Globefish needs to be served properly as its liver, ovary, eyes and roe can be lethal. [Photo/WeChat account: Tcfbgw]

There's a saying in Taicang that one can't really taste the flavor of fish without eating globefish and after eating globefish, one will ignore other fishes.

It's quite the right time of year to taste the city's delicious globefish.

All the globefish people eat these days are farmed. Their poison is much lower than that of wild fish, which are lethal if not served properly, according to Ni Dongming, executive chef at Taicang's Ludu Hotel.

Although farmed globefish has less poison, one still has to be very careful when handling it.

Accurate cutting is vital to completely separate the poisonous parts, such as the liver and ovary, from the benign parts.

Peeling off the fish skin is a technical job. An experienced cook can peel off the entire fish skin intact.

Similar to crabs, there's a different time for male and female globefish. Before China's Tomb-Sweeping Day (April 5) is the best time for male globefish and after that date female globefish are free from poison, so their roe are edible.

With simple seasonings such as green onion, ginger, sugar, salt, soy sauce and cooking wine, a dish of mouth-watering stewed globefish is ready to be eaten.

It's said that the most classic order for eating globefish is testes, skin, the soup it was cooked in, and finally the fish itself. Actually, compared to the first three, the taste of the globefish is not as pleasant.

Accompanying the fish with bamboo shoots and other seasonal vegetables will definitely meets one's desire for delicacies and weight maintenance.