Also, in order to have "abundance every year" one is sure to keep the fish head and tail until New Year's Day (the word for "abundance" in Chinese sounds the same as the word for "fish"), and to help it keep that long, the fish used as an altar gift is usually deep fried.
而且為了「年年有餘（魚）」，魚頭魚尾要留到元旦，為了方便保存，上供的魚往往是用油炸的。