A wonton is filled with chopped spring bamboo shoots, pork, fried potherb mustard and a slice of capelin. [Photo/zgnt.net]

Spring has arrived in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. The trees are budding and the flowers blooming. However, people are still advised to avoid going out, due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Zuo Shenqian and his wife Chen Lin are offering another way to enjoy the vibrant season - by making capelin wontons.

The fillings are made of spring bamboo shoots, pork, fried potherb mustard and slices of capelin.

"It's a combination of spring tastes from both land and sea, and it's only available in the Yangtze River estuary at this time of year. It won't taste good after Qingming Festival," said Zuo, who ran a catering business in Germany for six years.

The couple started to make capelin wontons on Feb 20. To ensure quality, they only make 400 wontons each day.

One capelin is cut into two slices and then soused. The bones are fried and then boiled to make capelin soup.

The wontons are cooked in another pot of clear water, then put into a bowl of white soup and decorated with chopped green onion.

The wontons sell out every day.

"One bite and you're in heaven, the taste of spring lingering on the tip of your tongue," said one customer.