Nan'ao Sea Urchin

Nan'ao sea urchin comes from the waters around Nan'ao in Shenzhen's Dapeng area; its roe is sweet, rich and plump, the most representative seasonal seafood of this fishing coast.

Nan'ao keeps the look of one of Shenzhen's few surviving traditional fishing villages, and its clean waters yield fine sea urchin. In the season when the roe is fattest, local fishing families cook with it, creating a distinctive seaside cuisine.

The best known dish is Nan'ao sea-urchin zongzi, where local mang leaves wrap dried scallop, peanut, dried shrimp, pork belly and salted egg yolk topped with fresh urchin; sea-urchin fried rice and steamed egg are also common, and the zongzi is listed as area intangible heritage.

Its signature is the sweet brine of the urchin married to the flavours of the Nan'ao fishing village, a rare taste of island life within Shenzhen.