First, the season and material selection. There is a saying that the cooking season of fish glue is the time after first frost (due to different climates, it is not uniform, and the flies are just inactive and not frozen), because the air is cold and dry during this time, which is conducive to the condensation and drying of glue. The weather is too hot, the glue does not condense, it dries slowly, and it is easy to deteriorate, stink and mold. We should pay attention to the selection of materials. In the past, we generally used rice swim bladder to make glue in coastal areas, and the viscosity was particularly high. But now rice fish is scarce and expensive, and rhubarb swim bladder is generally used to make glue, and the effect is not bad. Choose a relatively good texture, larger and dried swim bladder of Pseudosciaena crocea (this indicates that Pseudosciaena crocea has been growing for years, and if the glue yield is low, the viscosity is not strong) for standby.

Second, bubble hair. Soak the selected swim bladder in clear water. When it becomes soft, cut it into as small pieces as possible with scissors and continue to soak for 24 hours.

Third, the pot is steamed. When the swim bladder becomes rotten and soft, and the whole body turns white, take it out of the water, put it on a plate, steam it in a pressure cooker (or general steamer) for about 30 to 40 minutes, and take a piece and bite it with your teeth until it feels soft and sticky.

Fourth, smash the glue. Take out the glue, immediately put it in a garlic mortar and pound it for a long time (it used to be hammered on the chopping board). The longer the pound, the more broken it is, the better, so that the glue yield is high. If the glue is dry, add a proper amount of boiling water and continue pounding. This is a very tiring job, which requires a lot of physical strength. In the past, there was a saying that "a good man can't fight two or two", which shows the degree of fatigue.

Fifth, boil. Take out the glue, put it on gauze and wrap it. Boil water in an iron pot, put an iron bowl in the pot with a proper amount of boiling water, put gauze in the iron bowl, and squeeze while soaking, which can be repeated until the glue completely penetrates into the bowl. The rest of the swim bladder residue can be dried and used next time.

Sixth, drying. Pour the glue in the bowl into a large flat utensil, and the glue will condense into a thin frozen substance at the bottom of the utensil. After a period of time, it will be uncovered, torn into small pieces, and dried in a ventilated place until all the water is volatilized and the colloid is dry and hard, and then it can be stored in a closed utensil for use. At this point, the whole glue making process is completed.