Fish is a food rich in protein and low in fat, not only delicious but also full of nutritional value. Fish has a high fat content and a different protein structure, making it a great choice for daily meals, especially for the elderly and children in the growing stage.
Although fish is delicious and nutritious, the process of preparing fish can be difficult for many people. Some people choose to ask the fishmonger to do it for them, but sometimes they cannot meet the needs of many customers in time. In fact, preparing fish is not too complicated, as long as you master the method, you can easily complete this job.
When you are preparing to prepare a fish, the first thing to do is to remove the scales, because the scales can affect the feel and taste of the fish meat. Some people choose to ask the fishmonger to do it for them, but in fact, it is not difficult to scrape the scales yourself. Here are some tips to help you easily remove the scales.
First tip, before you scale the fish, you need a clean food bag. Place the fish in the bag and use the back of a knife to lightly hit the fish on the head, to "stun" the fish. The benefit of this is that the fish will not struggle while you scale it.
Next tip, prepare a spoon and push the fish tail forward, scrape the fish scales in the opposite direction. This method is not only fast but also prevents the fish scales from splashing, making it easy to clean the fish scales without hurting your hands. After scraping, put the fish scales, organs and fish into a food bag, then dispose of them conveniently and hygienically.
When removing the gills of fish, you can also use a spoon to assist. Just insert the spoon into the bottom of the gills, loosen the two sides, and then easily remove them. This method is quick and does not hurt your hands, very useful.
Second tip, you can cut a daikon diagonally and push it from the tail up. This method helps to remove the scales of the fish quite easily. If you don't have daikon, you can also use potatoes or other hard root vegetables instead. Using the diagonal cut side of the vegetable from the tail up, you can easily remove the scales of the fish without damaging the skin.
Third tip, when you don't have Chinese cabbage or other hard vegetables in your kitchen, a plastic bag can become a useful tool. Wear the plastic bag on your hand and push the fish scales from the tail to the head, the stubborn scales will easily fall off. This method is not only simple, but also helps to avoid dirtying your hands, making it convenient in the process of preparing the fish.
Fourth tip, white vinegar is also an effective method to remove fish scales. Apply vinegar evenly on the surface of the fish, let the vinegar contact the fish scales for a few minutes. The softening effect of vinegar will react with the calcium in the fish scales, making them soft and easy to fall off. Then, just gently rub with your hands, the fish scales will fall off by themselves, this process is both easy and hygienic.