Is the needle-nose fish a needlefish? A detailed guide to sea fish prices and delicious recipes

The needle-nose fish, also known as the rocket fish, the odd-toothed needlefish and the pencil fish, is a genus of fish in the family Belonidae and the genus Belone, native to India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia. So is it a needlefish? Is it a sea fish? How much does it cost per jin? How do you cook it to make it delicious? According to Belonidae, the needle-nose fish inhabits brackish waters and prefers weakly alkaline water quality, while the needlefish lives in the upper layers of rivers and lakes, so the needle-nose fish is a sea fish and the needlefish is a river fish.

Is the needle-nose fish a needlefish?

The needlefish has a long cylindrical body, over two chi in total length, slightly flattened, smooth and slender, with a hard, sharp beak up to three cun long. The lateral line does not form a raised ridge on the caudal peduncle. There are 142-157 lateral line scales. The dorsal fin has 12-15 rays and the anal fin has 15-18 rays; the caudal fin is rounded at the rear edge, with a black spot at its base.

The needle-nose fish has a slender, laterally flattened body, with the dorsal and ventral margins of the trunk nearly straight and parallel to each other. The head is long, with a flat and depressed top of the frontal region. The snout is particularly prominent, forming a slender, pointed beak from the elongated premaxilla and lower jaw. The mouth is large and long, positioned horizontally. Both jaws are covered with sharp, fine teeth arranged in bands. The dorsal fin is far back on the body, opposite the anal fin; the pectoral and pelvic fins are relatively small; the caudal fin is slightly concave. The scales are small. The back is emerald green, the lower sides and belly are silvery white, and along the midline of the body from the tip of the snout through the eye, the base of the pectoral fin, to the base of the caudal fin runs a fairly wide green longitudinal band, with all fins emerald green.

Therefore, the needle-nose fish is not a needlefish.

How much does the needle-nose fish cost per jin?

The price of the needle-nose fish is actually not expensive; because this fish has a relatively large yield, its price can remain at 20-30 yuan per jin. The growth cycle of the needle-nose fish is relatively short, and it reproduces and is replaced very quickly, so the annual catch is never small, which keeps the price of the needle-nose fish fairly stable.

How do you cook needle-nose fish and needlefish to make them delicious?

1. Needle-nose fish or needlefish, scallion, ginger, garlic. Wash the needle-nose fish and cut into sections.

2. Heat oil in a wok, add the scallion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the fish sections.

3. Turn to high heat, and add vinegar and cooking wine one after the other. Add light soy sauce, then add an appropriate amount of water.

4. After it comes to a boil, add salt and white sugar to season. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add monosodium glutamate to enhance the freshness, then turn off the heat.

Salt-grilled needlefish

1. Remove the internal organs and gills of the needlefish, wash with clean water and drain off the water. Take a container, add the needlefish, ground sea salt and crushed pepper, drizzle with olive oil, mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Brush a thin layer of olive oil on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil, arrange the marinated needlefish on it, and drizzle with lemon juice.

3. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees, bake on the middle rack with both upper and lower heat for 30 minutes, taking it out midway to turn over and bake until the surface is golden and slightly charred.