CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What is the difference between silver carp and bighead carp?

1. What is the difference between silver carp and bighead carp?

Located in Tai'an, Shandong, there are not many rural people eating silver carp, especially white carp. As far as I know, in the last century when every household was short of supplies, many people, both rural and urban people, ate silver carp, because silver carp was very common and the price was always very cheap. It was good to have fish to eat, and who would care about what kind of fish to eat, so the cost performance was very high. Now, there are fewer people eating silver carp, not only because the living standards of the people have improved and they like to eat all kinds of marine fish, but also because the shopping channels are wide now and there are many choices. Let's get back to the topic, and summarize the differences between silver carp and bighead carp.

Although silver carp and bighead carp differ by only one letter, they are actually very different in appearance, color, price and eating methods. The first time I came into contact with these two fish was in elementary school textbooks. They were known as the four major carps along with grass carp and black carp. Of course, the textbooks used their scientific names, silver carp was called silver carp and bighead carp was called bighead carp.

The difference between silver carp and bighead carp

Difference 1: Different appearance features

Silver carp has a flat body, thick flesh, an extremely large head, a large mouth, small eyes, and no whiskers. The upper half of the body is gray-black, the abdomen is gray-white, and there are many irregular small spots of light yellow and black on both sides.

Silver carp is flattened and hammer-shaped, and its flesh is not as thick as that of bighead carp. Its back is blue-gray, and its sides and belly are white. Its head is much smaller than that of silver carp, and its eyes are located lower.

Difference 2: Different prices

The price of silver carp has always been around 3-4 yuan per catty, while bighead carp is half as expensive as silver carp. The reason is that the head of bighead carp is valuable. The essence of bighead carp lies in the head, which is rich in phospholipids and posterior pituitary hormone. Eating it regularly has many benefits. Therefore, silver carp is often sold as a whole in the market, while bighead carp is sold in grades. If you only buy the head of bighead carp, the unit price is about 10-12 yuan per catty.

Difference 3: Different ways of eating

As we all know, silver carp usually moves in the upper layer of water, often eats phytoplankton such as green algae, has a relatively tough meat texture, and has many small bones. In addition, silver carp is easy to die after being taken out of the water, and is not easy to keep fresh. It deteriorates very quickly, and has a strong fishy smell (the freshness of fish mainly comes from trimethylamine oxide in the body. After the fish dies, trimethylamine oxide will continue to be reduced to trimethylamine with a fishy smell, which makes the fish smell fishy. The longer the fish has been dead, the stronger the fishy smell). In our area, the common way to cook silver carp is to make crispy fish. The whole fish is put into the dish, and balsamic vinegar, sugar and other seasonings are added to slowly crisp it for 4-5 hours. When eating, you can eat it with the bones.

There are many dishes made from silver carp after they are graded, such as the classic dishes of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, such as "braised fish head" and "Tianmu Lake fish head stew", and the classic Hunan cuisine, "chopped pepper fish head". The fish body is relatively cheap, and it is usually cut into pieces for frying, deep-frying, and stewing to make fish soup, or making fish meatballs and dumplings.

Tips for removing the fishy smell of silver carp and bighead carp

Whether you use silver carp or bighead carp to make dishes, removing the fishy smell is definitely the first priority. Many friends will add salt and cooking wine to marinate fish meat, but I think the effect is not obvious. I recommend two techniques to remove the fishy smell.

1. Use white vinegar to remove fishy smell: When marinating fish, add a little white vinegar and marinate for a dozen minutes to remove the fishy smell. Generally, 50 grams of white vinegar is needed for about 1 kg of fish.

2. Use pepper water to remove the fishy smell: add water to the pot, put in peppercorns, green onion and ginger slices, etc., boil until fragrant and let cool. Then put the fish in and soak for about half an hour to achieve the purpose of removing the fishy smell.

Final Thoughts

There is still a big difference between silver carp and bighead carp, especially from the size of the head and the color of the body, they can be easily distinguished. If you are interested, you can also go to the market to buy two fish for comparison.

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In terms of the size of the fish head, both silver carp and bighead carp have large heads, but silver carp's head is even larger, accounting for 1/2 or even more of the body, so silver carp is also called "big-headed fish" or "fat-headed fish". In terms of the scale color of the fish body, silver carp has light black spots on its body, while silver carp has all white scales without black spots, which is easier to distinguish.

In terms of the size of the fish head, both silver carp and bighead carp have large heads, but silver carp's head is larger, accounting for 1/2 or even more of the body, so silver carp is also called "big-headed fish" or "fat-headed fish". In terms of the scale color of the fish body, silver carp has light black spots on its body, while silver carp has all white scales without black spots, which is easier to distinguish.

Silver carp and bighead carp are both freshwater fish. They can be distinguished mainly by their bellies. Generally, the belly of silver carp is white, while that of bighead carp is not so obvious.

2. How to distinguish good and bad silver carp

Silver carp is produced in all seasons, but the best is produced in winter. Silver carp has a flat body, a large and narrow abdominal cavity, a large head and small eyes, a forked tail fin, and small, silvery white scales. Silver carp meat is soft, tender and delicate, with many small spines.

3. What is the difference between bighead carp and flowerfish?

They are the same fish, bighead carp and silver carp are the same, but silver carp is different, silver carp and bighead carp are two different fish.