Koi are majorly ornamental fish, but the kind of care you give your koi fish will inform the idea of whether to eat it. Feeding your koi fish fresh vegetables, fruits, and high-quality food makes the fish healthy for consumption.
Koi fish is safe to eat and has many health benefits. It supplies your body with proteins, omega 3, and vitamin D. You can get the fish out of the pond using a fishing net and prepare it for dinner.
But avoid eating koi fish if you do not know its origin, as it may be from a contaminated habitat. Additionally, fish food with chemicals can make koi fish poisonous to humans.
Here’s an insight into why you should and shouldn’t eat koi fish:
| Why you should eat koi fish | Why you shouldn’t eat koi fish |
| Hunger control | Have cultural significance |
| High nutritional value | They’re ornamental fish |
| Fun and adventure | Not economically sustainable |
| The delicacy may contain toxins |
Can you eat koi fish?
Of course, you can eat koi fish, although most people keep it in koi ponds and indoor aquariums for decoration. However, the correct care is essential for edible koi fish. Eat the fish only if it eats chemical-free foods.
Proper care includes giving the koi fish high-quality food and cleaning the pond water regularly. Koi fish living in clean water and eating adequately are healthy and safe for consumption. On the other hand, contaminated water can make the fish dangerous to eat.
If you eat koi fish from a contaminated habitat, you may suffer food poisoning. But, unlike most fish, koi fish meat is slightly tough. That means it may take much longer to cook than tilapia and catfish.
Whether to eat koi fish or not also depends on your culture. Asians in Bengal and Thailand keep many koi fish for human consumption. Koi fish has the same nutritional value as other fish species. It’s an excellent source of essential nutrients like proteins, Vitamin B2, Vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus.
How does koi fish taste?
Many cultures worldwide don’t eat koi fish because it is a colorful pet. However, koi fish is a carp, and it tastes just as delicious as silver catfish or ikan patin. However, their habitat influences their taste. You can fry koi fish or prepare it with soup.
Koi fish in muddy ponds and stagnant water may not be as tasty as koi fish in clean water with an inlet and an outlet. Like most carp, those in muddy, stagnant pond water may taste muddy. Koi fish living in freshwater will likely taste more fatty and fishy.
Change your pond water twice a week, install a pond filter, and give your fish foods rich in proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and omega-3 to improve their taste. For example, feed them vegetables, fruits, earthworms, and shrimp.
Cook koi fish with chili and turmeric to enhance the taste. There are many ways to cook fish. Bake, grill, steam, boil or fry it. Whichever way you choose, make sure to do it properly. If you are wondering how to cook koi, use a catfish recipe instead.
Why you should eat koi fish
Here are the reasons why you should eat koi fish:
1. Hunger control
Koi fish is edible and would be used to satisfy hunger. When you are hungry and have koi fish as your meal, there is no harm in eating it. Most Asians have been eating koi fish for centuries, with no significant effects ever reported.
2. High nutritional value
The fish also adds nutritional value to your body. It contains omega 3, which helps grow brain cells and improves intelligence. Koi fish also has protein, phosphorus, and vitamin D, essential for cell regeneration and strong bone formation.
3. Fun and adventure
Being told how koi fish tastes by another person is not enough. People are curious, and we all want to try and experience new flavors. Therefore, another reason to eat koi fish is for adventure. If your country or culture is against eating koi, tour Asia and try their recipe.
Why you shouldn’t eat koi fish
Here are the reasons why you should not eat koi fish:
1. Koi fish have a cultural significance
Koi fish have a spiritual and national significance in various cultures. Koi fish is also associated with good luck in some regions. Therefore, eating koi in these areas is considered bad luck to one’s self.
Eating koi fish, which everyone is against the idea, is also disrespectful. Therefore, you should not eat koi fish in such places even if your country or culture practices it. Understand and empathize with the beliefs of those cultures.
2. Koi fish are best as ornamental fish
Koi are ornamental fish that decorate ponds, aquariums, and even rivers. “How can you eat your pet?” That was the first question I received when asking pond owners if they eat koi.
In other words, the fish’s decorative value has created a psychological standing against eating it. Therefore, eating koi fish might be utterly unethical in other places and welcome in others. I would rather keep my ornamental koi fish than eat them.
3. Poor quality food and nutrition
Before eating a koi fish, inquire about its origin. Ask questions like where is the koi from? And what did it eat? Do not eat koi fish that are weak, lethargic, or mysteriously dead. Eat only healthy and fatty koi fish.
Avoid eating koi fish that are still under any kind of medication, as they can cause food poisoning. For example, if there are still antibiotics in the fish pond, or the water is very murky and muddy, do not eat the fish.
4. Koi fish are pretty expensive
Due to their ornamental purposes, koi fish are costly. One can range between a few hundred to even thousands of dollars. Therefore, eating one is less satisfying than keeping it as a pet. The fish are also costly because of their high demand and uniqueness. The cost of a koi pond is also high.
The origins of koi fish domestication
Koi fish are freshwater fish that have gained worldwide popularity. They can live up to 35 years, making them ideal pets. Their beauty and colors are another reason why most fish hobbyists keep them as pets.
Koi fish domestication began when people started domesticating the carp (koi is a type of carp). It is believed that carp domestication started in China around the 4th century. However, the domestication of Japanese koi began in 19th century Japan.
Japanese rice farmers used to catch wild carp and breed them for food. They fed koi fish pellets, algae, aquatic insects, and plants in captivity. However, continuous breeding caused colorful mutations in koi fish, resulting in wide koi varieties.
The various species first domesticated in Japan were the red-bellied Magoi, and Hi and Ki Bekko, which have black markings. The Japanese also bred Taki koi fish with Asagi koi and produced the red-spotted white carp, also known as Kohaku.
The world was unaware of the color variations of the Japanese koi fish until 1914. However, the display of Niigata Koi in a show in Tokyo led to the widespread domestication of koi in Japan. Over time, more people became interested in keeping koi fish worldwide.
Koi fish exports and imports have grown significantly since then. Wealthy entrepreneurs are importing fish from Japan and selling them to other parts of China, Europe, and the US.
Koi prices are pretty high due to the market demand. In 2018, a Chinese collector bought the most expensive koi fish ever. The fish was valued at $2 million.
References
- Arpita (2018). Koi Macher Jhal – Koi Fish Spicy Curry. Food Indian
- De Kock, S., & Gomelsky, B. (2015). Japanese ornamental koi carp: origin, variation, and genetics. Biology and Ecology of Carp; Informa UK Limited: Boca Raton, FL, USA, 27-53.
- 650. (2022). Is koi fish good to eat
