Every place in China has always had one or two delicacies that made it famous throughout the country, such as snacks in Shaxian County, beef noodles in Lanzhou, hot pot in Chongqing, snail noodles in Liuzhou, pancakes and fruits in Tianjin... But the real Only those who have been there will know that the delicacies of those places are hidden on the dining tables of every ordinary local family and hidden in the vegetable markets in the old city.

The reason why some foods can become "local lights" is not only because of their excellent taste, but more importantly, if they leave the local area, they will no longer be able to express their taste at all. Even though chain restaurants can be opened all over the country, the real taste of hometown can never ignore the geographical barriers and reach the dining tables in different places across thousands of mountains and rivers. This is what small seafood means to Ningbo.

1. What is "small seafood"?

“Large seafood is a feast for the eyes, and your mouth will be tired of eating more. Small seafood is a feast for the mouth, and you will never get tired of eating it for a long time. Seafood should not be simmered or stewed, and too many seasonings will be superfluous. Use wisdom and skills to make the food taste delicious. It’s so vivid. Cooking fresh food is like running a house, which requires careful attention, careful management, and dedicated protection. ——Documentary "Small Seafood"

Small seafood, as the name suggests, is a smaller seafood. In Ningbo, there are a lot of small seafood, representative ones include clams, mud snails, oysters, bergamot snails, sea melon seeds, etc.

Being on the verge of the East China Sea, every Ningbo person’s understanding of their hometown begins with “a collection of ancient and modern books, and a port that connects the world.” However, not every Ningbo person can live in Zhoushan, Xiangshan, etc. seaside.

However, even if you can't "face the sea" day and month, seafood will always be with Ningbo people all year round. The "small" seafood reveals the ordinary taste of the "small" people, and it exists in the daily life of every Ningbo person. The constant bond between small seafood and Ningbo people is the best embodiment of the emotional connection between food and human beings.

2. The correct way to open small seafood

In terms of taste, everyone has their own preferences for sweet, sour, bitter and spicy. There is only one thing that can enable everyone to achieve a rare true consciousness, and that is - freshness. For example, countless small seafood dishes are a frequent visitor to Ningbo people’s dining tables.

(1) Mud snails are indispensable on the dining table

Ningbo people have three treasures when eating: "Salted crabs, boiled crabs, mud snails are good." Speaking of Ningbo's small seafood, The most unavoidable thing is the mud snail.

Ningbo people call mud snails "spitting iron". China's coastline is 18,000 kilometers long, and mud snails are found along the coast. But when it comes to Ningbo yellow mud snails, it should be regarded as the "king of mud snails".

The growth of mud snails is divided into three seasons: March, May and August. Among them, March is the best growth period, when all the mud and sand in the belly are vomited, the shell is soft and the meat is tender. Every season when it grows, when the tide recedes, traces of it can be found on the tidal flats.

According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", mud snails have the functions of nourishing the liver and kidneys, moistening the lungs, improving eyesight, and promoting fluid production. Ningbo people love to eat mud snails, especially drunken mud snails, which are simply the most indispensable "side dish" on local people's tables.

For seafood, Ningbo people often use rice wine as a condiment or vinegar-flavored ingredients. When it comes to the treatment of mud snails, compared with the usage rate of rice wine, the two can almost achieve a crushing victory, because rice wine has the effect of removing fishy fish and making it fresh.

The mud snails soaked in rice wine for a long time are lead-grey in color and have a delicious taste that combines the saltiness of salt water, the wine taste of rice wine and the umami taste of seafood. The snail meat is tender and smooth, and you can taste it with the tip of your tongue. With a pinch and a gentle sip, the shell and meat are separated, and the plump meat enters the mouth, leaving a delicious aftertaste in the mouth. A few mouthfuls of white rice, combined with the taste of mud snails, make people want to have another bowl.

China’s coastline stretches for 18,000 kilometers. Although Ningbo is not the only place where mud snails are produced, Ningbo is the only place where mud snails are eaten in this way. In response to this, some people on the Internet who do not eat mud snails chewed and bitten the mud snails and swallowed the shells, and then posted: "What is this, so unpalatable!"

(2) Mussels are not vegetables. , fresh to the bone

For those who don’t know it, mussels may sound like the abbreviation of “light vegetables” at first glance. Who would have thought that a guy with such a name would actually have a dark shell and Mussels are a small seafood with delicious meat and known as the "Lady of the East China Sea".

May and June every year are the seasons when a large number of mussels are on the market. In July, Ningbo people’s favorite Donghai mussels begin to appear on the market. Compared with other expensive seafood, the cheap and delicious mussels can be said to be a national player.

Mussels, whose scientific name is mussels, are also called mussels and shell vegetables. In the north, they are called Haihong (speaking of Haihong, many people may be familiar with it). Mussels are also known as "eggs in the sea". Their protein content is as high as 59% and their fat content is extremely low.

There are a lot of mussels, but mining and collecting them is not easy, because they all rely on their own unique byssus to adhere tightly to the rocks on the seaside.

Mussels are very easy to cook and very durable. When Ningbo people eat mussels, they like to blanch them directly in water, add soy sauce, and eat them with wine. The taste should not be too fresh! It can also be steamed, boiled, roasted, peeled and stir-fried with other ingredients. It will still be delicious, mellow and unique.

In Ningbo, there is also the habit of drying mussels in the sun, which is called Ningbo Gonggan. It has been used as a royal tribute since the Tang Dynasty, which is also the origin of the name "Gonggan". Remove the whole mussel meat and dry it naturally in the sun.

When you want to eat, boil soup and porridge and add a piece of it, which is the best source of umami.

(3) Sea melon seeds, the divine dish of the opera,

Sea melon seeds are many Ningbo people’s favorite seafood to go with wine in summer, and they are also a very common dish for entertaining guests. Local old diners often say, "With a plate of scallion oil and sea melon seeds, you can drink a pound of rice wine."

Sea melon seeds have nothing to do with nut melon seeds. They are a thin-shelled shellfish with a shape as small as a melon seed and a grayish-red surface. They are also known as plum clams and iridescent cherry clams. The reason why it is called "Mei Clam" is because the sea melon seeds produced during the plum rain season in the south of the Yangtze River have the most tender and delicious meat.

Haiguazi is the "very flirtatious" type. You can't get enough of it after taking one bite, and you can't seem to get enough. It's very different from the honest Northeastern cuisine, but this is what Ningbo people love.

Although small in size, sea melon seeds are no less delicious than other seafood. Freshly caught sea melon seeds contain a lot of sediment, so they need to be soaked in light salt water first. After the sea melon seeds are spit out all the sediment, they can be washed and stir-fried.

If the perfect CP of mud snail is to be drunk, then the destination of sea melon seeds should be drizzled with scallion oil.

Put out the sediment and wash the sea melon seeds, blanch them in boiling water until they open, scoop them out and pour a little light soy sauce on them. Heat another oil pan and sauté the onion, ginger and garlic, pour the hot oil on the sea melon seeds, and the sound of "sizzling" announces that it is delicious.

This plate of sea melon seeds exudes the aroma of green onion and soy sauce, which is fragrant and fresh. The flavors of the ingredients are mixed together and soaked in the meat of the sea melon seeds. With a gentle sip, the meat is full, tender and refreshing, with endless aftertaste. When eating sea melon seeds, it is not advisable to wolf them down, it is best to taste them carefully one by one. Put a spoonful into your mouth and gently separate the meat shell with the tip of your tongue. This is the "basic skill" of eating sea melon seeds.

Shelled food makes people easily obsessed with it, and they are obsessed with the pleasure of "conquering". Sea melon seeds are this kind of small seafood that gets hotter the more you eat it, and you can’t get enough of it.

The umami taste of seafood makes people obsessed with it. The umami taste brings a simple and complex taste enjoyment, and it is the memory of every Ningbo person’s tongue.

Reference materials: Chai Long's "Old Taste of Ningbo", Wang Han's "Don't Leave Rice Without Fresh Food", Liang Shiqiu's "Talk about Eating in an Elegant House", Zhao Xuemin's "Supplements to the Compendium of Materia Medica", "Sanlian Life Weekly - Food" All over Zhejiang, China".