What it is
魚腱 (literally 'fish tendon') is a small, firm piece of milkfish offal. Each fish yields only one, so a plate needs many fish and it is seldom on offer. Milkfish offal comes as one connected set per fish: intestine, stomach (胗) and liver. The liver is soft and the stomach crisp.
How it is made
Farmers stop feeding milkfish the day before harvest so that the gut is clean. At Chang Ying Seafood House in Beimen, the 魚腱 from the restaurant's own fish is wok-fried and served as a full plate, lightly spicy and springy to bite. Other milkfish offal is usually blanched, braised in soy sauce or pan-fried.
How to eat it
Treat it as a side plate within a milkfish meal, next to belly, fillet and rice. Supply is small and it is not always available, so order it when it appears.
Around Taiwan
- Tainan
- Offal has to be very fresh, and Tainan's milkfish ponds make it easier to supply. Chang Ying Seafood House in Beimen, a farm restaurant that cooks the whole fish, stir-fries 魚腱 from milkfish it raises itself.
