This item
Ma Yau / Fourfinger Threadfin
- elongate silvery body
- forked tail
- four free pectoral filaments must be clearly visible
Seafood
Ma Yau / Fourfinger Threadfin
AFCD maps 馬友 to Fourfinger Threadfin, Eleutheronema tetradactylum; appearance is supporting evidence only, so confirm the original label or counter sign.
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3 identity clues
- elongate silvery body
- forked tail
- four free pectoral filaments must be clearly visible
Names in other languages
- 繁體中文
- 馬友
- English
- Ma Yau / Fourfinger Threadfin
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Ma Yau (馬友 / fourfinger threadfin)
- Tagalog
- Ma Yau (馬友 / fourfinger threadfin)
Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): maa5 jau5 No Cantonese voice on this device
What is it?
Ma Yau / Fourfinger Threadfin is a Hong Kong market or food-shop term. This page keeps the locked market scope and does not infer species, cut or formula from colour or one shape.
How to identify it
elongate silvery body; forked tail; four free pectoral filaments must be clearly visible.
Common confusion
Compare
Golden Threadfin Bream
- Slender pink-red body
- Distinct yellow stripe along the side
- Pointed head and forked tail
How to identify it
Golden threadfin bream has a pink body, yellow stripe and one upper-tail filament; Ma Yau has four free pectoral filaments.
Common Hong Kong household uses
Prepare it according to the employer’s recipe and product label, then cook it thoroughly before serving.
Choosing & preparing
Use separate boards and knives for raw fish, then wash hands and clean work surfaces; cook until the flesh is opaque and flakes or separates from the bone easily.
Storage
Keep raw fish covered at 4°C or below on the lowest refrigerator shelf, separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food.
What Ma’am or Sir may say
買馬友，睇清楚牌仔，返嚟分開生熟處理。The employer asks for Ma Yau / Fourfinger Threadfin, with the label checked and raw food kept separate from cooked food at home.
Useful market phrase
唔該要馬友，要原裝標籤或檔口牌清楚嗰款。Meaning: Ma Yau / Fourfinger Threadfin, please, with a clear original label or stall sign.
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Sources (7)
- Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department — AFCD FISHERMEN DIARY
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations — Threadfins of the World - Eleutheronema tetradactylum
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Seafood Safety and Hygiene
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong Humanum Research Centre — Cantonese Pronunciation Dictionary
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Prevention of Cross-contamination
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Store - Five Keys to Food Safety
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department / Centre for Food Safety — CFS COOK REHEAT