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Silverfish, crabs and white shrimp are known as the "Three Treasures of Taihu Lake ".
Silverfish
Silverfish, commonly known as noodle fish, or noodle stick fish, a few inches long, slightly rounded body length, according to legend, the king of Wu chopped food is discarded in the water, and become fish, also known as chopped fish (silverfish name because of its swimming in the lake, such as silver arrows away from the string of the reason). It can be seen that Lake Taihu silverfish has been developed as China's precious edible fish species of long history.
Taihu Lake silverfish have big silverfish, Lei's silverfish, short-nosed silverfish and oligochaetonous short-nosed silverfish four species, the first two larger, the latter two smaller. The whole fish in addition to the two eyes for the black spot, the whole body white, transparent, soft bone, no scales. The spawning period is concentrated in mid-May to mid- to late-June each year, which is the peak season for fishing. Ming Dynasty poet Wang Shucheng wrote the "ice is the edge of the stream waves, silverfish on the rapid turbulence, fresh floating white jade disk, without having to explore the inner hole" verse is the silverfish praise, Song Dynasty Zhang Xian wrote the "silverfish after the spring phase under the perch" poem, the silverfish and perch and listed as a fish in the treasures.
Silverfish nutritious, according to analysis, per 100 grams of silverfish containing protein 8.2 grams, 0.3 grams of fat, carbohydrates 1.4 grams of calcium 258 mg, 102 mg of phosphorus, iron 0.5 mg, calories 41 kcal, as well as vitamin B1, B2, niacin and other nutrients.
Fresh silverfish can be made into dried silverfish by sunlight, which is shaped like a jade hairpin, and its color, aroma and taste remain unchanged for a long time. The dried silverfish produced in Dangkou, Suzhou, is less than two inches long, with a flat body, fat meat and soft bones, white color and light, and is classified as a top quality product. It is exported to Europe and the United States and enjoys a good reputation.
Silverfish meat is delicate, white and tender, no bones and thorns, no fishy flavor, can be used to cook a variety of delicious dishes fresh soup. Fish tender soup fresh "silverfish ball" and tender and fragrant fat "silverfish spread yellow cabbage" is to Taihu Lake silverfish as the main ingredient, by the hands of the chef processing, cooking from the two traditional dishes. Eating dried silverfish before cooking, to be soaked in water, such as if scrambled with eggs, tender and flavorful, soft as boneless, is a seasonal dish of Jiangnan.
Cabra nasus
Cabra nasus, also known as lake crabs, is commonly known as the hairy leaf fish, with a slightly flattened and thin body, a small pointed head and a large mouth, two eyes on the front of the head at the upper end, a slightly broader abdomen, a thin and narrow tail, fine scales, white, and the whole is a long and narrow mosaic leaf shape.
According to the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Hua's "Museum" recorded: Legend has it that at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, King Goujian of Yue built up his strength through "lying down and tasting the guts", and launched a decisive battle against Wu to avenge the shame. At that time, King Fu-chai of Wu, who had acquired Xi Shi, spent all his time having fun and enjoying himself in a wild way, brutalizing his loyal men and women. As the Wu army was unwilling to fight for him, the Vietcong army won the favorable opportunity to win the battle, but later on, due to the obstruction of the Taihu Lake, they were unable to capture the capital city of Wu, and the war was stalemated. When the Vietcong army was about to run out of food and wanted to retreat, small fish, known as crabs, suddenly swam around the Vietcong warships. The Yue army caught and ate them, which boosted their morale, and soon attacked the capital city of Wu (present-day Suzhou) and destroyed the state of Wu. Legend has it that the crabs of Lake Taihu were made from the leftover flesh and bones of the chopped fish that King Fu-chai of Wu ate and poured into Lake Taihu, and because they were longer than the silverfish, the fishermen of Lake Taihu used to call the crabs as the silverfish's elder brother.
The crabs spawn in March and April every year, and the fish are seen in June, followed by the fishing season, so there is a proverb that "July 7, the crabs are all together", and the fishing period can last until the middle of February of the following year.
The flesh of the crabs is tender and delicious, rich in nutrients, containing protein, fat, carbohydrates and inorganic salts such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, etc. In particular, the tender bones of the crabs are very tender and have a good flavor. What should be mentioned in particular is that the tender bones and eggs contain a large amount of calcium, about three times that of silverfish, which is a tonic for the human brain and bone marrow, and is especially suitable as health food for young people.
The fishermen of Taihu Lake usually used to dry the freshly caught crabs slowly with charcoal fire, and made the delicious and fishy-free dried crabs, which is a famous specialty of Taihu Lake and is regarded as a precious product on the table.
The dried crabs and their dried fish can be cooked in various ways, such as steamed or braised, and if the dried crabs are supplemented with salted vegetables or bean curd and other **** boiled, it is a delicious delicacy for the people around the Taihu Lake in the south of the Yangtze River.
White shrimp
White shrimp, growing in the open waters of Lake Taihu, is a freshwater shrimp. Transparent body color, head with whiskers, claws on the chest, two prominent eyes, tail into a forked shape. According to "Taihu Lake," recorded: "Taihu Lake white shrimp A world, cooked when the color is still white."
Taihu Lake white shrimp mostly live in the water plants, calm shallows, its diet is to plant debris, organic residues and weak invertebrate plankton as the main food. May to mid to late July each year, is the peak season for white shrimp spawning. Early spawning in the spring hatched out of the young shrimp, after two or three months, six or seven times after the molt, to the middle and end of June into large shrimp, the end of August can be mature spawning. There is no special flood season, usually six or seven months of the lunar calendar is to eat shrimp season.
Taihu Lake white shrimp meat is tender and delicious, high nutritional value, according to scientific analysis, per 100 grams of edible shrimp, containing 20.6 grams of protein, 0.7 grams of fat, as well as calcium, scale, iron and other inorganic salts and vitamin A and other nutrients. In addition to food, can also be used as medicine. Contemporary pharmacologist Ye Kuangquan in the "food Chinese medicine and convenient prescription" book said: "shrimp taste sweet, warm, to acne sores, under the breast milk, Yang Road, is a strong tonic medicine, internal service has the function of Tori detoxification".
Shrimp as the main material for the production of dishes, color, aroma and taste. "Biluo shrimp", "fried shrimp cake" and "three shrimp tofu" and other famous dishes are out of the hands of highly skilled chefs, after eating people are full of praise.