河豚：生死邊緣的誘惑

“萎蒿滿地蘆芽短，正是河豚欲上時。”陽春三月，品嘗一下鮮美的河豚，不失為人間極品的享受。可是，傳說中河豚有毒，民間甚至有“拼死吃河豚”的說法。如此，你還敢吃河豚嗎？

“By water side short reeds bud and wild flowers teem； It is just time for the globefish to swim upstream”. Spring is the best season to taste the fresh and delicate globefish. Globefish can be poisonous if not prepared properly， just as the folk saying goes， you have to \"risk death to eat globefish\". Dare you eat it？

人生總有很多不完美，例如海棠無香、《紅樓夢》未完、河豚有毒……這樣不完美的事物往往也最讓人日思夜想，甚至以身涉險。河豚便是最典型的例子，從古到今，無論王公貴族，還是平民百姓，每年都有因為貪吃河豚中毒而死的人，但河豚的美味總是吸引著無數人前赴后繼。

想要吃到肥美的河豚并非難事，每年清明前后，河豚從大海溯至江河產卵之時就是最佳時節。一道道精美的河豚被擺上各種高檔宴會的餐桌，之后各種秘方流傳于民間。現在的清蒸、白燴、軟熘、白汁、紅燒等做法，也是源于彼時的手藝。

要吃河豚，首先要將其體內的毒素去除干凈。比起野生河豚，人工河豚通過對養殖環境的管理和投放人工餌料等環節的控制，使所養殖的河豚無法接觸到可以使之產生毒素的物質，體內毒素也已經不再如從前那般可怕。

現在做河豚都有非常嚴格的規定：挖眼睛甚至將魚頭去除、剝皮、掏內臟（掏的時候還不能碰破上面的薄膜），再一一分類放到干凈的容器里；最后將魚肉反復漂洗，直到看不見一絲血痕為止。要求嚴格的餐館還要求下鍋烹燒之前把所有廢棄物一一清點，如果少了任何一樣都不允許廚師燒魚。如今，做河豚的大廚們都擁有河豚魚烹飪大師資格證，吃河豚的危險性大大降低，“勇者吃河豚”也逐步成為了歷史。

日本——河豚的王國

憑借著每年吃掉上萬噸河豚的數量，以及僅東京就有1500家專門做河豚的料理店，日本當之無愧地成為世界上最盛行吃河豚的國家。河豚也以自己的美味和形態上的創造性成為高端料理中不可錯過的食材。但有趣的是，河豚卻是天皇及其家眷唯一不能吃的合法食品。

從吃河豚的發源來說，日本下關和大阪都在歷史上扮演著重要的角色。最早在江戶時代，大阪就有了河豚魚料理的原型——河豚湯。而下關因為臨近溫暖的海域，因此他們最開始就以河豚刺身為主。不同部位的下刀方式、怎樣最大限度地取得魚片、獨特口味的秘制醬料都已經被研究了幾百年。兩地對河豚的重量要求也不一樣，大阪的河豚火鍋所使用的魚大概是一斤八兩左右，這樣更耐煮，而且肉湯也會濃稠一些；而做刺身的魚重量大概是一斤半左右，這樣的魚肥瘦更為合適，肉質也更為鮮美。

極致的食用方法

日本人吃河豚的方式可以說到了極致。除了不能吃的血液、卵巢、腎臟、鰓和魚眼之外，從魚肉、魚骨、魚子、魚腦，到帶有毒素的魚皮、魚肝都吃。有的餐廳還可以根據客戶的需求專門提供留有微毒的河豚魚肝，食者口腔有一種略微的酥麻感的同時，心里也有著生與死的不斷刺激。最為普通的河豚館全餐細數下來，菜色也超過10種以上。手法兼顧，有涼拌、刺身、油炸、煮、烤、熏和火鍋等多種方式。

河豚不同部位的肉如何利用很有講究。刺身使用的是魚腹、魚背、魚身的肉，這些肉并不是切下來直接食用。為了去掉多余的水分，保證有最好的口味，大多選用做和服內襯的布料將河豚魚肉一塊塊裹好，放置一天左右待水分基本被吸干之后才能片做刺身。經過處理的魚肉，會更加細嫩，造型也更為透亮。而魚刺和附著在上面的肉則會以特制的醬料腌制后掛上特別的骨粉做成炸魚骨，這樣炸成的魚骨與天婦羅相比會更加鮮美而脆香。

Life is filled with imperfections： begonia is not fragrant， the Dream of the Red Chamber is unfinished， and globefish is poisonous. It is such imperfection that lingers in our minds and lures us to take risks. Globefish is one typical example. From ancient times to date， there is no lack of people， royal or ordinary， rich or poor， die of trying globefish every year. But globefish still attracts countless daring gourmets.

It is not difficult to come by globefish. Each year around the Tomb Sweeping Festival （in late March or early April）， globefish swims upstream from the sea to the rivers to lay eggs. Globefish cooked in various styles appeared first on imperial banquets before the recipes spread to the masses. Today’s various cooking methods， including steam， stew， fry， boil， or braise， have their origins date back to the ancient times.

To eat globefish， you need to first remove its toxin. Through environment control and formula diet， today’s globefish farms are able to reduce toxin level to national safety standard.

A strict protocol has been kept for cooking globefish： take out eyes or cut off the entire head， skin the fish， remove innards without cutting the skin， place each part into a separate container， and wash its edible parts until no blood is left over. More stringent hotels will double check every part of the globefish before cooking. If any part was missing， the entire fish would be thrown away. Globefish chefs today are all certified so eating globefish is no longer a game for the brave.

Japan- the globefish kingdom

With over 10，000 tons of globefish consumed each year， Japan is no doubt the largest consumer of globefish. Globefish has entered the menu of upscale and common restaurants alike. In Tokyo alone there are over 1，500 globefish restaurants. But interestingly， globefish， pronounced as fugu in Japanese， is the only banned food for the Japanese royal family.

In Japan， globefish eating originated in Shimonoseki and Osak. In Osaka， globefish cuisine appeared as early as in the 17th century. Shimonoseki， with its proximity to the warm sea， is the birthplace of globefish sashimi， where the make of the fish and sauce recipe has been developed for hundreds of years. The two cities use globefish of different sizes for their respective cuisine. Osaka hotpot uses globefish around 900g which can be cooked longer and make a richer soup， whereas sashimi uses globefish about 500g to ensure it is fresher and more savory.

Extreme ways of eating globefish

The Japanese has developed globefish eating to the extremes. Apart from the inedible blood， ovary， kidney， gill， and eyes， all other parts of the fish， including its flesh， bone， egg， brain， and even its toxic skin and liver， can be cooked in various ways. Some restaurants even reserve globefish liver for customers who want to experience a slight numb taste and the thrill of facing death. A most ordinary globefish restaurant could offer over 10 kinds of globefish dishes， including iced， sashimi， fried， boiled， roasted， smoked， and hot pot.

Different parts of the globefish should be prepared differently. Sashimi uses fresh on the belly， back and trunk. To get the best taste， the sliced fish will be rolled up in cloth that are used for kimono lining to extract its extra water. After a day， the fish will be more transparent and easier to be styled on the plate. The remaining fish bones can be marinated in sauces and covered with bone powders to be fried into a unique Tempura.

視覺的享受

在吃河豚的時候，最能體現日本料理注重發揮食材本身的味道與禪味共同存在的特點。河豚刺身也是用眼睛來享受的菜，看似簡單的刺身實際上是整個河豚的精髓所在。首先，河豚刺身的造型擺設很講究藝術性。傳統擺盤就有菊花、牡丹、仙鶴和烏龜形狀。其次，切出來薄如蟬翼到能看到盤子圖案的魚片也并不是越薄越好，既要薄得透明，又要吃起來“Q彈”，十分考驗師傅的切工。好的河豚魚肉吃起來越嚼越香，越嚼越甜，不但口感好也能讓人回味。

哪些飲料和甜品能與河豚搭配？

天正河鲀料理長王成濤

對于河豚魚這種口味清淡并有著自己獨特口感的食物來說，太有自己特色或者太有自己口感的飲料和甜品都不合適。我推薦魚鰭酒和杏仁豆腐，最為常見的簡單口味飲料反而能提升河豚的口感。如果飯后能再享用到只有河豚館才會提供的澆上日本黑糖的冰淇淋，那就是最美好的一天了。如若追尋“正宗”二字，那么必須去下關和大阪品嘗不同的河豚料理，不然就不能算是一個真正的美食家。

What beverage and dessert go best with globefish？

Wang Chentao， Chief Chef of Tianzheng Globefish

For light flavored food like globefish， the flavor of the accompanying drink or dessert should not be too strong. I recommend hire sake and almond jelly. They are the most ordinary drink and desert but could enhance the flavor of globefish. If you can have an ice cream topped with Japanese black sugar supplied only in a globefish restaurant， that would make your day. But if you want to taste the most authentic globefish， you will have to go to Shimonoseki and Osaka.

鮮香無國界

河豚、鰣魚和鱽魚自古以來就被并稱為“長江三鮮”，地處河豚洄游繁殖天然“良港”的揚州人一直都有吃江鮮、做河豚的傳統。在中國解禁河豚銷售和食用之后，春季去揚州踏青吃河豚，已成為眾多美食愛好者的必選旅程之一。

如同《葵花寶典》在武林中的地位般，《揚中河豚菜譜》也是一部巔峰之作。這本菜譜里有100多種河豚的做法，從傳統的紅燒、白煨到現代的刺身、點心，中、日合璧，兼收并蓄八大菜系精華，一舉奠定了揚中河豚烹飪的王者地位。與日本從上菜伊始先用眼睛享受河豚宴不同，中國的河豚做法更加講究“鮮美”二字。無論任何做法都更加強調在河豚入口的一瞬間就以多種復合的鮮香滋味占領口腔和鼻腔，香遠益清，口味也不輸日本。且具體做法的不同，也能體現出河豚肉質中不同的特色。

More Savory Than in Japan

Globefish， shad， and cololabis saira have been known as the “three delis of the Yangtze River”. As a natural harbor for breeding globefish， Yangzhou has a tradition of eating river fish， including globefish. When the ban on globefish eating is lifted， eating globefish in Yangzhou in spring has become a must trip for may gourmets.

The Yangzhong Globefish Recipe Collection is the epitome of globefish cooking. Collecting over 100 recipes covering traditional and modern methods from both China and Japan， the book establishes Yangzhong as the center of globefish cooking. Unlike Japanese cuisine which emphasis on feasting with eyes， Chinese cuisine focus more on the taste. Whichever cooking style is used， the globefish dishes could provide you a mixture of savory flavors. Different cooking styles could bring out different character of the globefish.

中式經典——白汁、紅燒

揚州最為經典的河豚的燒法是紅燒和白汁，都各自體現了河豚的特色。白汁河豚主要以雞和大骨熬制的上湯和河豚一起煲滾半小時左右，味道上突出了河豚的肉質爽滑，湯汁濃白似乳。河豚皮經過了高湯的燉制也能熬出更多的膠原蛋白，翻轉過來吃在口里香糯軟彈又肥美多汁，回味無窮，吃剩下的白湯用來拌過油面再美味不過。

紅燒時需要特別輔以江邊秧草（也稱草頭、金花菜，燕竹筍也可），簡單過油之后放在鍋里，以上湯和醬料調味燉，最能體現河豚的濃醇和肥美。而以秧草打底的作法可以增加口中的清新度，消解食魚之后的油膩感。紅燒出來的濃郁湯汁與熱騰騰的香甜米飯混合在一起，更增添幾許誘人香氣。

除了紅燒和白汁，揚州還有河豚蟹粉包和河豚粉皮湯等利用河豚做的傳統菜。這些來源于民間、各具特色的河豚菜肴也都代表了揚州地區的水平。此外，揚州人在生吃河豚片時，盤上常常配著幾片紫蘇葉，旁邊還襯托以蘿卜絲、紫蘇花等。這些植物并非單純的裝飾，它們既有爽口的作用，也有藥用消毒的作用。例如，紫蘇屬唇形科的植物，其葉、梗、種子都是藥材。而紫蘇葉在傳統漢藥里有解除魚蟹之毒、發散風寒之功效。

河豚也有簡單而獨特的吃法

孔乙己集團出品總監陳慶

河豚也有簡單的吃法，用小火煨著石鍋里的紅燒河豚，等河豚的肉可以很輕松剝離出來之后把河豚骨剔出，加上兩碗白米飯和少許辣醬，就著紅燒湯汁、河豚和秧草攪拌在一起再略微燜一會。最后關火把飯盛出來就是非常傳統而美味的“揚式泡飯”。要是能忍住了不吃完，最后利用余溫而成的鍋巴飯更香。

Chinese Classics -White soup and braised globefish

The most classic way of making globefish in Yangzhou is braise with soy sauce or white soup. White soup globefish is made by boiling globefish in chicken and bone soup， which produces a milky white soup and smooth fish texture. Cooked in the soup， the fish skin also taste juicy and chewy. The remaining soup can be used to make oil noodle.

Braised globefish tastes better if complimented by lucerne. It is made by quickly searing it in hot oil and then stewing with soup and sauce. Lucerne placed at the bottom of the stew will add a fresh flavor to the stew and offset the grease. The braised soup could be served with hot rice.

Apart from white soup and braise， there are other traditional globefish cooking methods such as globefish steamed buns and steamed rice rolls with globefish. In Yangzhou， sliced raw globefish is often served with purple perilla leaves ， perilla flowers， or radish shreds to offset grease and remove toxin. In traditional Chinese medicine， the leaf， stem， and seed of perilla can be used as medicine to cure coldness and toxin of fish and crab.

A simple but unique way to eat globefish

Chen Qing， Director of Products of Kong Yiji Restaurant

There is a simple way of enjoying globefish. Braise it with soy sauce on a stone plate with mild heat until the bones can be pulled out easily， pick the bones out， put in 2 bowls of rice and some spicy sauce， mix them up and braise a little longer， and you will have a traditional and delicious Yangzhou style rice. If you could resist the temptation to eat it up all at once， you could keep some rice at the bottom of the plate where the remaining heat will turn into a crispy crust.