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Home » City specials » Qingdao
Seafood delights make super suppers
By Tan Weiyun |
September 13, 2010, Monday
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QINGDAO is popular among tourists for many reasons, including its seafood restaurants. Tan Weiyun recommends al fresco dining along Beer Street.
Qingdao City in Shandong Province is ideal for those who enjoy eating the bounty of the sea.
Seafood ranging from fish and shrimps to clams and oysters are served fresh, really fresh. Whatever seafood you order, rest assured it was alive just a few minutes before appearing on the dining table.
The most famed place in the city to wolf down a seafood feast is Beer Street, an iconic road in the downtown area.
The street is home to more than 60 seafood restaurants, sidewalk snack booths and pubs selling beer from the nearby Qingdao Brewery.
It is a nice place to idle away a lazy afternoon or enjoy a relaxed evening and al fresco dining.
Almost everyone in Qingdao is obsessed with clams.
In the warm months it is quite common to see people in swimming suits along the coast, many of them drinking beer and eating clams.
Sauteed spicy clams are a common household dish in Qingdao. The beauty of this dish, aside from the great taste, is that it is easy to make.
First soak the clams in salt water for about two hours so that they expel sand. Then quickly saut?? them in oil, yellow rice wine, chili sauce, a little sugar, chopped ginger and shallots. Remove them from heat once each clam opens.
It's better to cook the clams quickly with high heat because a longer cooking time may destroy their tender flavor.
Another popular way to eat clams is dipping them in vinegar and oyster sauce - making for a sweet and sour dish.
Shandong people seem to prefer spicy flavors with their seafood. Xiangluo, a kind of conch, is often steamed with chili oil and vinegar.
Prawns can be cooked many ways, including steamed with salt water. They can also be soaked in white wine before steaming and served with a spicy soy sauce.
Biguan fish, or sea rabbit as locals call it, is best stewed and served with spicy or sour sauce. It is also quite good in a soup or sauteed.
Ankang fish may look ugly but its tender meat is delicious. Fishermen use little lamps above the water to attract this small fish before capturing them in nets.
Local fishermen traditionally make shrimp paste or sauce by putting shrimp heads in salt for hours. It looks bright red and tastes salty. The paste or sauce is rich in protein and other nutrients.
Oysters can be seen everywhere on rocks along the coastline, but they are rather small. Local fishermen love to catch oysters much farther out from the shore, as these mollusks are bigger and taste better.
They are best stewed alone in the winter and spring to keep the original flavor. The rest of the year, oysters are often cooked with cabbage and tofu.
Beer Street usually becomes quite crowded with people during the annual summer carnival. A series of eating contests are held for things such as crabs, clams and shrimps.
Mr and Ms Beer are chosen during the festival for their ability to chug the most beer in the shortest amount of time.
Beer Street is on Dengzhou Road, the birthplace of Qingdao Beer, a domestic beer brand with a history of about 100 years.
Four years ago, the government gave Beer Street a 20-million-yuan (US$2.94 million) face-lift. It now averages more than 10,000 visitors each day although the number can be considerably larger during the summer.
As for cold dishes, sea lettuce is a must-try. Wash the sea lettuce and then boil it. It is the most tender in the months from March to May.
Another truly local cold dish is the starch-free grass jelly made from Shihua cabbage, which grows in the sea. The dish is called "dong cai liang fen." It's served ice-cold, making it ideal for eating in the hot summer.
Egg fried rice is a great side dish for a seafood feast.
Qingdao has many seafood restaurants.
One warning. Do not take the advice of taxi drivers who try to take you to restaurants where they say you can enjoy bargain prices. These cabbies work with the restaurants and play tricks on prices.
Qingdao City in Shandong Province is ideal for those who enjoy eating the bounty of the sea.
Seafood ranging from fish and shrimps to clams and oysters are served fresh, really fresh. Whatever seafood you order, rest assured it was alive just a few minutes before appearing on the dining table.
The most famed place in the city to wolf down a seafood feast is Beer Street, an iconic road in the downtown area.
The street is home to more than 60 seafood restaurants, sidewalk snack booths and pubs selling beer from the nearby Qingdao Brewery.
It is a nice place to idle away a lazy afternoon or enjoy a relaxed evening and al fresco dining.
Almost everyone in Qingdao is obsessed with clams.
In the warm months it is quite common to see people in swimming suits along the coast, many of them drinking beer and eating clams.
Sauteed spicy clams are a common household dish in Qingdao. The beauty of this dish, aside from the great taste, is that it is easy to make.
First soak the clams in salt water for about two hours so that they expel sand. Then quickly saut?? them in oil, yellow rice wine, chili sauce, a little sugar, chopped ginger and shallots. Remove them from heat once each clam opens.
It's better to cook the clams quickly with high heat because a longer cooking time may destroy their tender flavor.
Another popular way to eat clams is dipping them in vinegar and oyster sauce - making for a sweet and sour dish.
Shandong people seem to prefer spicy flavors with their seafood. Xiangluo, a kind of conch, is often steamed with chili oil and vinegar.
Prawns can be cooked many ways, including steamed with salt water. They can also be soaked in white wine before steaming and served with a spicy soy sauce.
Biguan fish, or sea rabbit as locals call it, is best stewed and served with spicy or sour sauce. It is also quite good in a soup or sauteed.
Ankang fish may look ugly but its tender meat is delicious. Fishermen use little lamps above the water to attract this small fish before capturing them in nets.
Local fishermen traditionally make shrimp paste or sauce by putting shrimp heads in salt for hours. It looks bright red and tastes salty. The paste or sauce is rich in protein and other nutrients.
Oysters can be seen everywhere on rocks along the coastline, but they are rather small. Local fishermen love to catch oysters much farther out from the shore, as these mollusks are bigger and taste better.
They are best stewed alone in the winter and spring to keep the original flavor. The rest of the year, oysters are often cooked with cabbage and tofu.
Beer Street usually becomes quite crowded with people during the annual summer carnival. A series of eating contests are held for things such as crabs, clams and shrimps.
Mr and Ms Beer are chosen during the festival for their ability to chug the most beer in the shortest amount of time.
Beer Street is on Dengzhou Road, the birthplace of Qingdao Beer, a domestic beer brand with a history of about 100 years.
Four years ago, the government gave Beer Street a 20-million-yuan (US$2.94 million) face-lift. It now averages more than 10,000 visitors each day although the number can be considerably larger during the summer.
As for cold dishes, sea lettuce is a must-try. Wash the sea lettuce and then boil it. It is the most tender in the months from March to May.
Another truly local cold dish is the starch-free grass jelly made from Shihua cabbage, which grows in the sea. The dish is called "dong cai liang fen." It's served ice-cold, making it ideal for eating in the hot summer.
Egg fried rice is a great side dish for a seafood feast.
Qingdao has many seafood restaurants.
One warning. Do not take the advice of taxi drivers who try to take you to restaurants where they say you can enjoy bargain prices. These cabbies work with the restaurants and play tricks on prices.
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