Fish Rice and Assorted Salty Side Dishes

Food heritage & tasting

Fish Rice and Assorted Salty Side Dishes are a set of Chaoshan delicacies well worth experiencing when visiting Shantou. Here, "Fish Rice" is not fish with rice, but a traditional method in the coastal Chaoshan area where fresh sea fish are treated with salt water, steamed or boiled, then cooled before eating. Common fish include mackerel scad, red-eye fish, and Pacific saury. The flesh is firm, salty, and chewy. Dipped in Puning bean sauce, garlic chili, or soy sauce, it best brings out the natural umami of the sea fish. Public food content also mentions that Shantou Fish Rice often uses mackerel scad as a representative, made by salting, steaming, and cooling, creating the Chaoshan characteristic of "eating rice without seeing rice." "Assorted Salty Side Dishes" is a general term for congee accompaniments in Chaoshan, with a rich variety including olive vegetable, salted vegetable, preserved radish, pickled radish, tribute vegetable, salted fish, braised meats, raw marinated seafood, and fish rice. Their common feature is being salty, appetizing, and perfect with congee. Chaoshan cuisine emphasizes a "balance of lightness and salty freshness." A bowl of plain congee with a few small plates of assorted salty side dishes may seem simple, but it best reflects the daily dietary wisdom of Shantou locals. Local congee guides also mention that olive vegetable, pickled radish, braised meat platter, and fish rice are representative side dishes that complement Chaoshan plain congee. For tourists, Fish Rice and Assorted Salty Side Dishes may not be "love at first bite" foods, but they strongly represent the everyday life of Shantou. Whether it's a bowl of plain congee in the early morning or a table of small dishes at a late-night congee stall, Fish Rice and Assorted Salty Side Dishes let you feel the Chaoshan people's attention to seafood, pickling, braising, and side dish pairings. When visiting Shantou, if you want to eat more like a local, consider skipping the beef hotpot route and find a plain congee and late-night congee shop. Order a portion of Fish Rice, a few plates of assorted salty side dishes, and pair them with a bowl of hot congee—that's the authentic Chaoshan flavor of life.