Shanghai Daily News

The waters around Jiangyin, nestled on the mouth of  Yangtze River, provide its residents abundant aquatic products all year round.

Among shoals of fish shuttling between the river and the sea, dao fish, reeves shad or shi fish and balloonfish are three favorite local tastings.

Dao Fish:

About 30 centimeters long, the silvery body of a dao fish is flat and long and shaped like a knife. The fish's name originates from its body shape - "dao" means knife in Chinese.

Eating dao fish is complicated. People need to pick out countless bones before eating the tender flesh.

To avoid the stinging bones, newcomers are advised to taste it before early April when its bones become extraordinarily soft.

Reeves Shad or Shi Fish:

This fish was a royal tribute for about 200 years starting in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The fish was taken more than 1000 kilometers from Jiangyin to Beijing in a relay of horse-drawn vehicles.

But the custom was canceled in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as the frantic dash was costing too many people and horses.

Besides, the fragile fish would die as soon as it was lifted from the water and the royal family gradually discovered the special taste was lost once the fish was no longer fresh.

To maintain its delicate taste, the fish needs to be cooked with its scales.

To cook a perfect dish of reeves shad, one needs to find a patient chef, willing to peel all the scales off and sew them together to cover the fish while it is cooking.

Shi means time in Chinese. People named the fish because its annual shuttle between the Yangtze River and the sea is always on time.

Balloonfish:

This fish's delicious taste makes people endanger their lives to eat it.

The  toxin in its liver and gonad requires great care when cleaning and cooking the fish.

The fish's skin is smooth and its taste is perfect when served with soy or stewed in custard.