长江鱼 (Chángjiāng Yú), the fish of the Yangtze, sits at the heart of the table in Zhōngxiàn, a county town pressed right against the river’s north bank. Catfish (鲶鱼) and the chunky river carp known as 鲢鱼 liányú are the everyday catches, cooked in the homestyle ways river towns have refined over centuries — simmered, braised, or steamed, always treated as fresh as the morning allows.
The defining local habit is to cook the fish with tofu (豆腐). A whole river carp or catfish goes into a pot with blocks of soft tofu and a light, ginger-and-scallion broth, the two simmering until the bean curd has soaked up the fish’s sweetness and the soup turns mild and comforting. It is the kind of dish a grandmother makes without measuring, and it shows up at family dinners more often than at restaurants with printed menus.
Beyond the tofu pot, the river gives plainer pleasures. Catfish is braised with fermented broad bean paste (豆瓣酱) for a darker, savoury version; smaller 河鲜 héxiān — river shrimp and tiny fish — are quickly fried or steamed with just salt and pepper. None of it aims to be fancy. The point is proximity: the fish was likely in the water that morning, and the cooking respects that by staying simple.
The reservoirs and the changed river after the Three Gorges project reshaped what is caught, and the county now balances eating with care for the water. You can taste the tradition at the riverside restaurants near the county seat and along the old ferry routes, where a fish-and-tofu pot typically costs a moderate sum by the jin (斤, the catty, a little over half a kilo). Go with the day’s catch rather than a fixed order, and ask the kitchen to cook it the local way — with tofu.
Words and Names
长江鱼 Chángjiāng Yú — Yangtze river fish, the county’s table staple 鲶鱼 niányú — catfish, a common river catch 鲢鱼 liányú — river carp, often cooked with tofu 豆腐 dòufu — tofu, the constant companion in the fish pot 河鲜 héxiān — river freshness, small shrimp and tiny fish 斤 jīn — the catty, a little over half a kilogram, the unit fish is sold by