LOCAL FOOD GUIDE

Qi River Crucian Carp 淇河鲫鱼

Qihe Jiyu

Qi River Crucian Carp is featured among the local specialties of Henan.

AI illustration: An oval plate with one cooked whole freshwater fish in light brown sauce.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）AI-generated visual reference; not a restaurant photograph. AI 示意图，仅供参考，非实拍。

Qi River Crucian Carp (淇河鲫鱼) is a local fish of Hebi (鹤壁), which Hebi Daily (鹤壁日报) counts among the area's 'three treasures of the Qi River' (淇河三珍). At Longwang Farmhouse (龙王农家院) in Qi County (淇县), proprietor Long Daoni (龙到妮) prepares it both as an aromatic fish soup and as deep-fried fish.

Flavour and texture

The fried preparation pairs a crisp outer skin with flesh that retains some chew. A visiting China Central Television (中央电视台) reporter highlighted precisely this combination while tasting the dish. The soup offers a different preparation of the same local carp, described by Hebi Daily as richly fragrant.

Identifying the fish

Local breeder Wang Zhongkui (王中魁) describes the fish as having a broad, thick back and a relatively high yield of flesh. He also points to a visible line along its middle and 32 scales between the gills and tail fin as identifying features.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-09-26

Sources & reading

Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-26. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.