Why is the Mandarin fish hailed as the finest of fish?

The Mandarin fish, also called the Chinese perch or jihua fish, has long been regarded as the "finest of fish." Its flesh is plump, thick yet tender, delicious in taste, and has very few bones. As a delicacy at banquets, it is deeply loved by people, and it is at its fattest and most succulent every spring, which is why it is also called the "fresh seasonal delicacy of spring." There are many ways to eat Mandarin fish: it can be steamed, boiled, braised, simmered, roasted, or fried, and it can also be made into dishes of various shapes and designs, such as "Wulong Mandarin Fish," "Char Siu Fine Fish," and "Sweet and Sour Fine Fish," all of which are famous banquet dishes. Because the fine fish is sweet and neutral in nature and flavor, enters the spleen and stomach meridians, and contains 18.5% protein, 3.5% fat, as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B2, niacin, and more, it not only has high nutritional value but also has excellent medical and health benefits. The conditions the Mandarin fish treats and the methods of eating it are as follows: 1. Pulmonary tuberculosis, cough, anemia. Take 1 Mandarin fish (over 500 grams), remove the intestines and scales, add 20 grams of lily bulb, 5 grams of fritillary, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar, steam over water until cooked, then remove the medicinal residue and eat the fish and lily bulb together. You can also use soup boiled with Mandarin fish, add jujube and glutinous rice to make porridge. 2. Consumptive wasting and weakness, intestinal wind with bloody stool. Take 1 Mandarin fish, remove the intestines and scales, and either steam it alone or cook it together with tofu. 3. Fishbone stuck in the throat. Add Mandarin fish bile to rice wine, warm it and swallow it, which can cause the bone or foreign object stuck in the throat to come out with saliva. 4. Weakness and lack of strength in the elderly. Take 1 Mandarin fish, 15 grams each of astragalus and codonopsis, 30 grams of Chinese yam, and 12 grams of angelica head. Decoct the medicinal ingredients, take the juice, then add the Mandarin fish and cook together until done; eating it can regulate and tonify qi and blood. 5. Intestinal wind with bloody diarrhea. Take 100 grams of Mandarin fish meat and 50 grams of pork, cut into shreds and put into an oiled pan, add an appropriate amount of ginger, garlic, salt, cooking wine, and MSG, stir-fry briefly, then add 100 grams of glutinous rice soaked for 6 hours and cook into porridge, sprinkle with some pepper and it is ready to eat. The Mandarin fish is an important dietary therapy item for consumptive diseases, but those suffering from cold-dampness conditions should not eat it.