How is fish maw processed? Detailed methods and steps
Fish maw is not the fish's stomach, but the fish's swim bladder, which is why fish maw is also called fish swim bladder. The swim bladder is the organ in a fish's body that allows it to rise and sink in the water. The swim bladders of the Sciaenidae family and marine eels are relatively well developed, while the swim bladders of many fish species have degenerated. There are many kinds of fish maw, among which soft-shelled turtle fish maw, yellow-lipped fish maw, large yellow croaker maw and eel maw are all precious fine products. Fish maw is one of the eight treasures of seafood, delicious in taste and very high in nutritional value. Its main nutritional components are viscous colloidal high-grade protein and polysaccharide substances. According to measurements, every 100 grams of dried fish maw contains 84.4 of protein, 0.2 grams of fat, 0.2 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of calcium, 29 milligrams of phosphorus and 2.6 grams of iron. Fish maw is not only a delicacy on the dining table, but also has considerable nourishing and medicinal value for the human body, with functions such as tonifying the kidneys, moistening the lungs, nourishing the liver, stopping bleeding and fighting cancer. Fish swim bladder processed into swim bladder glue has many uses in medicine, health and industry.
(1) Processing methods
The processing method for fish maw is relatively simple. After the fresh fish is dissected, the swim bladder is removed, regularly split open lengthwise, the swim bladder is removed, regularly split open lengthwise, washed clean with water, the blood vessels removed, and spread out in the sun on a mat, turned over at the appropriate time, and dried until completely dry. To prevent insect damage, it can be fumigated with sulfur when it is half dried. When fumigating, put an appropriate amount of sulfur in a bowl, light it and place it at the bottom of a crock, then put the fish maw held in a basket or sieve into the crock, tie the mouth of the crock with a gunny sack, and after fumigating for about 4 hours it can be taken out and dried in the sun. The finished product is flat and regular in shape, and the top grade is semi-transparent milky white or light yellow with a luster.
(2) Soaking to expand and eating methods
Fish maw is a noble ingredient for preparing dishes. With it one can make superior famous dishes such as braised fish maw, embroidered ball fish maw, fish maw in superior stock and braised fish maw. Before eating, fish maw must be soaked to expand in advance. There are two methods: oil expansion and water expansion. Thick-textured fish maw can use either method, while thin-textured fish maw is easily broken when expanded in water, so it is better to use oil expansion.
1. Oil expansion. Small fish maws such as yellow croaker maw and soft-shelled turtle fish maw are suitable for oil expansion. First wash the fish maw clean with warm water and drain it, then put it into a warm oil pot to fry. The oil must be kept at low temperature to ensure quality. When frying, do not let it scorch and turn yellow or become burnt outside while not thoroughly done inside. When the fish maw is fried to the point that it breaks as soon as it is folded by hand and the cross-section is like a sponge, it can be taken out. But note that because fish maws differ in thickness, they will not all be fried well at the same time; the ones that are ready should be taken out first to avoid overcooking. For yellow-lipped maw, mao chang maw, @#@239@#@ maw and other large and thick ones, when oil expanding, first simmer the fish maw in a low-temperature oil pot over gentle heat for 1-2 hours. After the fish maw becomes soft, use a stronger heat to raise the oil temperature, and keep turning it continuously until the fish maw puffs up and fully expands. But the heat must not be too strong, otherwise it is easy to cause it to be burnt outside while not thoroughly done inside.
2. Water expansion: First soak the fish maw in clean water for several hours and scrub it clean, put it into a stewing pot, add cold water and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. After it cools, boil it again, two or three times a day. After two days take it out and soak it in clean water for later use.
When soaking fish maw to expand it, never let it come into contact with the water used to cook shrimp or crab, so as to avoid picking up off-flavors.