Weihai midge shrimp sauce production process

Midge shrimp sauce is made from midge shrimp, a specialty of Weihai, as the main ingredient, plus salt, seasonings, etc., refined by natural fermentation for more than three to eight years. This product is rich in protein and amino acid needed by human body, which is nutritious and tasty. Steamed Eggs with Midge Shrimp Paste is a famous food in Jiaodong. The product is divided into two kinds: raw and cooked.

Midge shrimp paste is a seafood product made from Pacific krill through fermentation. Midge shrimp individual is very small, the shape of the midge, mainly distributed in the North Yellow Sea coastal inland bays. Every year from July to October, is the midge shrimp season, shrimp fishing tools are mainly small push nets and small nets. Midge shrimp paste without impurities, rich in nutrients, rich aroma, unique flavor, the longer the storage period, the more intense its flavor, raw and cooked food can be. Weihai coastal areas are produced, especially in the North Sea midge shrimp paste the best quality, the most famous real tribute to the midge shrimp paste is the North Sea fishing village fishermen homemade. Midge shrimp catch is very small, the fishing process is extremely time-consuming and laborious (midge shrimp is as small as a grain of rice, you need to use a small push net like fishing for fish and insects, one net after another from the seawater sieve out, and must be carried out at night), which determines the real tribute midge shrimp paste production is not likely to be very high. Once caught and landed, the next step is to clean, dry and pickle them over and over again for months, and then ferment them for years.

The midge shrimp sauce is an extremely unique seafood condiment along the coast of Jiaodong, known as midge shrimp sauce because it is pickled with midge shrimp as the raw material.

Midge shrimp live in the coastal freshwater and seawater mixed waters, which in Rongcheng City, Chengshan, Slang Island and other coastal towns and villages have a corresponding number of midge shrimp waters. According to "Rongcheng County Records" records: "Rongcheng County coastal midge shrimp, through the seaside Tangjia Village Tang's Xiyong production of tribute, and spread to other towns." It can be concluded that the midge shrimp paste that the governor of Dengzhou paid tribute to the court was made by Tang Xiyong of Tangjia Village and spread to other townships. After several generations of inheritance, Tang's descendants industrialized the production of traditional midge shrimp paste. The existing "Jinshengquan" midge shrimp paste production process and consumption methods have been preserved and inherited from the middle of the Qing Dynasty. The midge shrimp paste recipe is well thought out and maintains the original flavor of the midge shrimp paste. The production process is as follows: the first step is to push the shrimp: that is, using the push net to float to the shore of the midge shrimp fishing up. The second step is to wash shrimp: push up the midge shrimp often caught weeds or sediment, to clean, pay special attention to wash shrimp can not use fresh water. The third step is to pickle shrimp: the washed fresh midge shrimp within 24 hours, mixed with 20% to 22% coarse sea salt, into a pre-washed and drained altar jar or clay jar, without adding water. Stir twice a day, morning and evening, with a wooden stick, so that the midge shrimp are stirred up without lumps or balls. The fourth step is boiling: the fermented midge shrimp paste is removed from the jar and placed in a heatable sandwich pan and brought to a boil. The fifth step is post-processing: the process of filling, sterilizing and packaging is carried out. The process of making midge shrimp paste contains many customs, ways of thinking and behavioral norms. For example, if there is someone in the family who deals with the sea, the chopsticks for eating should not be placed horizontally on the bowl (chopsticks symbolize the mast of a ship, and placing chopsticks horizontally on the bowl has the implication of capsizing the ship). Before going to the sea, it is usual to bathe all over and not to say anything unlucky to oneself or one's family. Even the poorest of the poor have to eat a meal of hot dumplings before pushing the shrimp. Before the shrimp are pushed into the tank, red silk is tied around the tank, etc. These behaviors express people's taboos and prayers. Midge shrimp paste is characterized by this folk culture of coastal specialties. Whether it is from the catching method or the curing process, it is completely different from the operation mode of the modern aquatic processing industry. It records and interprets the thick history and special diet of the coastal ancestors who flourished here, and provides an important basis for the study of the coastal residents' dietary culture, living culture, folklore culture and the development of the law.