Salted crab is a popular specialty in Ningbo. [Photo/Ningbo Evening News]

Ten Ningbo dishes were recently selected as the top 10 most popular dishes among residents, part of an event held in the city to promote local tourism and food.

Located on the coastline, Ningbo abounds in seafood, which is a common ingredient of Ningbo cuisine. Ningbo cuisine is usually made by steaming, braising and stewing, and is described as being "fresh and salty".

As time passes, due to a lack of ingredients and changes in people's tastes, some special Ningbo dishes, such as crystal sugar turtle, dry fried river eel and steamed chicken in Soup, are no longer popular among residents. Instead, a new list of the top 10 most popular Ningbo dishes was announced on September 13.

The ten most popular dishes among locals include salted crab, great croakers with pickled cabbage, braised green vegetables, hairtails with shredded radish, shrimps with dried sea grass, braised octopus, steamed taro roots with crab sauce, pork, egg and seafood soup, fried niangao with crab and fish chowder.

These dishes are all home-cooked and available to visitors in most restaurants across the city.