The puffer fish meat contains less toxins, while the ovary, liver and blood all contain more toxins. In China, in order to protect people's lives, the state explicitly prohibits restaurants from serving puffer fish. Japan has a long history of eating puffer fish, which has almost become an important part of its food culture. The processing of puffer fish is very strict. A qualified puffer fish chef must receive at least two years of rigorous training and pass the examination before obtaining a business license. Each puffer fish needs to go through 30 procedures to detoxify, and a skilled chef needs 20 minutes to complete it. Pufferfish are usually kept in ponds. Before eating, net it out with a net bag, cut off the fins, cut off the mouth, gouge out the fish eyes and peel off the fish skin with a knife. Then, cut them open, take out the highly toxic internal organs such as intestines, liver, ovaries and kidneys, and then cut the meat of puffer fish into small pieces and put them in clean water to wash away the poison. The washed fish pieces are as white as jade and crystal clear. Next, cut it into pieces as thin as paper, and then arrange these fish slices into patterns such as chrysanthemums or cranes. When eating, pick up the fish fillet and dip it in the soy sauce and pepper on the plate and chew it slowly in your mouth. After eating fish fillets and drinking a bowl of puffer fish soup, it is really refreshing and delicious.
Although puffer fish meat is delicious, improper handling or overeating will kill people. Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin, which is nearly a thousand times more toxic than potassium cyanide. In Japan, people die every year because of eating tetrodotoxin by mistake.
Like snake venom, bee venom and other toxins, tetrodotoxin also has its beneficial side. The liver extract of puffer fish has inhibitory effect on many tumors. Dolphin liver fraction has been made into tetrodotoxin injection for clinical and surgical analgesia of cancer.
Be careful when eating, and never be careless. Because this fish is highly toxic in its stomach, it has poisonous juice in its spine, fin tail, liver and other places. As the saying goes, there is a ring that "eats puffer fish desperately". Therefore, before eating, you must ask an experienced chef to clean the viscera of the fish belly, then fry it in oil, add seasoning and cook it repeatedly until the meat is rotten and crisp before eating. In order to prevent poisoning, it is best to cook a pot of "reed root soup" to detoxify before eating fish. In a word, you must be especially careful when eating this kind of fish to prevent poisoning accidents.
The production process of puffer fish is very strict, but it tastes delicious. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "after eating a puffer fish, you will never smell the fish in the world again"