🍽️ Cold-Water Fish

Ergis River fish, best steamed.

Cold-Water Fish refers to the freshwater catch of the Irtysh River and surrounding lakes in Altay, northern Xinjiang, prized for firm, clean-tasting flesh. The Irtysh is one of China's rare rivers flowing toward the Arctic; fish in its icy snowmelt grow slowly, yielding firm, lean, delicate meat with no muddy flavor. Locals prefer steaming most of all—with scallion, ginger and a little wine, finished with hot oil—to preserve the original taste, though it is also braised, pan-fried or made into soup. Common catch includes cold-water salmonids and river perch, small but intensely flavorful. Around Altay's high cold lakes, fishing blends with herding and tourism, and cold-water fish is a restaurant signature for honored guests; visitors often head to lakeside fishing villages for fish pulled straight from the water.