Shunde yusheng, historically called yu kuai (fish slices), is a traditional Shunde dish and a survival of the raw-food custom of the ancient Nanyue people. The early Qing scholar Qu Dajun wrote in Guangdong Xinyu that Cantonese people were fond of raw fish, praising slices "red-fleshed and white-grained, so light they rise with a breath, thin as cicada wings".[1]
Preparation
Grass carp is usually chosen and kept in clear water for several days to firm the flesh. At slaughter the fish is cut below the jaw and at the tail to bleed it, then filleted and sliced thin, the slices laid out on a plate. Diners toss the fish with peanut oil, salt, sugar, garlic slices, spring onion, fried peanuts, sesame and shredded lemon leaf. The Cantonese word for tossing, "lo hei", also means to prosper, and the dish is served with the wish "yusheng lo hei, feng sheng shui qi" — may everything thrive.[1][2]
[1]: ShundePlus, “顺德鱼生的‘前世今生’，原来有那么多故事！”. [2]: Jun'an Town People's Government of Shunde District, “鱼生”.