Shanghai Smoked Fish (Xun Yu / 熏鱼)
Shanghai — Jiangnan New Year tradition
A signature Shanghai cold appetiser and New Year dish: grass carp sections marinated in soy, rice wine, and aromatics, deep-fried until golden, then immediately submerged in a warm sweet-savoury broth (with dark soy, rock sugar, Shaoxing wine, five-spice, star anise) which penetrates and glazes the fish. Finished with sesame oil and often sesame seeds. Despite the name, smoking is not actually used — the dark glaze creates the 'smoked' appearance.