Three Fishes of the Yangtze River refer to reeves shad, ribbonfish and puffer fish. Puffer fish is a specialty of Nantong, as local people have had a custom of eating puffer fish in Tomb-Sweeping Day since ancient times. Puffer fish produced in Nantong is exported to many countries. Local chefs are proficient in cooking puffer fish, as local people are barely poisoned by eating puffer fish. Different from the Japanese way, in Nantong, puffer fish is mostly boiled in soup and braised. It is recommended to taste puffer fish at “Meiling Chunxiao”, a restaurant by the Hao River in Nantong.
Clams, one of the main seafood along the coast of Nantong, are a small shellfish with delicious taste, known as “The Most Delicious Food in the World”. The cooking methods include frying, making soup and steaming eggs. This type of seafood is available for tasting in all restaurants along the seaside in Nantong.
In preparation for Liquor Saturated Shrimp, fresh live shrimp are put into a large amount of rice wine, with a little seasoning added. After a short while, the drunken shrimp is ready to serve while it is still half alive with meat being fresh and tender, releasing a strong aroma of rice wine. This dish is available for tasting in most restaurants in Nantong, worth tasting.
In preparation, fresh mud snails collected from Lvsi Fishing Port are immersed in a plate of seasoning made of brown sugar, liquor. It is the favorite dish that goes with wine for people in Qidong, Nantong for its unique flavor. It is recommended to buy canned Liquor Saturated Mud Snails with a long shelf life, which are available in local supermarkets in Nantong, to present as a souvenir.
