The difference between East China Sea hairtail and South China Sea hairtail

Hairtail is a common food ingredient on the market, but many people find that there are two types of hairtail with different appearances when buying them. Merchants collectively call them hairtail. Upon asking, they will find out that there are two types of hairtail, East China Sea hairtail and South China Sea hairtail, but they cannot tell them apart. In fact, there are some differences between the two types of hairtail in terms of appearance and organs. This article analyzes the body shape, scales, organs, and taste of hairtail from the East China Sea and the West China Sea. Let’s take a look.

The East China Sea hairtail has small eyes and a short jaw. Since the number of East China Sea hairtail has decreased dramatically, where do the hairtails that are now ubiquitous in the market come from? Industry insiders said that many of them come from the South China Sea, some come from waters near India, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries, and there are even hairtails from waters near the Middle East.

So, with hairtails coming from all over the world, how can we buy authentic East China Sea hairtails? Can be identified by body shape, scales, and taste——

Body shape: The East China Sea hairtail is small and narrow, with a body width of about 4 to 7 cm and a body length of about 40 to 60 cm. The South China Sea hairtail is relatively large, with a body width of about 6 to 10 centimeters and a maximum length of about 1 meter. The East China Sea hairtail has a more symmetrical body shape, and it becomes thinner slowly from the head to the tail. Some foreign hairtails have wide heads and backs, but become noticeably thinner at the tail.

Fish scales: The scales of the East China Sea hairtail are white with a slight hint of black. The scales fall off easily and there are no protruding bones on the spine. The bones and fish bones of foreign hairtail are relatively hard.

Organs: The eyes of the East China Sea hairtail are smaller, with smaller pupils and more white in the eyes; the eyes of the South China Sea hairtail are larger, with larger pupils; if the whites of the eyes are yellow, they are from the Middle East or Africa. The jaw of the East China Sea hairtail is shorter, while the jaw of the South China Sea hairtail and foreign hairtail is significantly larger.

Taste: The East China Sea hairtail is relatively fat and delicious, with tender meat, especially suitable for steaming. Just add a little ginger and scallion, and you can steam a delicious dish. The bones of hairtail are also very thin. The meat of foreign hairtail is coarse and has a fishy smell, making it more suitable for braising or frying. It tastes powdery when braised.