Chinese man cooks and eats his pet arowana after it dies, says it's 'most expensive fish' he's ever

June 2024 · 3 minute read

Feeling that it would be a waste, a man in Henan, China, decided to steam cook and eat his pet silver arowana, describing it as “the most expensive fish” he has eaten.

In a viral video uploaded to Weibo on Friday, the man is seen cooking his once-pet fish, adding various ingredients to a pot including green onions and potatoes. Arowanas are a type of bony freshwater fish and can typically be bought for about 6,700 to 10,000 yuan (approximately $997 to $1488).

The man bought the silver arowana three years ago, and under his care the fish grew from about 10 centimeters (approximately 3.9 inches) long to about 30 to 40 centimeters (approximately 11.8 to 15.7 inches) long. The fish had died after the tank’s water pump malfunctioned for five hours. The man attempted to save the fish by changing the tank’s water, but it was too late.

Feeling that it would be a waste, the man asked a fisherman for advice, who suggested he steam cook it. The man then chopped the fish and put it into a pot where he added several ingredients to the mixture and steamed it. 

After cooking the fish, the man described it as being fresh and tender while commenting that it was “probably the most expensive fish” he had ever eaten. 

Responding to a comment that the fish costs over 30,000 yuan (approximately $4,465), Weibo users debunked the claim stating that silver arowana only cost a few hundred yuan.

“This is the silver arowana [which] is worthless, okay? Small fish is a hundred dollars. Adult fish are a few hundred. More than 1000 yuan is [a scam],” one user wrote.

“I don’t eat pets,” another user commented.

The video has garnered 310,000 views and 323 likes at the time of this writing.

Feature Image via Weibo

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