CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to make farmed pufferfish “toxic-free”

1. How to make farmed pufferfish “non-toxic”

Tetrodotoxin (TX) is a neurotoxin that exists in halophilic bacteria, algae or shellfish in the ocean. The habit of pufferfish is to live on the seabed and eat fungi, algae or shellfish on the seabed. It is precisely because of eating these marine life containing toxins and accumulating them in the body through its own transformation that pufferfish produce tetrodotoxin. The red fin oriental fish itself has low toxicity, and the principle of controlled toxicity breeding is to choose purebred red fin oriental fish and high-quality fresh ice fish bait. Wild pufferfish live on the seabed, and the algae and shellfish containing TTX on the seabed are the objects of pufferfish feeding, while farmed pufferfish do not sink to the seabed, and pufferfish cannot eat fungi, algae and shellfish that produce TTX. But it still needs to be tested.

2. Can we really cultivate non-toxic pufferfish that can be eaten directly?

Yes, the non-toxic pufferfish cultivated artificially have landed in the Zhejiang market, and the price is less than 100 yuan per piece. However, these pufferfish are no longer puffy and swimming live pufferfish, but fresh pufferfish with the internal organs removed, leaving only skin, flesh and bones.

Puffer fish are not poisonous when they are just born. It is because they eat a lot of poisonous seaweed that toxins slowly accumulate and become highly toxic in their bodies. Therefore, puffer fish that are artificially cultivated will not eat poisonous seaweed, and will not form highly toxic substances in their bodies, so they become non-toxic puffer fish.

But in fact, there is no specific research to show whether puffer fish become highly toxic because they eat toxic seaweed. It is still an unsolved mystery. But now it is possible to raise non-toxic puffer fish.

Although artificially cultivated non-toxic puffer fish are not highly toxic, we cannot eat certain parts of them. The liver and blood of the puffer fish still need to be removed.

To be on the safe side, because there are too many cases of poisoning from eating puffer fish, the country has also banned large chain finger households from eating the poisonous parts of puffer fish. So even if you eat non-toxic puffer fish, you need to pay attention to safety. After all, the toxins in puffer fish are too strong, and eating even a little bit can be fatal!

3. Why are farmed pufferfish not poisonous?

Artificially farmed pufferfish are poisonous, but the toxin content is lower than that of wild pufferfish. When eating, boiling at 120 degrees for one hour can kill the toxin. It is recommended to eat pufferfish with caution.

Pufferfish, shad and swordfish are known as the three immortals. Pufferfish is edible if its internal organs are properly handled and thoroughly heated. Moreover, pufferfish contains a large amount of high-quality protein, minerals, amino acids, unsaturated acids, carbohydrates and other nutrients, which have many beneficial effects on the body after consumption.

Precautions for eating pufferfish

It should be noted that salmon and puffer fish cannot be eaten together, otherwise it will be life-threatening. When eating puffer fish, avoid cigarette ash, otherwise you may be poisoned.

To prevent poisoning, it is best to cook a pot of reed root soup before eating the fish for detoxification. In short, you must be particularly careful when eating this fish to prevent poisoning accidents.

When cooking puffer fish, be sure to strictly and carefully remove the puffer fish's internal organs and eyes, pick out the gills, peel off the skin, remove the tendons and blood, and wash it repeatedly with clean water.

The above content is referenced from Baidu Encyclopedia - Pufferfish, People's Daily - Is it true that we cannot eat too much pufferfish and salmon?

4. How to cook puffer fish to make it non-toxic?

(1) First of all, the best puffer fish to eat are those that are farmed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They are not only less toxic, but also plump. And live fish must be used. Dead puffer fish are not only difficult to deal with, but also have no toxicity. The toxins in puffer fish are mainly in the eyes, blood, ovaries, liver and other parts. The fish meat is non-toxic, but the fish is dead, the meat is contaminated, and the freshness has changed. (2) The most important thing is to kill the fish. First, put a basin of clean water, disinfect it and keep running water from the faucet. Put the puffer fish on a plate, use scissors to cut out the fish eyes, and then cut off the fish fins on both sides. Then use scissors to cut open the fish belly (while doing this, the fish blood keeps flowing, and keep running water). Scrape the fish's internal organs. There is a horizontal bone near the tail that needs to be cut off. Then turn the fish skin over and put it on the fish's back. Remove the fish skin and fat, drain the blood and water, and reveal the snow-white fish body. Soak the finished puffer fish in clean water for more than 20 minutes (keep running water) to complete the first step. The liver of puffer fish can also be eaten, but it needs to be soaked in water (running tap water continuously) for more than three hours to rinse away the puffer fish toxin before it can be eaten. It has a slightly muddy smell. It can also be fried with eggs. (3) Cooking (puffer fish sashimi, braised puffer fish with abalone sauce, puffer fish with white sauce) Here is the white sauce puffer fish recipe that most chefs use. Put ginger and scallions in a pot, add a little Venus rose wine, and then add the broth that has been cooked with lean meat, old chicken, etc. and boil it together. Pour it into a casserole and turn to low heat. Add the processed puffer fish and simmer for about half an hour. Then reduce the sauce until the sauce has a little gelatinous texture. Season it and it is done. The meat is smooth and the soup is thick and white and delicious, which can be compared with the top-quality thick soup of shark fin.

5. How to raise puffer fish

Feeding method:

1. Breeding methods and environment. The breeding sea area requires clean water with rich dissolved oxygen, no red tide, no pollutants and sewage inflow. Cage breeding should choose a sheltered bay with a transparency of 7 to 8 meters and a flow rate of 10 centimeters per second. The optimum water temperature is 16 to 23 degrees Celsius. When the water temperature is lower than 9 degrees or higher than 28 degrees Celsius, it is not conducive to its growth.

2. Cultivation and growth: Fish fry weighing 3 to 4 grams are placed in net cages from June to July. They can reach about 400 grams by the end of December and more than 1,000 grams by the end of the second year of the breeding season. The weight of the fish should reach more than 350 grams before wintering. Before December, the water temperature is still suitable for growth, so sufficient bait should be fed. After wintering, normal growth will resume from April. Especially when the water temperature is