TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Asian Freshwater Fish Types
Unagi is the Japanese word referring to the freshwater eel, commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is mainly consumed in the form of fillets, which are always grilled due to the presence of harmful toxins. The fillets are then spread with a sweet and salty sauce made with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
Although unagi is consumed in the entire country, there are slight regional differences in the way the eel is cut and prepared. In Kanto region, the cuts are made from the back, and the fillets are grilled and steamed, while in Kansai the eel is cut from the stomach and the fillets are merely grilled.
Grass carp (lat. Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a species of freshwater fish native to rivers and lakes in eastern Asia, from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Siberia-China border. Grass carp are large, with elongated, torpedo-shaped bodies.
They usually have silvery to olive-green coloring on the back, fading to white on the belly. Adult fish can reach significant sizes, often measuring over a meter in length and weighing up to 40 kg (88 lbs) or more. True to its name, the grass carp primarily feeds on aquatic plants.
Rohu (lat. Labeo rohita) is a species of freshwater fish of the carp family native to South East Asia that populates the rivers of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. It has a streamlined body with a slightly arched head and a small mouth.
The color is a bright silver with a bluish-green tint with a distinctive black patch on its tail fin. Mature rohu fish can grow up to 2 meters (6.4 ft) in length and weigh up to 20 kilograms (44 lbs), although most commonly, they average around 0.5 meters (1.6 ft).
Karimeen (lat. Etroplus suratensis) is a brackish water and freshwater fish native to Kerala, Odisha, and Goa in India, and Sri Lanka. It is a popular delicacy in local cuisine and is especially renowned for dishes like karimeen pollichathu, where the fish is marinated in spices and cooked in banana leaves.
Karimeen has a flat, oval-shaped body with a silvery-gray appearance and dark vertical stripes. Found in the backwaters, rivers, and estuaries, it is known for its mild, sweet flavor and tender texture. Versatile in preparation, karimeen is used in fried, curried, or grilled recipes, making it a staple in local seafood offerings.
Catla (lat. Labeo catla) is a freshwater fish species of the carp family, found in the rivers and lakes of South East Asia, most commonly in India, Bangladesh, Nepal (where it's called bhakura), and Pakistan. It has an elongated body with a large head and a slightly flattened belly.
It can grow up to 2 meters (6.4 ft) in length and can weigh up to 38 kilograms (85 lb). The fish has a silvery color with a slightly greenish tint on its back, and a whitish belly. It is highly regarded in the cuisines of South East Asian countries because of its tender and succulent flesh which has a mild, sweet flavor.
Nigorobuna or round crucian carp is a wild goldfish that's native to Japan. The fish swim in Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture. They're traditionally used for the preparation of funazushi, where whole nigorobuna are salted and fermented in beds of cooked rice.
Funazushi is a local specialty of Shiga and it's notorious for its pungent aroma. Round crucian carp is always used to prepare the authentic funazushi that's tender down to the bones, unlike the imitations made with gengorobuna fish.
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