How to eat pufferfish without poison

There is a saying that goes "you would risk your life to eat puffer fish", which means that puffer fish contains highly poisonous substances. If it is not cleaned properly, it may lead to poisoning. This is quite harmful. Puffer fish contains tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin that exists in the puffer fish's internal organs, blood, eyeballs, testicles, etc. Among them, the ovaries and liver are the most toxins. When eating puffer fish, it must be cleaned by experienced people.

Where is pufferfish poisonous?

The poisonous ingredient in puffer fish is tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin that can kill humans if they ingest 0.5mg-3mg of tetrodotoxin. The liver, spleen, kidneys, ovaries, testicles, eyeballs, skin and blood of pufferfish are all poisonous. The eggs, ovaries and liver are the most toxic, followed by the kidneys, blood, eyes and skin. The toxin is heat-resistant and will not be destroyed even at 100℃ for 8 hours, but will be destroyed after 1 hour at 120℃. Salting and sun exposure cannot destroy the toxin either.

How to eat pufferfish without poisoning

Most pufferfish have spots on their bodies. The more spots they have, the more poisonous they are. All pufferfish with obvious spots on their bodies cannot be eaten as they are highly poisonous. Choose one with less obvious spots on its body.

To handle the puffer fish, remove the internal organs (many people like to eat puffer fish liver because it is very delicious, but dried puffer fish is the most poisonous, so it is recommended to remove it). After removing the internal organs, be sure to wash away the black stuff inside. Just flush it a few more times.

Precautions for eating puffer fish

Eating salmon and pufferfish together can be life-threatening. Avoid eating puffer fish with cigarette ash, as it will cause poisoning and death.

Generally speaking, except for the muscles of fresh puffer fish, its head, skin, eyes, blood, and internal organs (especially ovaries and liver) all contain toxic substances called tetrodotoxin, which is highly toxic. The lethal dose of tetrodotoxin for an adult is 300 mg. Puffer fish that have been dead for a long time must not be eaten, because the toxins in the internal organs will gradually penetrate into the muscles. Some puffer fish not only have poisonous internal organs, but also poisonous muscles, and the toxin cannot be removed by ordinary cooking methods. It is best not to cook and eat puffer fish yourself. Relatively speaking, it is safer to eat puffer fish in regular hotels, because some restaurants hire puffer fish butchers who specialize in processing puffer fish at high prices.