Recently, a "strange fish" appeared in the Central Park of Ruzhou, Henan Province, which aroused heated discussions among Chinese netizens. In addition to discussing the origin of this fish, there are constant suggestions on how to catch it. When Chinese people think of fish, 108 ways to do it come to mind. Fish has become a delicacy, so can this alligator gar become a delicacy on the table? Have or how do foreign people process alligator gar and into food?
These two strange fish are called crocodile gar. They are a ferocious carnivorous fish and an invasive species (a common fish in North America). When they come to China, there is a lack of natural enemies in the country, so crocodile gar will eat them. Removing all the fish species in native waters and causing them to reproduce in large numbers will cause serious harm to the water ecology.
With the capture of these two strange fish, the foodie nature of Chinese netizens was undoubtedly revealed. Many domestic netizens raised such questions: Where did this fish come from, and can it be eaten?
Regarding such questions, CCTV officially answered this netizen’s question: Although the alligator gar is an invasive species, its purchase and sale are not illegal. As an ornamental fish that is relatively easy to maintain and inexpensive, it is widely used in China. This fish must be marketed as an ornamental fish. However, the size of the alligator gar is larger, and the breeding area must have enough space. This requirement left some people with no place to continue feeding the fish after raising it. This also led to many crocodile gars that were bought as ornamental fish and were eventually released by buyers (this is also the reason why crocodile gar appeared In terms of whether it can be eaten (due to domestic river basins and lakesides), the internal organs of alligator gar, especially the eggs inside, are highly toxic. If not handled properly, it can easily lead to poisoning. It is recommended not to eat them.
Alligator gar is edible. Although this fish is not a high-quality table food in the United States, the 7 species of alligator gar native to North America are all safe to eat. However, alligator gar should be cleaned very carefully. All the internal organs of the fish are cleaned, and only the meat of the crocodile gar is eaten. The roe of the crocodile gar is inedible (it is highly poisonous).
Alligator gar meat has a hard texture. People who have eaten this fish comment that the crocodile gar meat tastes like chicken. Some people also say that the fish tastes like tilapia , but this fish has a heavy earthy smell. Taste, because the meat is too old.
Where is the alligator gar produced? How do Americans eat this fish? As long as the fish is properly cleaned and processed, and paired with appropriate seasonings, alligator gar meat is actually acceptable to most people. As for the taste, everyone has different tastes.
