"Eel scales" is a Qingdao dialect word that refers to a marine fish that is loved by the general public. As the name suggests, "eel scales" and "eels" are on the edge, which is certainly true; if you search for "eel scales" at some point, several links at the beginning of the pier will tell you that "eel scales" are moray eels, which is not quite right.
You see, the result is exactly what I said. If "moray eel" refers to eels in the sea, then it makes sense to say that "moray scales" are "moray eels"; but the problem is that there is really a fish whose official name is "moray eel", and it is by no means the "eel scales" in the minds of Qingdao people. Let's first look at the dignity of the moray eel, which I took at a banquet at a fisherman's house on Zhucha Island:
Figure 1: Moray eels
Figure 2
This is like a fake moray eel, the chief of the eel section. Most eels can be called "eels" in general, but only its proper name is the word "moray eel". "Life is weak as the first sight", I just saw this fish when I felt surprised, only to feel that its slender body, silvery body, although depressed, but also not lack of heroic spirit, almost thought it was a little buried live fish ...
The moray eel has an elongated body, a trunk close to a cylindrical shape, and a lateral flattened tail, which is "eel-shaped" in the black language of fish schooling, and this relatively plump figure is obviously different from that of the fish. The fish that grows into an "eel shape" is not necessarily an eel, and the yellow eel is also "eel-shaped", but it belongs to the eccentric order of zygotes, which is far from the eel order. There are also a bunch of fish that can't be hit with eels, which belong to the "eel shape" and should have some survival advantage.
Figure 3
As an underwater predator, moray eels are born with killer equipment, their upper and lower jaws are elongated, they have sharp teeth, and they are extremely fierce, which I have witnessed with my own eyes. When the chef copied it out of the water, the guy resisted hard and tried to "attack people"; after being slammed to the ground, he still twisted and tumbled, and his fierce appearance was revealed, like Ao Bing, who fell into the magic path and was beaten back to his original form. The cook said that it is not possible to ignore this, and the slightest inattention is the disaster of blood and light, and even the pain of flesh and skin, the pain of broken fingers, must be subdued by heavy hands.
Figure 4
Fish life by man not by it. After the thrilling slaughter, the chef took the fish into the back kitchen, and I followed it curiously, and when I returned, I praised the chef's skillful knife workmanship, which was estimated to be very "tasteful". The finished product was served and was quickly swept away, and I thought it was good. However, many people later said that the taste of this fish was "average", and there were many V-shaped small thorns, which was overwhelming and had a low status in Qingdao. I think it's okay, probably because I have always been less demanding of life. Also, as you can see from the picture, the chef used a dense hob flower, and it is estimated that he has cut off the small thorn as much as possible, so I am not deeply touched.
Figure 5: Star Kang Ji Eel
Figure 6: StarCome eel
The "eel scales" that Qingdao people love are another kind, the star Kangji eel of the Kangji eel family, and the moray eel is called "ji hook" or "hook". Like "Ji Gou", the "scale" of "eel scale" is only a "transliteration", and it is difficult to say what the specific word is. My personal guess is that the local colloquialism of "eels" is, after all, also a member of the order Eel, or has a source. In addition, the Xingkang Ji eel is referred to as "Star Eel" and cannot be expanded to "Seven Star Eel"; the Seven Star Eel, also known as the Lamprey Eel, is a general term for some species of the Round Mouth Order, which is only a fish-shaped animal, not a real fish.
Figure 7: Star Kang Ji Eel
"Eel Scales" and "Quarter Hooks" are easy to distinguish and can be seen at a glance. The former is much darker in color, usually brown, and has two spots on each side of the body, like a star, so it is named "star". The "eel scales" are more slender than the "season hooks" and often snake in a meandering fashion, pretending to be a snake. Although it is not vegetarian, it has a small head and fine teeth, a slightly docile personality, a slightly quiet demeanor, and no vicious cases of biting and injuring people. This fish is delicate in texture, only a spine without cumbersome small thorns, the sauce is suitable for braising, and it is reasonable to be more popular than "seasonal hook".
Figure 8: Moray eels
However, people's tastes are not uniform, and "season hooks" are not always snubbed. It is said that it is quite popular in South China, often dried into dried fish, called "eel", the finished small thorns become soft, steamed food is especially good. In the island country of Dongying, which is across the sea, moray eels are considered to have elegant flavors, ranking among the high-grade fish ingredients, called "fish", and kaiseki is also commonly used. Its core technology lies in the knife work, known as "bone cutting", also known as "one inch twenty-four chops", that is, the use of a heavy bone breaking knife to finely cut the small thorns, and finally reach the entrance unconscious state. Just for this stutter, but it is really painstaking, and it is extreme.
Figure 9: Japanese eel
In addition to moray eels, islanders also often eat star kangji eels, which have long been used as an affordable substitute for Japanese eels. Japanese eel, eel eel family, also known as "river eel" or "white eel", fat thick meat is delicious, is the island people's heart of the eel Zhengshuo, but has become increasingly endangered, I heard that the price of fry is comparable to gold. In the past, the Jiaodong Peninsula was also common, but now there is almost no such thing.
Source: Qingdao Food Chronicle