Fish, shells and crustaceans

[Photo by Pauline D. Loh / China Daily]

As we pick our way among the aquariums, we see a wriggling basket full of puffer fish. Startled, I turned to the chef with raised eyebrows.

"These are legal. They are raised on government-approved farms and they are not toxic," Huang assures me. In fact, the chef says, they are a popular dish in his restaurant, where they are cooked whole, with shredded white radish.

If a swimming fish fetches just 50 to 100 yuan ($8-16) per kg, one shop does about a ton of business each day and there are close to 100 shops here selling fish. You work out the mathematics.

We move on to the area nearest the water and this is where the shellfish rule. Again, it is an open-mouth experience. There are the familiar cockles, clam and razor clams, but there are also sea snails, whelks and conches that I have never seen before.

The cockles alone range from nut-sized shells that are simply quickly blanched and eaten dripping with red juices to huge monsters as large as my fist.

Chef Huang's eyes lit up and for once, he starts asking about prices. Before long, we are carrying a heavy black bag of about a dozen shells.

How are we going to eat these, I ask the chef.

"Sashimi," says the chef, smiling. I knew we would be in for a treat.

Before we leave, we watch as one of the last fishing boats unloads its catch by the wharf. The smell of the salt sea breeze wafts by, and we forget for a moment that we are in one of the busiest cities in China.

Huangsha wholesale market is one of the largest seafood centers in the country, and it still goes by the mantra that has governed Cantonese cuisine and made it unique both in China and abroad.

It is based on one simple word: Fresh.