🍽️ Wenzhou Fish Ball Soup

Fish balls in clear broth, a Wenzhou specialty.

Wenzhou Fish Ball Soup is a classic snack of Wenzhou in Zhejiang; unlike round fish balls, Wenzhou ones are irregular strips with extra springy bite. Fresh croaker meat is scraped into a paste, worked with starch, then pinched into strips and set in boiling water. The resulting soup is clear and fresh, the fish strips pale and translucent, crisp, smooth and chewy, finished with scallion, white pepper and a touch of vinegar that lifts the appetite. Wenzhou sits on the southern Zhejiang coast with abundant seafood, and this soup is a perfect example of local ingredients. Locals enjoy it for breakfast or late supper, either as a light soup or with rice, capturing the clean, fresh character of Wenzhou's coastal cooking.