BAI XIANG DIAN SHUI XIANG YU YAN

Baiyangdian Water Village Fish Banquet has been open for more than ten years. It is very distinctive. Every day, fresh fish is delivered from Baiyangdian. It tastes very good and is not expensive. I have been there several times. There are many people and the environment is also good.

The Baiyangdian cuisine blends the flavors of the waterside town with traditional Hebei culinary culture, focusing on fresh river seafood and emphasizing its authentic flavors. Below are some of the unique flavors and preparation methods of these specialties: Whole Fish Banquet • Unique Flavor: This dish emphasizes "eating fish without seeing the fish," boasting rich flavors and a vibrant aroma. It combines artistic form with layered flavors, fully embodying the wisdom of "one fish, multiple uses" and the essence of waterside culinary culture. • Preparation: Using fresh Baiyangdian fish as the primary ingredient, the fish's form is transformed through diverse cutting and cooking techniques, achieving comprehensive utilization of the ingredients. Banquet dishes vary in size, with common offerings like "four cold dishes and four hot dishes" and "eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes" offerings, while high-end offerings can include nineteen dishes. Representative dishes are prepared in different ways, such as the Songhe Yannian Platter, which emphasizes shaping, the golden lionfish, which is deep-fried until it resembles a lion, and the three-color fish jerky soup, which uses the fish as jerky. Common dishes include braised fish with soybean paste, fish with tomato and tofu, braised fish maw, and fish head with chopped peppers, complemented by specialty dishes like fish skin soup, fish scale jelly, and fish dumplings. Baiyangdian Braised Fish • Unique Flavor: Rich soybean paste, tender fish meat, crispy and edible fish bones, and the aroma of soybean paste permeates the fish. The first layer is the rich, salty and fresh flavor of soybean paste, followed by a spicy aroma from scallions and garlic, with a finish of lotus leaves. The pancakes placed on the edge of the pot are half-steamed and half-boiled, making them particularly delicious after absorbing the broth. • Preparation Method: • Ingredients: Must be freshly caught fish from the Baiyangdian waters, including at least four species: carp, snakehead fish, catfish, garfish, and loach. They must be sourced from clean, lotus-rich waters and densely reeded areas, and must be processed within three hours of capture. Local Hebei soybean paste is used as a side dish, and seasonings such as star anise, scallions, ginger, and garlic must be freshly cut on the day of harvest. • Pre-treatment: After slaughtering live fish, pour 80°C boiling water over the surface to remove any fishy odor, while retaining the scales to increase collagen content. • Stir-frying: Heat lard in a wok until 70% hot. Add star anise, scallions, ginger, and garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Add soybean paste and stir-fry until the oil turns red. • Slow-cooking: Arrange the fish in layers according to their cooking resistance. Pour in Baiyangdian natural lake water and simmer for 40 minutes until the broth thickens. • Main course pairing: Place cornmeal pancakes along the edge of the wok during the last 10 minutes of cooking, using the steam to create a complex cooking process where the fish is stewed on top and the pancakes are baked underneath. Baiyangdian Pot-Boiled Fish (Baiyangdian Smoked Fish) • Unique Flavor: The finished dish has a yellow-red surface, a savory flavor, and a distinct smoky aroma. The fish is tender, chewy, and bones are easy to remove. • Instructions: • Ingredients: Generally, use fresh cucumber fish or whitebait about an inch long, along with Sichuan peppercorns, salt, vinegar, and sesame oil as appropriate. • Marinate: Open the fresh cucumber fish, remove the black film, and drain. Evenly coat the fish with salt and Sichuan peppercorns, and marinate for 6-10 hours. • Steam: Steam for 3 minutes. • Pan-fry: Heat a wok, rub ginger on the pan to prevent sticking. Add oil. When the oil is slightly smoking, add the fish. Fry until golden brown, flip, and baste the fish with sesame oil or sweet bean paste. Once the fish is browned, add rice vinegar. When fragrant, cover and turn off the heat. • Smoking: The sawdust used for smoking is primarily odorless fruit wood. Appropriate amounts of sugar and millet are added to the sawdust. After steaming, the fish is placed on a wire grid and smoked with the smoke from the charred mixture of sawdust, sugar, and millet. Stir the fish frequently until it turns a yellow-red color. Before serving, brush the fish with sesame oil for a more flavorful flavor. Xiong'an Fish Fillets • Unique Flavor: The fillets are thin, beautifully shaped, and white in color, resulting in a fresh, tender, and smooth texture. • Preparation Method: Select Baiyangdian black fish. Cut the fillets quickly to ensure the fillets are intact and thin, resulting in a fresh, tender, and smooth texture after cooking. Baiyangdian Cooked Shrimp • Unique Flavor: Bright red, crispy, and slightly sweet. • Preparation: Using Baiyangdian river shrimp as ingredients, the shrimp are cooked in a unique cooking method, resulting in a bright red color and a crispy, slightly sweet texture. The specific seasoning and cooking process are not detailed. Fish Scale Jelly • Unique Flavor: Crystal clear, slightly dark yellow, and springy. Combined with minced garlic, vinegar, light soy sauce, and salt, it is delicious. • Preparation: Rinse the prepared carp scales several times with water. Place them in a pot, add water, and simmer over low heat until the scales curl. Remove the scales and pour the scale water into a bowl. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, the scale jelly will be ready. To serve, cut into small pieces, add minced garlic, vinegar, light soy sauce, and salt, stir well, and sprinkle with chopped green onions. Shrimp Paste Pancakes • Unique Flavor: Crispy and tempting, with the umami flavor of the shrimp and the wheat aroma of the pancake. • Preparation: Detailed information on the preparation method has not yet been found. It's generally believed that shrimp are mixed with batter, rolled into pancakes, and then pan-fried or baked. Lotus Leaf Noodles • Unique Flavor: The noodles are chewy and have a delicate fragrance from the lotus leaves. • Preparation: Juice fresh lotus leaves and mix them with the noodles. Lotus Root Noodles • Unique Flavor: Smooth texture and rich nutrition. • Preparation: Lotus roots from Baiyangdian Lake are used, but it's unclear whether the juice is mixed with the noodles or whether the chopped lotus roots are added to the noodles. Baiyangdian River Crabs • Unique Flavor: Large, thick crabs with a delicious flavor. The crabs have thin shells and delicate, fragrant meat. Female crabs have ample roe, while male crabs are rich in fat. • Preparation: Steaming is the most common method. After cleaning the crabs, tie them with string, place them belly-up in a steamer, and steam them over high heat until cooked. Serve with ginger vinegar sauce for a more flavorful dish.

The taste is so-so, the seasoning is not evenly mixed, the waiter's service attitude is very bad, he is simply unreasonable and not polite at all. I will never go there again next time.

The service attitude is very bad! I don't recommend dining here! I regret eating here and will never go there again!