Ningde's best food is the seafood from Sanduao Bay: oysters, clams, abalone, and large yellow croaker (大黄鱼, da huang yu) are local specialities. The yellow croaker is a prized fish in Chinese coastal cooking, and the Ningde-farmed variety is considered among the finest in the country. Restaurants near the waterfront in Ningde city serve it simply steamed or braised. The interior mountain areas have their own food culture — preserved meats, wild mushrooms, and freshwater fish from mountain streams that differ considerably from the coastal seafood.