Fish balls with crab roe are put in cold water to set. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu] 

Fish ball with crab roe is a traditional local delicacy in Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. It symbolizes reunion and abundant wealth.

As the Spring Festival approaches, Puquan Food Factory in Baipu town, which produces fish ball with crab roe, is experiencing its peak season.

It is said that the crab yellowfish circle was created by Dong Xiaowan, a talented woman who lived in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), said Feng Zhengquan, the person in charge of Puquan Food Factory and inheritor of the Baipu fish ball with crab roe.

Feng's food factory sells more than 30,000 fish balls with crab roe every day, worth nearly 70,000 yuan ($11,074), relying on his family's secret recipe and skilled craftsmanship.

Crabs in mid-November are the best ingredient for fish balls, because the roe is at its best and plumpest, resulting in a more flavorful filling. Grass carp also has a more delicate taste.

In 2014, Feng's technique of making fish balls with crab roe was listed as an intangible cultural heritage item of Nantong. Feng also invested in a base to promote the technique of making the fish balls, hoping to pass on the traditional craft.