These three kinds of bream are more difficult to distinguish, and it is said that Su Dongpo, a famous gourmet in the Song Dynasty, got lost in it.
One day, Wang Anshi asked Su Shi to fill out a poem together, and asked Su Shi to buy a few Wuchang fish to help the wine, Su Shi gladly agreed to go to the fish stalls to pick the big bream to buy a few. Wang Anshi saw and shook his head, Su Shi was puzzled. When the fish steamed, Wang Anshi with chopsticks out of a fishbone, thrown into a bowl of water, only to see the water, "grumble" out of a splash of oil, and then flicked a fish is also the same. Finger to the last fish, Wang Anshi said "this is Wuchang fish". Sure enough, when the last fish thorns thrown into the water, only to see the water turned out three oil splashes one after another. It turned out that Wuchang fish fat for other bream is not as good as Wang Anshi's method is a way to distinguish between real and fake Wuchang fish. When choosing a careful observation can also distinguish between the real and fake Wuchang fish, Wuchang fish shape body side flat, head small back, side look slightly rhomboid, abdominal ridge only in the ventral fin base to the water door, and the long abdominal ridge of the bream, bream body surface does not have Wuchang fish unique black stripes and square tail perch.
Hubei people according to the Wuchang fish meat tender, fat-rich characteristics, created a "steamed Wuchang fish" eating method.
Steamed Wuchang fish, generally choose about two pounds of live Wuchang fish, remove the scales and gills viscera after washing, with a knife blade in the fish on both sides of the row orchid-shaped, coated with a layer of lard, plus a little salt, wine, ginger, green onion, mushrooms, monosodium glutamate and other condiments, even the plate into the steamer, in the high fire on the steamer for about 15 minutes, out of the cage and then decorated with red, yellow and green color on the fish shredded vegetables, so that a plate of rich fragrance, colorful Wuchang fish is presented in front of your eyes.
Wuchang fish is not only a delicacy, but also a medicinal diet, "Compendium of Materia Medica" recorded in particular its effectiveness in regulating the spleen and stomach, internal organs. Wuchang fish produced in Eucheng and Wuchang County within the territory of Liangzi Lake. The lake is vast, straight through the Yangtze River, the river water can be inverted. This makes the water quality of the lake good and rich in bait, which is convenient for the growth and reproduction of Wuchang fish. Wuchang fish is a kind of bream, also known as the group head bream. The body shape is flat, weighing about one city catty or two or three city catty, the meat is tender and white, rich in protein and fat. It is a valuable freshwater fish dish. It is also famous for Mao Zedong's saying "I drink the water of Changsha and eat Wuchang fish", which makes Wuchang fish even more famous. Wuchang fish can be cooked with dozens of different flavors of fish dishes, such as steamed Wuchang fish, flower brewing Wuchang fish, butterfly Wuchang fish, Maotai Wuchang fish, chicken porridge cream Wuchang fish, braised Wuchang fish, Yangmei Wuchang fish, snow Lamei Wuchang fish, etc., especially steamed Wuchang fish braised sizzling, fragrant, tender meat and fresh taste, has been well-known in China and abroad, the top class good food.