What should you pay attention to when eating fish head? These points need to be understood

Professor Wang Cunxin, a fish research expert at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced that China has four major domesticated @#@233@#@, namely black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp. Silver carp is also called silver carp or white silver carp. Among bighead carp, spotted bighead carp is more common, and the fish heads we usually eat in restaurants are mainly white silver carp and spotted bighead carp. The reason these two fish are used for fish head dishes is, first, because they grow quickly and can be artificially farmed; second, because black carp and grass carp mainly eat grass, while silver carp and bighead carp mainly eat plankton, so they naturally have more meat than the former two. The head of white silver carp, especially spotted bighead carp, is very large, accounting for 1/2 of the whole body or even more, so spotted bighead carp is also called "fathead fish" and is known for having a lot of meat in the head.

Regarding the claim that fish head has higher nutritional value than other parts of the fish, Professor Wang's answer is that it is not necessarily so. He said that, generally speaking, the nutrition contained in fish brain is the most comprehensive and richest, including a kind of fish oil needed by the human body, and fish oil is rich in highly unsaturated fatty acids. Its main component is what we call "brain gold." This is an essential nutrient for humans, mainly present in the phospholipids of the brain, and can maintain, improve and enhance brain function. If intake is insufficient, the brain development process of infants will be hindered. Therefore, there is a saying that eating more fish head can make people smarter.

However, Professor Wang said that other parts of the fish head have no special nutritional value. Many people like to eat fish eyes, but in fact the eyeball itself is not tasty; what is tasty is the part around the eyeball, which may contain some trace elements needed by the human body, but so far the academic community has no definitive conclusion. In addition, the meat under the fish gill is transparent and gelatinous, rich in collagen, which can combat human aging and repair body cells and tissues; it contains sufficient water, so its taste is very good.

Professor Wang pointed out that many people like to eat fish head because its meat is more tender. This is because the movement of fish in water is mainly completed by swinging the head. The head moves more than other parts of the body, the muscles are more compact, and the taste is also good. This is the same reason why chicken thighs are delicious.

When we cook fish as a dish and heat it, the umami components in the fish head are more easily released than those in other parts of the body, so the taste is somewhat more delicious.

He reminded everyone that when eating fish head, you should understand the source of the fish head you eat, and do not eat fish heads from areas with severe environmental pollution; do not eat the fish heads of deformed fish with a large head, thin body and small tail; do not eat fish heads with cloudy eyes that bulge outward; do not eat fish heads from spoiled fish or fish that have been dead for too long. When cooking or eating, if you find that the fish head has abnormal odors such as kerosene smell, gunpowder smell, almond smell, or similar ammonia water smell or pesticide smell, be sure to discard it and do not eat it just because you are unwilling to waste it. In addition, when cooking fish head, be sure to cook it thoroughly before eating to ensure health.