Xiangshan, in the middle point of the coastal line of Zhejiang, is famed for seafood. Mudfish and mackerel are two delicacies typical of Xiangshan.

A mudfish is a type of fish that lives and thrives in mud or muddy water. They inhabit swampy areas and they prefer heavily weedy drains and wetlands. Flatlands are abundant in Xiangshan. The mudfish is important in local lifestyle. When a baby is a month old, a ceremony is held to bless the baby boy or baby girl. The ceremony is simple enough: the baby’s lips must be touched by a fish. The mudfish is the best choice for the fish’s vigor. Crabs and shrimps are taboos on such an occasion simply because a crab moves sideways and a shrimp walks backwards. In Ninghai, a rural coastal county north to Xiangshan, people also give one-month-old babies an opportunity to touch that vigor symbolized by the mudfish.

In the past, the mudfish was an easy catch. It was often cooked in soybean sauce at rural kitchens. As the mudfish has been decreasing, the delicacy prepared with soybean sauce has become a luxury. It is rarely seen served and is already replaced by the mudfish and white gourd soup. In Linhai, south to Xiangshan, some people prefer having the mudfish pickled and dehydrated for future consumption. Mudfish fishing is a practice that needs a long time and talent to master. A fisherman uses a rod and an anchor fishhook to catch a mudfish. When he spots a mudfish, he throws the fishhook out. When the hook lands on the target fish, he uses the rod to get in the fish on the hook. Such a fishing method looks like sharpshooting. Nowadays, only few fishermen know how to catch mudfish by using this angling technique.

Mackerel with blue spots on the back is highly appreciated in Xiangshan. The best time for enjoying mackerel is days before Qingming Festival in early April. Before the festival, fishermen determine prices after their ships dock at the wholesale market. They count their catches fast and make a decision contingent on the total quantity available. Pricing depends on the size of the catch. Though mackerel is available all the year round, it becomes very expensive about ten days before the Qingming Festival largely because mackerel tastes best at that time and therefore is often shipped off by air as gifts to friends and clients. Quan Zuwang (1705-1755), a scholar of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), wrote a poem about mackerel, singing of the delightful flavor of mackerel and emphasizing that mackerel must be consumed in season for best enjoyment.

At Shipu Town, Xiangshan, a mackerel is often cooked in six ways and served as six different dishes. Nothing is wasted and everybody at the dinner is happy. In coastal cities in eastern Zhejiang, mackerel is often simply prepared with pickled vegetable and sliced bamboo shoots. At households, people don’t trouble themselves to cook a mackerel in six different ways. In Ningbo, however, some residents there prefer smoked mackerel.