Shanghai Nosh Advisory, has teamed up with City Weekend to show you some of the best authentic local fare in Shanghai. In this blog, we visit Lao Liu’s to check out their Salmon Hotpot.

Chum salmon, or dàmǎhāyú (大马哈鱼), is the most prized freshwater fish of Manchuria. They grow big in Heilongjiang’s Usuri River – well over ten kilograms. Lao Liu’s Wild Fish Shop flies in fresh chum salmon weekly and specializes in a traditional hotpot preparation which features this remarkable catch.

The first step is selecting a cut of chum salmon from a small counter where whole fish are freshly hacked for the enjoyment of diners. The best portions are typically the aft bits, as they are bereft of innards. Heilongjiang’s finest does not come cheap, priced at about RMB200 per half kilogram, so a common option is to choose a lesser fish, or fish head, to fill out the pot.

The hotpot base is a rich pork bone broth, seasoned with anise and Sichuan peppercorns. Once submerged, fish head acts in support of chum, enriching the broth so you can fully enjoy the pride of Heilongjiang. Chum does not taste anything like salmon you have eaten in Japan or North America and the flesh is firm and white, not pink. The texture of chum salmon is more similar to halibut and the taste, somewhere in between that and the pungent monkfish.

Once placed in a large iron pot, your selection of fish is covered with broth, tofu, mushrooms and other hotpot fixings, which can be chosen from a very limited menu. Be sure to choose corn cakes (yùmǐ bǐng, 玉米饼), as its something of a show to watch the waitstaff cook them against the side of the pot. Crumble them into your broth to lighten the flavor, as the stock will become more rich as the night goes on.

For the connoisseur, Lao Liu’s serves Harbin Extra Dry beer, brewed in its namesake city (and not Wuhan).

The waiter assigned to tend our hotpot engaged us with well-timed comments about our dinner, as well as life in rural Heilongjiang. The overall environment at Lao Liu’s is a disappointment, however. Rough brick walls, harsh white lights and garishly framed low-res photo enlargements make for shabby surrounds. This is hard to overlook when the bill averages out to RMB 150 per person.

DETAILS

What: Lao Liu’s Wild Fish Shop (老刘野生大鱼坊)

Where: 888 Panyu Lu 2nd Floor (at Hongqiao Lu), 徐汇区番禺路888号2楼(近虹桥路)

Tel: 021-5465897

English menu: no