Dongting Lake Icefish 洞庭银鱼
Dongting Lake Icefish is featured among the local specialties of Hunan.
Dongting Lake Icefish (洞庭银鱼) appear in the food traditions of Yueyang (岳阳), both fresh and dried. Yueyang Radio and Television describes the small, scaleless fish under the local name Junshan icefish (君山银鱼), noting their tender flesh and adult length of six to nine centimetres.
How it is made
Fresh icefish are pan-fried or stir-fried in rendered lard, or cooked in soup with lean meat and eggs. Dried icefish are also used for soups and frying.
How it is eaten
In Huarong (华容), icefish and egg-skin soup has several household versions. Da Xiangcai Bao writer Xiong Qiyu (熊其雨) recalls his grandmother Wang Chunzhen (汪春珍), a village-banquet cook, heating lard, adding cold water and bringing it to the boil. Ginger shreds go in first, followed by sliced egg omelette and soaked, washed, drained icefish. After boiling, aged vinegar and chopped scallions finish the soup.
Xiong describes this hot, clear soup as the final dish at communal banquets in Dongshan Town (东山镇), in eastern Huarong.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-27. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.