Xiangshan Seafood Festival opens for 18th edition

Chefs prepare seafood dishes at the 18th Xiangshan Seafood Festival, which opened in Ningbo's Xiangshan county on Nov 7. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A seafood feast is now being served in Ningbo's Xiangshan county, as the annual Xiangshan Seafood Festival opened on Nov 7.

The Xiangshan "delicacy map" and a promotional video recommending  64 delicacies from the county around a year were released at the opening ceremony.

A batch of restaurants was also recognized as recommended places to enjoy local seafood.

As a special highlight of the festival, a culinary contest was held, which saw chefs from 10 seafood restaurants cook onsite. Each contestant was required to cook four dishes with hairtail and East China Sea seafood items as key ingredients within 120 hours.

Hu Zuyue, president of the Xiangshan Catering Association, said that the cooking contest was an effort by the local authorities to promote innovation among local chefs, enrich local seafood cuisine culture and strengthen the county's catering industry.

Xiangshan is dubbed the "Kingdom of Seafood" and is renowned for its abundance of seafood. Since its inception in 2003, the county's seafood festival has been held for 18 consecutive years. 

The event, which is slated to run until December, will include some promotional activities online and offline for local seafood, with some allowing visitors to taste local delicacies for free.