How to Eat the Red Wolf-tooth Goby: A Detailed Guide to Handling and Home Cooking

The red wolf-tooth goby (Odontamblyopus rubicundus), also known as the red wolf-tooth sleeper goby, is a small inshore and estuarine fish commonly found in the brackish mudflats along the southeastern coast of China. It has a slender body somewhat like a loach, is pale red all over, with protruding teeth and a rather unusual appearance. It likes to burrow and live in holes in muddy bottoms, and is a common small seafood on tables in coastal areas.

This fish is edible, with tender flesh and a full, fresh flavor. Because it lives in mudflats for a long time, its body has a lot of slime and often carries a slight muddy, fishy smell. After buying it, first remove the internal organs, then repeatedly rub and wash it with salt or quickly blanch it in boiling water, and marinate it for a while with ginger slices and cooking wine; the fishy smell can be reduced a great deal.

There are several common ways to cook it. Braising in soy sauce is the most common: first dry the fish, pan-fry until both sides are slightly golden, then add ginger, garlic and soy sauce and simmer until the flavors are absorbed, sprinkling a little chopped scallion before serving. Cooking it in soup with tofu or radish is also good; after simmering over low heat, the soup turns milky white and tastes sweet and fresh. Smaller ones can be coated in a thin layer of flour and deep-fried until the outer skin is crisp, which makes them even more fragrant. Whichever method is used, the cooking time should not be too long, so the fish flesh does not fall apart.

When choosing, pick those with an intact body, bright red color, normal gill color and no off odor; this kind of fish does not keep long, so it is best to buy and cook it fresh. It is an ordinary small mixed catch of the sea, and people allergic to seafood should eat it with caution; the flesh contains fine small bones, so extra care is needed when eating, and eating slowly is safer.