On wet bamboo leaves lie a black carp, a grass carp and a common carp, a basket holds river shrimp, a few river crabs are tied with straw, a blue-and-white bowl holds snails in clear water, and a lake and hills lie beyond.
Fish of lake and river
Introduction
Fish, shrimp, crab and molluscs from rivers, lakes and ponds.
Freshwater fish, shrimp and shellfish cover the fish, shrimp, crabs, snails and mussels of rivers, lakes and ponds, such as black carp, grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp and common carp, along with river shrimp and river crab. Black, grass, silver and bighead carp are known together as the four domestic fishes and are the main farmed freshwater fish, and common carp was already widely farmed before the Tang. Freshwater fish are commonly steamed, red-braised or made into soup, and shrimp and crab are mostly steamed or boiled. Fish that are salted or dried belong to Salted Fish, sea produce to Seafood, and dishes cooked from fish and shrimp belong to the regional cuisines.