Fish
The term fish refers to fish taken from their habitat to serve as food. These fish can be caught in the water —oceans, seas, rivers, lakes—, but they can also be raised using aquaculture techniques. According to the different types of fish, different types of fish are obtained. The term is simply applied to fish, hence the word fish, and from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Modern Age it was even applied to certain aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and geese, which were eaten in Lent, when it was not possible to eat other meat than fish and shellfish since, due to a legend attributed to goose, which considered them a metamorphosis of certain bivalves, these birds were classified as fish.
White fish
White fish is the one with a low fat content, approximately 2% of its weight in fat (sole, hake, turbot, haddock, etc.).[citation needed]
Blue fish
Blue fish has a fat content of more than 5% (anchovy, bonito, mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna, etc.). It is a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, an essential fatty acid.
Flatfish
They are the ones that have the characteristic that, being born with the typical shape of a fish, they vary until they become flat, in order to live at the bottom. Hence they have both eyes on the same side of the face, a crooked mouth and pectoral fins one on top of the other. In these fish, the side in contact with the bottom is called the blind side. Being fish that live in very shallow depths, they are very apt to be raised in fish farms. Examples of these are sole, turbot and rooster.
Tunas
- Tuna
- Nice.
- Nice of the North
Sparids
- Aligote
- Besugo
- Breca
- Chopa
- Gold
- Pargo
- Salema
- Sargo
Salmonids
- Salmon
- Trucha
- Rainbow trout
Pelagic fish
- Tuna
- Boquerón
- Codilla
- Dorado
- Lubina
- Merluza
- Sardina
Demersal fish
Demersal fish are those that, as opposed to pelagic, live near the bottom. Some authors call it nectobenthic. (Nectobenthos: benthic organisms that live near, but not on or in the seabed).
- Cabracho
- Gallineta
- Huachinango
- Mero
- Red dove
- Pargo
- Rape
- Salmonete
Other uses of fish
The pre-Hispanic Andean peoples knew how to use fish residues (bones, scales, fins, heads, etc.) as excellent organic fertilizers.
The skin of the fish has been used by the aboriginal peoples of the Siberian coast to make clothes, the fish bones have been used by prehistoric humans and by peoples until recently called "primitive" (for example the Inuit) to make artifacts, especially sewing needles. Fish fat has often been used as a glue or glue. The very rough skin of sharks has been used to make sandpaper until very recently.
Nutritional value
In general, fish is very nutritious, but proportionally less than most land and avian animals, although at least a couple of factors have conspired against its increased consumption, the less satiety that fish tend to cause in relation to of birds and mammals, and the greater difficulties of preservation (preservation by smoking and salting is effective but generally requires more energy than the preservation of the meat of birds and other animals since, for the development of pathogenic germs fish meat almost always has what is technically known as a higher water activity point). On the other hand, as will be seen, salting or salting and, even more, smoking, carry health risks.
Since the end of the XIX century, thanks to advances in refrigerated or vacuum-packed conservation, conservation problems they are vastly exceeded.
In general, all varieties of fish are rich in protein and essential minerals; Saltwater fish (fish caught in the sea) tend to be exceptionally rich in fatty acids, especially unsaturated fatty acids, omega 3, and minerals such as iodine, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium. Such elements combat the harmful effects of LDL cholesterol, immediately benefiting the circulatory system and, thus, all health. These elements even reinforce the immune system against carcinomas (for example, there is some very notorious evidence in this regard in shark cartilage). The liver of many fish (for example, cod) is very rich in vitamin D.
Hygiene when eating fish
Many fish can be eaten raw, provided they are almost immediately caught or otherwise preserved fresh by refrigeration or vacuum systems. Raw fish is the basis of the currently well-known sushi; in such cases, what is consumed is only the muscle mass of the fish carefully separated from the other parts (especially the viscera) and washed. Even so, sushi always carries the risk of transmitting infections and parasitism to human populations that have not been accustomed to eating raw fish. The genetic habituation to the consumption of raw fish is due to an adaptive evolutionary process. Even more striking processes have been observed among the Inuit (Eskimos means "raw fish eaters") and even among the Yamanas, who have been able to eat fish in a state of decomposition that would be fatal to other human populations. On the other hand, among the Scandinavian peoples a more moderate adaptation was congenitally reached than that of the Inuit, so that in Scandinavian cuisine there is the consumption of fish in a state of fermentation (such as surströmming), which is very unbearable for other populations.
However, methods of collecting fish have been required for long seasons, the most common being salting and smoking, separately or together. But both methods (although they can give very tasty products) are —in the long run— harmful for consumers: salting affects the kidneys and is highly risky for the population affected by arterial hypertension.
The indisputable thing is that the best way to eat fish is when it is sufficiently well cooked and, before being cooked, previously in good condition, as fresh as possible.
In general terms, the following are the characteristics that show that a fish is in good condition:
- Despite what is often believed, fresh fish has little smell and therefore no unpleasant smell. The ammoniacal odor is indicative that is already in decomposition and should not be consumed.
- Connected with the previous point, all fresh fish must possess an aroma like that of the Sea
- The skin of the scaly fresh fish must have its firm scales (not easily detached).
- The fish skin must be naturally brilliant.
- The eyes of the fish No. They must be numb or opaque.
- Fresh fish meat is always firm at pressure.
- Branquias or fresh fish guts are reddish.
- The peritoneum of fresh fish remains attached to the body, does not easily break or break.
The fish must be kept in a common refrigerator for no more than two days. In a freezer it can be kept super-frozen for much longer as long as the cold chain has not been interrupted.
Fishmeal can be an excellent element for human nutrition, although it is mainly used to feed livestock and poultry. Its great nutritional power favors the greater and sooner development of animals.