Locking in the taste of the ocean

Tianjin has a long coastline, and its food is a beautiful blend of two worlds: half the flavor comes from the Bohai Sea, and the other half hides in the smoky, bustling breakfast stalls tucked away in the city's alleys. This is the relaxed, passionate soul of the people of Tianjin.

Just an hour's drive from downtown Tianjin will bring you to Binhai New Area, hugging Bohai Bay. With 153 kilometers of coastline, the sea's freshest bounty takes center stage on every local table, all year round.

Locals here have a unique cooking method passed down for over 1,000 years: cha. It's the fishermen's secret to locking in the pure taste of seafood and preserving it for leaner times.

The technique is simple but clever: boil water with sea salt, soy sauce, ginger, scallions, peppercorns, and other spices to make a spiced broth. Then drop in fresh seafood, let it simmer slowly over low heat, and leave it to cool completely before eating or saving for later.

Seafood prepared this way is collectively known as badacha (eight great simmered delicacies). It often includes fish, shrimp, cuttlefish, conch, clams, squid, and other specialties from the Bohai Sea. The result? Salty, umamipacked bites that preserve the ocean's original aroma.

This style of food was born from the hardworking lives of fishermen and salt workers in days gone by.

Back then, the coast was dotted with fishing villages and salt fields. Fishing and salt-drying were heavy labor, and sea salt helped replace salt lost through sweat and preserve seafood.

The sea was generous, but winter made it hard to find fresh fish and shellfish. Simmered seafood was easy to store, and was cheap and tasty with rice, so it became a household staple.

The older generation made it quite salty — a practical choice for those tough times. Today, to fit modern health habits, the saltiness has been reduced, making the fresh taste even more prominent.

In 2013, badacha was officially listed as a Tianjin municipal intangible cultural heritage. Now, almost every local restaurant features it as a signature dish.

At Xiaoman Seafood, a popular and trendy restaurant, founder Kang Yahui has been diving deep into this traditional dish. He says the secret to simmered seafood is all about heat control and timing.

"Each type of seafood has its ideal level of heat, spices and salt content," he explains.

Once cooled, the seafood hits diners' mouths with a rich, salty aroma, and layers of freshness burst out.

The restaurant is packed every weekend, and you have to be lucky to find a seat.