Hong Kong people love seafood, and when travelling along the coast, in order to taste the freshest and most authentic seafood, they will inevitably make a special trip to visit local fishing markets and piers, etc. When visiting Yilan, apart from eating all kinds of "above ground" food, it is also necessary to visit Nanfangao Fishing Port, one of the three largest fishing ports in Taiwan. In addition to eating all kinds of "above ground" delicacies in Yilan, you should also visit Nanfangao Fishing Harbour, one of the three largest fishing harbours in Taiwan, which borders the Pacific Ocean to the east, and enjoy the delicious food of the "sea".
Nanfangao is a very busy place, especially on holidays, with lots of traffic and people. There are so many seafood stalls and restaurants on the street, that I really didn't know how to choose. Luckily, we had someone to show us the way to a very famous local restaurant, "Genmachi Live Seafood".
When we arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, we saw a number of aquariums, fridges and trays, all filled with a wide variety of seafood, and I was really impressed by the variety and the unseen species! I was surprised by the variety of seafood I hadn't seen before! We were able to order more than one type of seafood for our meal.
Sashimi Platter
The most direct way to find out if the seafood is fresh or not is to eat the sashimi, so we ordered a platter first to warm up, and another reason is that the restaurant's signature dishes of Drowned Conch and Shrimp in White Sizzling Sauce are also included in the menu. I was not disappointed, the conch was marinated with plums, white vinegar, wine and chilli peppers, making it a very refreshing and appetising dish with a mix of hot and sour. The fish and prawns were also firm and fresh.
Stir-fried Mambo Fish
The huge Southern Australian speciality mackerel, with its crisp texture and thick meat, is perfect for stir-frying with fresh vegetables, mushrooms and cloud ears, with a little chilli added for extra flavour.
Curious, I looked up some information and found out that the mackerel, also known as the "cartwheel fish", is the world's largest bony marine fish. Because of its strange appearance and slow swimming speed, it is easy to be caught by predators, which has led to a drastic decrease in its population in recent years. Therefore, whether or not to consume mackerel is a controversial issue in the world, and Taiwan and Japan are the few countries where mackerel can still be consumed at the moment.
Steamed Prawns
The angular shrimp, which looks a bit like a mantis shrimp, is a species unique to Taiwan and is mainly found in the deep waters of Yilan, in the eastern part of the country. Also known as "crayfish", it is covered with a hard shell that looks like iron armour, so you have to be extra careful when eating it. It is a high-priced seasonal seafood that is only available from May to August every year, and it is not easy to survive after being caught, so it is very precious. The sweetness of the prawn paste and the sweetness of the prawn meat are unmatched by ordinary prawns, and steaming the prawns is enough to bring out their freshness.
"Black Fish Casserole
The casserole is filled with deep-fried mullet, vegetables, mushrooms and other ingredients, and the fish broth is very rich in flavour, super sweet and delicious, and there are also rice noodles that have absorbed the fish broth, which makes it both warming and filling.
Fish Eggs in Salt
The fish eggs are coated with a thin batter, deep-fried to a golden colour, crispy and dry without greasiness. Eaten with ginger and spring onion, they are tender and juicy with no fishy taste at all.
Steamed Vermicelli with Live Soya Bean Sprouts
I love steaming fresh seafood, especially shellfish, so I don't have to add a lot of seasoning to get the original flavour, but the best part is the vermicelli that absorbs all the essence of the seafood broth!
Roasted Tuna Belly with Spring Onion
Tuna belly is lightly grilled to give off a light fish oil flavour, and the meat is soft and fluffy, which makes it even better when dipped in the fragrant three-star onion sauce, which is a nice contrast to the raw sashimi that is eaten in its original form.
The Rock Oyster
Each oyster is as big as the palm of your hand and has a rich oyster flavour, which is further enhanced by the use of spring onions.
The seafood in Nanfangao is abundant and fast-moving, so you can get very fresh and tasty seafood for half the price of what you would normally pay in the city. After the meal, you can also visit the nearby A-Ma Temple to pray for good weather conditions, which is definitely a good itinerary.
Address: No. 76, Yuegang Road, Su'ao Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 270, R.O.C.
Opening hours: 10:30-20:00
Tel: +886 3 996 2218
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