Fuxian Lake is located in Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, with residents living around the lake. In the early days, many people lived by fishing. Sometimes they could not consume all the fish caught, and rather than wasting it, fishermen started to preserve the fish with salt for long-term storage. That's how yummy salted fish was invented!

Liaoyan runs a salted fish restaurant in Chengjiang City, Yunnan Province. As early as he could remember, salted fish was a frequent cuisine on the dinner table. “When I was a child, my parents usually bought salted fish at home. We all loved it, and later on, I learned to cook it by myself, " said Liaoyan, who started making salted fish almost 30 years since 1993.

Salted fish can be stored for a long time with a unique flavor that combines the spicy taste of preserved fish with the sweetness of fresh fish. It has been favored by people ever since due to its tender and delicate meat.

For many years, the method of making salted fish has been well inherited. According to Liaoyan, oil has been added to traditional cooking to make salted fish taste more crispy. Meanwhile, people choose grass carp or Hemiculter leucisculus instead of Kanglang fish.

The ingredient of salted fish is not complex, but the key lies in the time and heat. “Besides salt, water, and oil, you also need to put peppers, chili powder, ginger slices, star anise, and bay leaves,” introduced Liaoyan. During the cooking process, it is important to control the heat, not to burn it or overcook it. At the beginning of cooking, it requires high heat, turns it down to low heat, and simmers slowly after boiling. For big fish, it needs to cook over ten hours, around 15 to 16 hours, so the fish bone tastes crispy; for small fish, it needs at least 7 or 8 hours.

Liaoyan recalled that when he started the restaurant, he could only sell 2 or 3 pots of salted fish. After his thoughtful management and customers’ love for salted fish, right now, he can sell 15 to 16 pots. Liaoyuan’s perseverance and inheritance of his hometown’s delicacies have won the recognition of customers.

Liaoyan said, “as the water quality of Fuxian Lake improves, there are an increasing number of visitors, so more people can taste our salted fish.”

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(Editors: Ines, Amy)