Second look at eating eyeballs?
Indeed, Asian cultures probably win the prize for not just tolerating but embracing fish eyes, both raw, as in sushi, and cooked. “I’ve had the fist-sized eye of a garoupa, steamed and garnished. (Gelatinous.),” one of our intrepid readers commented. “And in Asia fish tend to be cooked with the head on — it’s a sign of good fortune when things have a head and a tail!”
Shanghai-born food blogger Chichi Wang relishes fish eyes: “The trick to eating a fish eyeball is to keep it in your mouth for as long as possible,” she writes. “A rush of fatty fish flavor is accompanied by a gelatinous, spongy texture. Swallow too quickly and you’ll miss the nuances.”
When she was little, Wang’s mom always saved the fish eyes just for her. So when relatives recently gathered at a Cantonese restaurant, Wang offered her mom the fish eyes as a special treat.
“Take that away,” her mom said. “Fish eyeballs are really gross.”
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Think I will leave that to Jeffrey Dahmer.
sharrukin on March 6, 2013 at 10:18 PM
Barky ate dog eyeballs. He ate dog balls, too.
Mmmmm … mmmmm … mmmmm ….
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on March 6, 2013 at 10:19 PM
I had one of those head-on fish dinners in Thailand long ago, scared the crap out of me and the eyes were burned but I ate it anyway. Too many Bami-Ba’s will do that.
Bishop on March 6, 2013 at 10:26 PM
“Second look at eating eyeballs?”
Heh. I see what you did there.
Hill60 on March 6, 2013 at 10:41 PM
Fish eyes are good. Fish cheeks are better. In fact, usually the best meat on the fish.
The Rogue Tomato on March 6, 2013 at 11:01 PM
I did some work back in the late 90′s in Kyrgyzstan. One of the first trips I made there, we toured a couple of factories we were evaluating for the future.
At one, there was a ceremony where a goat was tied to the 1st machine in the line, prayers were said and the thing was bled out – right there.
After the tour, about 3 hours, it was lunchtime and they had the feast prepared. Lo and behold, there was the goat meat and rice, all boiled together with spices as the main course.
At the end of the meal, a guy came out with the boiled head on a silver platter. They peeled the skin away, and gave each person a small piece, like a toast with skin for luck.
The big event was the two eyeballs. Each one had been removed and was to be given to the youngest and the eldest man at the table. It was tradition.
Being the young buck, I was presented this eyeball, with stuff trailing off the back, to toast my host with, pop it in my mouth and wash it down with vodka.
After 4 or 5 vodka shots, it actually wasn’t bad. And I didn’t embarrass me, the USA or manhood in general. I did puke later that night, but I think that was the cognac.
Beware the eyes, man. Beware the eyes.
BacaDog on March 6, 2013 at 11:19 PM
i… what… no
Sachiko on March 6, 2013 at 11:58 PM
Had a big, broiled rock fish the other night. After the head, we went back for seconds and ate some of the flesh from the body. My boy loves the eyes, but the cheeks and tongue are for me! My wife loves the fiddly bits in-between, and cracks out the brain as her favorite bit.
This is a fish still twitching a bit when I brought it home from the ocean. If your fish smells like anything but clean sea water, use it to fertilize your garden. Freshness is key.
Scribbler on March 7, 2013 at 12:03 AM
I once saw a woman sitting in a doctor’s waiting room who had a face like a fish. Nice legs though.
Seth Halpern on March 7, 2013 at 12:38 AM
it must be true because I read it on the internet
Fenris on March 7, 2013 at 1:08 AM
Kromagg Heaven.
profitsbeard on March 7, 2013 at 1:09 AM
Toast when eating a young goat’s eyeballs:
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
hepcat on March 7, 2013 at 1:22 AM
Thread winner! Hah!
GWB on March 7, 2013 at 8:50 AM