Is mullet a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish? How do you cook it so it tastes good?

Mullet, with cycloid scales covering the body, a bluish-gray back, a light gray belly, and black vertical stripes on the scales along both sides. The mullet has an elongated body, and the largest mullet can grow to 1.8 m long. The mullet's head is short and broad, and its scales are very large. They like to live in groups and feed on organic matter in the mud at the bottom of the water. So, is mullet a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish? How do you cook it so it tastes good? Let's take a look below.

1. Is mullet a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish?

So-called saltwater fish are fish that live in the sea. There are many kinds of saltwater fish, including the mullet we are familiar with and commonly see, which is also a saltwater fish.

It lives in coastal areas or where seawater and freshwater meet, feeding on microorganisms at the bottom of the water. Mullet are highly euryhaline; they can survive in both high-salinity seawater and freshwater shallow seas and estuaries. As for body size, the liza mullet is relatively small, while the mullet is larger in size, and is found in the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea of China.

2. How do you cook mullet so it tastes good?

[Braised Mullet in Bean Sauce]

Ingredient preparation:

Main ingredients: mullet, doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste)

Secondary ingredients: appropriate amounts of ginger, garlic, scallion, salt, sugar, cooking wine, dried chili, oil, cilantro, Sichuan peppercorn, and soy sauce

Method:

1. Scrape off the mullet's scales, remove the internal organs, wash clean, and make a few cuts along the fish's back.

2. Heat oil in a wok, add ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, and dried chili and stir-fry until fragrant.

3. Put the mullet into the wok and pan-fry both sides briefly.

4. Pour in the doubanjiang and an appropriate amount of soy sauce.

5. Add cooking wine and sugar and stir-fry evenly.

6. Add water until it covers half of the fish body, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to medium heat and simmer slowly.

7. When the sauce has reduced to a thick consistency, add salt, vinegar, and cilantro and it is ready.

Tips:

1. Keep the mullet whole; if cut into pieces, the flesh may fall apart if simmered too long.

2. Pay attention to the heat level so the doubanjiang does not stick to the wok.

3. What should you pay attention to when eating saltwater fish?

(1) Although saltwater fish are low in fat, eating too much fish can still easily lead to elevated cholesterol.

(2) Avoid buying contaminated fish, which may cause skin allergies.

(3) Patients with gout should try not to eat it or eat as little as possible, because saltwater fish are relatively high in purines, which may worsen the condition.

(4) Patients with bleeding disorders should try not to eat it or eat as little as possible; frequent consumption can continuously cause platelet aggregation.

(5) When eating fish, make sure it is cooked through; eating fish raw can easily lead to infection with liver fluke disease.