● Why is the swim bladder expensive? First, things are rare; Secondly, swim bladder is rich in protein and has high nutritional value.
The record of eating fish maw began more than 1600 years ago in the northern Wei Dynasty, and the fish maw was listed as a tribute in the Tang Dynasty.
● The main types of fish bellies are: yellow lip bellies, sole bellies, yellow fish bellies and eel bellies.
Yellow-lipped fish belly is the best quality fish belly, which was previously listed as a tribute palace.
Flounder is mainly produced in Zhanjiang and Hainan, Guangdong Province, among which the money flounder belly in Zhanjiang is the most famous.
Fish maw has been listed as one of the eight treasures of China seafood with shark fin and sea cucumber since ancient times. In animal organs, the stomach generally refers to digestive organs, such as pig's belly and tripe, and refers to the stomachs of pigs and cattle. The commonly known commodity-"fish belly" is the respiratory organ of fish, that is, the swim bladder. In some fish (not all fish have swim bladder), the swim bladder is full of gas, which can adjust the air ratio of fish and move freely in various water layers. In the dry season, the swim bladder of a few fish can also be used to guide breathing. Fish maw is dried with swim bladder, which is mainly produced in the southern coast of China and Nanyang Islands. Known for its rich gum, it is also called "flower gum". The swim bladder is valuable: first, because things are rare; Second, because the swim bladder is rich in protein, its nutritional value is quite high; According to the nutritional analysis, every 500g fish belly contains 442g protein, 250mg calcium, 45g phosphorus 13mg iron, and only 1g fat. Thirdly, the processed fish maw is delicious, tender and delicious. Fourthly, swim bladder has the function of preventing and treating diseases in medicine.
In China, Guangdong's Guangdu is the best fish belly, and Zhanjiang's fish belly is the top grade among Guangdu. Zhanjiang fish belly is transparent in color, without black blood stains, and the big one has strong expansibility. It is understood that the types of fish bellies mainly include:
(1) Yellow-lipped fish belly: It is made from the swim bladder of yellow-lipped fish, also called yellow-lipped fish glue. The finished product is oval and flat with two rubber strip. Light golden yellow or golden yellow. Bright luster, translucency and obvious ripple, produced in East China Sea and South China Sea of China. Yellow-lipped fish belly is the best quality fish belly, which was previously listed as a tribute palace. The output is very small.
(2) sole belly: it is made from sole of sole fish, also known as sensitive fish belly and rice fish belly. The finished product is oval and flaky, the convex surface is slightly corrugated, the concave surface is smooth, the color is yellowish or reddish, and it is bright and translucent. The abdomen of plaice is also divided into male and female, and the male is superior to the female. Flounder is mainly produced in Zhanjiang and Hainan, Guangdong Province, among which the money flounder belly in Zhanjiang is the most famous.
(3) Yellow croaker maw: It is made of swim bladder of wild yellow croaker, also called yellow croaker gum. Single yellow croaker gum is white, slightly yellow, smooth, translucent, thin and small. In recent years, yellow croaker has almost disappeared, and the value of yellow croaker gum has increased. Yellow croaker tripe is produced in Zhanjiang, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places in Guangdong.
(4) Eel belly: It is made from the swim bladder of a sea eel. Like eels, the swim bladder of eels is rectangular, slender, thin and hollow, with horns at both ends and slightly yellow in white. Mainly produced in parts of the East China Sea and South China Sea in China, eel bellies are generally not cut open, also known as barrel glue and tube glue.
According to the fishermen in Zhanjiang coastal area, the processing method of fish belly is relatively simple. After dissecting the fresh fish, pick out the swim bladder, cut it vertically at regular intervals, pick it out, cut it vertically at regular intervals, wash it with water, remove the blood tendons, put it on the mat, turn it over in time and dry it thoroughly. In order to prevent moth-eaten, it can be smoked with sulfur when it is half dry. When smoking, put a proper amount of sulfur into a bowl, light it and put it at the bottom of the jar, then put the fish maw into a basket or sieve it into the jar, wrap the jar mouth with a sack, smoke it for about 4 hours and then take it out to dry. The finished molding board is smooth and regular, and translucent milky white or yellowish luster is the top grade.
Fish maw is a noble raw material for cooking dishes in China. It can be used to make famous dishes such as braised fish maw, hydrangea fish maw, stewed fish maw in soup and braised fish maw.