Fish maw is the alternative or commercial name for dried swim bladders that come from a large fish like croaker, sturgeon, sea bass and etc. Swim bladder is an internal gas-filled organ of fishes with the ability to control their buoyancy in the water, giving them the ability to stay at their current water depth with little effort.
Only few kilograms of Fish Maw is produced from few tonnes of large fish thus giving it a high value and very limited supply. When the fish maw is extracted from the fish, it will be clean thoroughly to remove the blood stain and fishy smell, the oil layer engulfing the fish maw will be removed as well. After cleaning, it will be sun-dried and turns into golden yellow color whose scent is redolent of fishy smell. This work of processing fish maw is tedious and time taking.
In Asian culture, it is called “魚鰾”, “鱼胶”or “花胶”, it is considered to be one of the top four delicacies of the sea that is Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Shark Fin and Fish Maw. Therefore, it is popularly served during special occasion such as Chinese New Year, birthdays, and weddings.
Due to its high value and expensiveness, Fake fish maw is common in the market. Unethical businessmen use seafood such as squid, shark's skin or head portion of fin soaked in chemical followed by head process to produce the imitations. Read more about: Beware of Fake Fish Maw
Nutrition Values:
Fish maw is believe to have high protein and calcium level. It is also a good source of collagen which is good in improving the skin tones and tissue health. On top of that, it is eatable by any age group of either gender.
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References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZopP5O15KY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVtVwHKL_G8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88o8lee4adw