Seafood delights: sounds fishy but delicious

Sanya is blessed with some of the cleanest, most pollution-free waters anywhere in China.

These waters provide the city and its inhabitants with an array of edible riches from the sea – abalone, sea cucumbers, and shrimps; crabs, fish and mussels – and all these tasty treats can be found in the hundreds of restaurants and barbecue stands that line the streets and beaches of Sanya city.

Sanya prides itself on preparing these fresh, delicious morsels in ways traditionally Chinese and internationally flavoured and modern.

Along the bays and beaches, the shacks and stalls offer up classic grilled and fired seafood cooked Hainanese style, savoury and spiced, but not too spicy to handle. Large restaurants such as Sanya Seafood Farming in Sanya Bay dish out hundreds of plates a night ranging from a simple bowl of shrimp and veggie noodles to grilled fish, seafood hot pot, crab cakes and barbecued shellfish with garlic and chives.

The hotels pitch in as well. The Ritz-Carlton is known for baby clams and a global take on local foods, mixing traditional Chinese styles with different sauces and techniques. The Intercontinental Hotel, near Luhuitou Mountain, has a spectacular restaurant perched at the end of the dock serving grilled steaks with shrimp, mussels bathed in sweet brown sauces, and inspired looks at exotic fare such as abalone and sea cucumber.

Although seafood is paramount anywhere near Sanya, and should be the focus of anyone’s diet while visiting, there are other options. Northern- and Sichuan-style restaurants also abound, serving up versions of Dongbei dumplings and Sichuan hot pot; Western-style restaurants, especially in the larger hotels, cater to more European palates, with French, German and Italian cuisine at the forefront. Hainan chicken is also a favourite and should be sampled along with the many seafood dishes available.