Can Arowana be eaten?

Arowana can be eaten when cooked. Arowana, whose scientific name is Beautiful Osteoglossus, belongs to the family Osteoglossidae and is an ancient primitive freshwater fish.

Developed as an ornamental fish since the mid-20th century, it has attracted much attention for its armor-like scales with shimmering metallic luster, bright colors (gold, red, etc.) and majestic appearance. Its currency value has risen to tens of thousands, and it has become one of the most valuable ornamental fishes. There are varieties such as golden dragon, red dragon, and green dragon.

In Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the price of a golden arowana can reach millions of dollars, and it is regarded as a symbol of family wealth and status. Arowana is regarded as a divine fish and is believed to be able to prosper the family and ward off evil spirits, so it is raised as a Feng Shui fish.

A post on the local Zhongwu.com forum in Changzhou attracted the attention of many netizens. The post stated that two days ago, an old woman in Taiwan steamed a red arowana worth NT$100,000 raised by her grandson, which attracted many netizens to watch.

I didn’t expect that this happened in Changzhou. A wealthy man spent 100,000 yuan to buy a golden arowana fry a year ago. He finally raised it, but he didn’t expect it to suddenly die. In anger, the rich man took the arowana to a restaurant and asked the chef to make a braised arowana, and then invited a few friends to taste it.

According to early adopters, the taste is average, not fresh and tender, and tastes like catfish. However, when they thought that each chopstick would cost thousands of yuan, everyone became more interested.

Extended information

Arowana is an ancient primitive freshwater fish. Here are five tips for making steamed fish:

1. Pick a job fish. There are five points to consider when choosing live fish: first, the fish scales are relatively complete; second, the fish meat is elastic; third, fresh live fish generally have a strong earthy smell; fourth, the gills are pink or bright red in color. Good, white or dark black is not good; fifth, the brighter and more transparent the fish’s eyes are, the fresher the fish will be.

2. Washing fish in warm water can remove the fishy smell. After killing the fish, scrape off the fish scales with a knife, and then rinse the slimy layer on the fish with warm water. When fish are being cultured, there is a creature called Spirogyra in the water, which has a very strong earthy smell. This layer of Spirogyra is the fishiest part of the fish, so rinsing it with warm water can effectively remove the smell. .

3. Kill the fish for 2 hours before putting it in the pot. Many people buy fish from the market and think that it should be cooked immediately after killing it. However, they do not know that within 2 hours after the fish dies, it is the period when the body is detoxifying. Steaming is obviously not a good time. Therefore, you should wait until the fish has detoxified before steaming it.

4. There should be enough steam before putting it on the pot. The water in the pot must be boiled before serving the steamed fish. Because to make the fish very fresh and full of aroma, you need to have enough steam pressure. If the steam pressure is insufficient, even if it is cooked, the meat will taste soft and soft, and the texture will not be firm enough, and the aroma will be insufficient.

5. Add salt after taking it out of the pot. Many people put salt on the fish before steaming. This is indeed more delicious, but the salt will cause the protein to shrink, so the steamed fish will be older and not fresh enough.

The correct method should be: apply cooking wine, add green onions, ginger slices, and a little water. Steam the fish in the pot for 15 minutes, take it out and set aside. Then, cut some green onion shreds, or put green pepper shreds and red pepper shreds on top of the fish. Heat oil in the pan and fry the Sichuan peppercorns to get the oil. Pour it on the steamed fish. Pour in the steamed fish for a very fresh taste.

Reference materials: Xinhuanet - The sky-high price of a 480,000-yuan arowana costs 1,500 yuan per month; People's Daily Online - Rumor has it that a 100,000-yuan arowana was steamed and eaten? Experts say it is only worth 8,000 yuan; Baidu Encyclopedia - Beautiful bonefish; People's Daily Online - How to make steamed fish? Recommend 5 tips for making steamed fish