Shaguang fish

Ayu, also known as sesame oil fish and melon fish. This fish is only 30 centimeters in size. All other river fish are fishy, ??but the ayu is fresh and smells like cucumber. Ayu is covered in oil when it is cooked, and has been a valuable ingredient since ancient times.

It has very few origins and is mostly distributed in streams leading to the sea in China and Japan. It produces seeds in autumn, so it is also called autumn fish. After that, it becomes weak and dies, with only one year of life before and after, so it is also called New Year fish. .

The Japanese call sweetfish catfish. I don’t know if it is derived from the “year fish”. But in Japanese, "catfish" is pronounced as Ayu, which probably describes the ayu's habit of occupying territory like catfish.

However, ayu and catfish are not related at all. The former is a type of smelt.

The sweetfish produced in China is best from Nanxi River. There is a poem from the Qing Dynasty that goes: "Nanjiang River is full of fishermen, and the Liumoqingxi area is sparse. It is good after the sun sets and the wind and rain, and the mangroves in half of the river sell sweet fish." The locals tamed the cormorants to fish, or simply fished by hand. This tradition, Neighbor Japan also remains.

Japanese people love ayu very much. This kind of fish is really worth trying and it is addictive. Recognized as the number one gourmand in Japan, Kitaoji Rushan is a veritable ayu fanatic. There are countless records about ayu in his cooking notes. The excerpt is as follows:

“The edible period of ayu starts from The young fish start to end in early July, and the taste becomes worse when they grow to the size of mackerel, and it is best before spawning."

"Each place of origin has its own specialties, but they remain the same. , the ayu that is ready to be eaten is delicious no matter how you prepare it.”

“The ayu with the fish intestines preserved is the best. 90% of the ayu fish bought in Tokyo has the fish intestines removed.”

“Ice water treatment is the preferred method for processing live ayu fillets. One fish can be cut into four to six pieces. Cutting with bones is the next best method.”

“Fresh ayu should be sprinkled Grilled with salt, or grilled with sauce. The salt-grilled ayu should be eaten from the beginning. The brains are very delicious and the fish intestines are delicious. Away porridge is also the king of porridge, and is a local flavor in Gifu. Put the ayu into the porridge and cook it. Hold the fish head with one hand and peel off the fish meat with the other hand."

"After grilling. Chilled ayu and grilled tofu are cooked together, which is another delicious dish. "

"Ayu is best eaten when it is shipped. Once it is raised, the fat in the internal organs will be reduced, making it unpalatable. "

Lushan people have the most experience with salt-grilled sweetfish. He said: "General families cannot grill sweetfish with loose charcoal. , the fish tail is burnt and the fish body is burnt, which is a waste of a good thing, like turning a peerless beauty into an ugly woman, which is very disappointing."

"The two key points of grilling ayu are the skewers and the heat. . Use strong fire on the abdomen and residual fire on the tail, otherwise the tail fin will be burnt and the body will lose its beauty."

There are many places where ayu is produced in Japan, but which one ranks first? Lushan people’s opinion is:

“In my opinion, the famous ayu from Gifu is not the best. The ayu from the Hozu River in Kyoto is good, but you can’t count on it in Tokyo.”

“The Tama River also produces ayu, but due to the quality of the water, the taste cannot be complimented. The one from the Nikko Otani River is acceptable, but it is only local, and it will change the taste once you get it to Tokyo.”

“The best. The sweetfish is produced in the Wachi River in Tamba, and it is unparalleled in the world."

There are fewer and fewer wild sweetfish. The Japanese first invented the method of breeding them, and now most of them are raised in Taiwan. and Zhejiang. Lushan people have their own saying, "Wild ayu is long and slender, mostly golden, while farmed ayu is thick and short, with an overall green color, which can be seen at a glance. Moreover, farmed ayu does not have the aroma of cucumber, but has the smell of sardines. "You can't save it even if you bake it."

The old man has swallowed countless sweetfish in his life. At that time, a food writer Murai Gensai said nonsense that Tokyo people like to eat cleanly, so they eat sweetfish. Remove fish intestines. Lu Shanren, who loves sweetfish offal, was so angry that he wrote a special article and scolded Murai to death. I will wait for the younger generation to introduce Xiangyu, but it is better to copy the scriptures honestly, otherwise the old man may be so angry that he jumps out of the ground.