Go to Taicang to eat three delicacies from the river, sea and river_Taicang three delicacies

Taicang, Jiangsu Province is a prosperous town. Its geographical location is particularly advantageous. It is located at the intersection of the river and the sea, with the Yangtze River in the east and Shanghai close to it, with open waters. The Liuhe River in Taicang is located at the end of the river and at the head of the river. The unique water environment forms a good place for the three delicacies of the "Jianghaihe" to gather. Foodies have the best sense of smell. Following the fresh smell of fish, shrimp, and crab, we headed straight to the "Xinwen Defu Hotel" in Liuhe Town, Taicang.

Fish, shrimp and crab prepared in various ways

Because the people we went with were famous for their delicious food and good food, the restaurant knew that we were going and specially asked the head chef to prepare a table for them. The famous Jianghaihe delicacies include fish, shrimps and crabs in addition to vegetables.

After eating "Harbor Pickled Green Prawns", "Vinegar Pepper Jellyfish Head", "Smoked Fish", "Double-flavored Snails", and "Tempura Bamboo Shrimp" one by one, "Steamed Yangtze River with Waste Oil" Fish" appears. I know that Taicang's bad oil is particularly famous. It can be used to make many meat and vegetable dishes, and it is not uncommon to use it to steam fish. In the words of chef Zhang Hui, the strange ingredient is fish. The skin of Yangtze River fish is light in color, and the meat is not as greasy as farmed fish. It is tender and smooth in the mouth. It is absolutely different from the farmed fish bought in Shanghai market. The chef taught us to marinate the fish with Taicang's local bad oil, onions and ginger for half an hour. When steaming, add some bad oil, onions, ginger and beer, then steam it for 15 minutes.

The "Roasted Yangtze River Bass" is made more exquisitely. The seabass selected is much larger than the seabass we buy in the market, at least seven or eight kilograms, and the big one weighs dozens of kilograms. What is the concept of "incense burning"? After listening to the introduction, I felt that it was indeed a test of cooking skills: first marinate the fish with salt, onions and ginger for 2 hours, and then put it in the double-sided oven. Cover the whole body of the seabass with tinfoil and keep it on low heat for 20 minutes. You have to take the fish in and out at the same time, uncover the tinfoil and wipe off the oil. It takes 20 minutes before it's done. It's really fragrant and the seabass meat is very tender.

When talking about the dish "Yangtze River Grilled Fish in Clear Soup", I couldn't help but sigh loudly. The chef is so creative. This is clearly a bowl of white water with more than a dozen pale and thin grilled fish swimming in it. . First I took a sip of the soup, which was bland, then I ate a piece of fish. After looking at each other at the table, I laughed and said, "Isn't that my cat's dinner?" In fact, the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes" is played out every day in this world. This is true in the reading world, fashion world, and food world. A senior gourmet came to the rescue and said, "You try dipping it in some soy sauce, it's delicious."

Eat puffer fish "desperately"

This food tour was organized by The radio program "What to Eat Today" organizes activities for listeners and guests. Participants have a certain level of food production and food appreciation. Amidst the laughter, the main dish "braised puffer fish" was finally served. There is a saying in my country that "eat puffer fish to the death" to express the deliciousness of puffer fish and the fearless spirit of gluttons. The puffer fish is small, and one portion per person is just one piece of fish, plus a big piece of white fish. Maybe it’s because of the season. When I went to Yangzhou to eat puffer fish in March last year, I didn’t see any white fish. What came with the braised puffer fish was a piece of fish liver. But the Liuhe people said confidently: "This fish should not be thrown away, it is a treasure!"

Looking back on the first time I ate puffer fish in the suburbs of Shanghai, I just remember that everyone was full and full. , the puffer fish that I had been waiting for for a long time came up, but unexpectedly it turned out to be a plate of mushy little fish. However, not pretending to be frightened seemed to offend the host's good intentions, so I let everyone laugh at each other while eating, saying that we were full anyway and would not become an unjust ghost if we died. Unfortunately, the deliciousness of the fish was not discernible at all in my mouth, and the threat of toxicity was blown away by the wind, as if I was participating in a crappy adventure game.

The second time I ate puffer fish was in Yangzhou. The food in Yangzhou left a deep impression on me. That day, a food lover at the same table drew our attention to the exquisite preparation of puffer fish at "Lushi Ancient House". Sure enough, this pufferfish was more amazing than I expected. A small pufferfish is as cute as a miniature dolphin with a bulging belly. Its skin is particularly plump and fat, and it sticks to its lips when touched. The meat is extremely thin, and the soup is added with abalone juice to bring out the puffer fish itself. The "Jirai Gorgon" has a light and sexy color.

At this time, food lovers remind everyone to pay attention to the liver of puffer fish. This liver is the best among the best. Professional puffer cooks all know that puffer fish liver has the most delicious taste, but the numerous blood vessels around the liver must be carefully removed before it can be eaten.

I found two pieces of puffer fish liver on my plate. As soon as I tasted it, my eyes closed naturally because it was extremely thin, smooth, and tender, even more amazing than the legendary foie gras in the restaurant.

Let’s talk about it again. The appearance of the braised pufferfish eaten in Liuhe, Taicang is really not flattering. First, it was a bit overcooked and the fish body was broken. Second, the grass head was added and I was not careful when serving it. , hanging neatly on the edge of the plate. The braised pufferfish tastes pretty good, but the chef himself discovered the problem. He explained that pufferfish is rich in fat and burns easily. Put some grass heads under the fish to prevent it from burning, and the grass heads are delicious.

As for the puffer fish soup, no one who knows how to eat will miss the option of bibimbap. That day in Yangzhou, even though I was already very full, I mixed rice with fish soup and ate it. When I was mixing it, I accidentally found a piece of liver. I was so happy that I quickly took pictures.

Red-glazed seabass and loofah soup

Summer is here, and the food at home is associated with the word "light". Sitting in an air-conditioned room at work, sometimes I can't help but feel hungry. When my colleague vividly described the sour, fresh and rich "bass and loofah soup" I made last night, my mouth watered and I was extremely envious.

Go buy live-killed bass after get off work. I remember that more than ten years ago, when farmed seabass was first introduced to the public, its fresh and delicate taste was respected by diners as top quality. For a while, it was popular in Shanghai restaurants to eat seabass raw, cut it open, remove the bones, and slice it into "killed sago". Just like the tuna under the Atlantic Ocean, it was dipped in mustard and eaten grandly. Later, when the hospital discovered several strange cases of intestinal parasites, we realized that the water quality in the country was so poor that eating like this was a joke. Nowadays, everyone no longer eats raw seabass, but instead steams, braises and makes soup.

A 750g seabass, wash it, remove the head and tail, cut it open in the middle, remove the big bones, cut it into slightly thick fillets, pinch it with fine salt, cooking wine, MSG and cornstarch and set aside ; After the head and tail bones are put into the pot to make soup, remove the bones; cut the tomatoes into pieces and stir-fry them in cooking oil, crush them with a spatula, and add them to the fish soup. After the fire boils, reduce the heat to low; then pour some tomato paste Wait until the soup turns red, then add the loofah, peeled and cut into hob pieces; then pour in the fish fillets, gently cut them open, roll them slightly, and skim off the foam.

If the housewife is lazy and the family members have nimble tongues and are easy to serve, then there is no need to remove the bones from the head and tail of the bass, just cut it into large pieces. In that case, the fish can be stewed in the soup for a longer time, and the soup may be more delicious.

This pot of soup is quite rich and beautiful in color. The red soup is filled with white seabass fillets that seem to be rimmed with silver, while the loofah is tender green. The fish fillets are smooth and tender, the loofah is soft, and the tomatoes have been integrated into the soup, making the bowl of soup taste sour and full of aftertaste.

If the pot is large and the soup is wide, and the family has a good appetite, you can also buy a piece of old tofu and cut it into pieces. I heard that there are also "cat ears", which is to mix the flour with water until it becomes chewy, and add it into the soup one lump at a time. Do not stir too much before it solidifies to avoid the soup becoming too turbid.

"Sea Bass and Loofah Soup" should be drunk while it's hot in summer, as it smells fishy when it's cold. As a family, you have a bowl and I have a bowl. Drinking until you are sweating profusely and taking off your shirt is a great feeling.