the freshness of shad.

Shad live in the sea. Every April and May of the lunar calendar, tourists go to the fresh water of the Yangtze River to lay eggs, and then return to the sea.It is named shad because it comes in and out sometimes.The reason why shad meat is tender is that its scales are rich in fat. The scales are very thin and will melt when exposed to heat. Therefore, steamed shad cannot be scaled, only the gills and internal organs can be removed. The scales will melt after steaming Adding it to the fish meat adds to the deliciousness of the meat. Shad is rare and expensive, and it is also because it is not easy to catch in the Yangtze River and the quantity is not large.I later learned that Zhenjiang is the best place for shad in the Yangtze River, because the river in this area is wide and the best section in the lower reaches. During the period when shad come and go, especially around the Dragon Boat Festival, the shad is the most plump.Wang Anshi's "Linchuan Collection Yuanfeng Xing" has a saying that "the shad is out of the net to cover the river, and the fat and sweetness of the bamboo shoots is better than the milk", which refers to the scene of fishing shad in late spring and the delicacy of shad.