Freshwater fish are tasty and he althy, both farmed and those living in natural waters. Check out the nutritional values ​​and properties of fish such as crucian bream, carp, tench, eel, roach, pike perch, pike, trout, whitefish, whitefish, perch, sea trout - and how to prepare them.

Crucian bream, carp, tench, eel, roach, zander, pike, trout, whitefish, whitefish, perch, sea trout - we eat less and lessfreshwater fish , easier in stores buy an exotic specimen from distant seas and oceans. Are these fish as he althy as those caught in the depths of the sea?

The purity of the waters they come from determines the quality of meat. Fish from marshy waters have a muddy aftertaste, and from contaminated waters they contain harmful chemicals. The he althiest and most expensive are fish from ecological waters. These "suspicious" reservoirs should be avoided. It is best to obtain fish directly from the angler or breeder, choosing small pieces, e.g. trout, crucian carp - 20 grams, carp - 1-1.5 kg, pike - up to 2 kg. Larger fish can be overfed or old and are no longer as tasty as young fish. The fish recently caught has a fresh smell, smooth, shiny, tightly fitting to the skin, firm and firm flesh (no cavity remains when pressed), moist tail and fins, shiny eyes, pink or red gills. If you are in doubt as to whether the fish is really fresh, you can test the water: fresh fish sinks in water and spoiled fish flows out.

Fresh fish are best prepared right away. After making them, they should be seasoned with s alt, then - before they go to the saucepan - they can lie in the refrigerator for a day. You can keep fish frozen, conditioned and washed before freezing for longer. However, when improperly defrosted, they can lose their nutritional value and taste. It is best to put whole frozen fish in a dish of s alted water (s alt prevents nutrients from penetrating into the water) and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to defrost slowly. Prepare frozen in portions without defrosting.

Fish - which is worth eating and avoiding

Nutrition facts of freshwater fish

Nutritionists recommend that we eat fish 2 or 3 times a week. Both lean and fatty, marine and freshwater. The fat in fish consists of unsaturated fatty acids and is the he althiest animal fat. From freshwater fishthe most valuableomega-3fatty acids, which play an important role in the prevention of heart and circulatory system diseases, are provided bytrout . Two servings (200 g each) a week will satisfy the needs of EPA and DHA acids in heart patients. This is an alternative for people who do not like oily sea fish. They provide proteins that, in terms of their composition, are equal to that contained in meat, and are easier to digest. At the same time, fresh fish, apart from eel, have few calories (smoked fish are more caloric). They contain a lot of phosphorus, selenium, calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. Lean freshwater fish are a treasure of water-soluble B vitamins, but contain less fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E than fatty fish.

>>Also read:

  • Miruna: properties and nutritional values ​​
  • Salmon: nutritional value - is salmon he althy?
  • Toxins in fish - check which fish are not poisonous

Best freshwater fish species

TROUTlikes clean, rocky-bottomed rivers and mountain streams. In Poland, there are trouts: stream, spring and rainbow, which differ in skin color. The most accessible is the rainbow, bred in fish farms. Fish weighing 20 grams are the most widely used (serving for one person). Trout meat is very tasty, pale pink, lean, tender and has little bones. They can be boiled, baked, fried, pickled and smoked. The fish can be baked with vegetables or stewed in wine. Delicious with herb butter.

LINof the carp family lives mainly in water with a muddy bottom, it is also farmed. It has white, delicate, medium-fat flesh with a relatively small amount of bones. Good for frying and cooking, but the tench stewed in cream is typical for Polish cuisine.

WĘGORZgrows up in freshwater and flows to the sea for spawning. The meat is white, juicy, almost boneless, but fatty. Eel blood contains poison which can be rendered harmless by temperatures above 60ºC. We usually eat smoked eel, it can also be boiled or stewed.

SUMis the largest fish living in our lakes and rivers, it is also kept in ponds. Young catfish (up to 2 kg) is one of the tastiest fish. The meat is white, medium-fat, with almost no bones. They can be smoked, fried, boiled and served with Hollandaise or tomato sauce. The sum is prepared in jelly like a carp.

PIKElives in all types of inland waters. The best fish weigh up to 2 kg. Firm, white, lean meat is unfortunately quite bony. Due to its strong skin, it is suitable for stuffing. A buttery roll is usually added to the stuffing,eggs, onions, butter, but the filling can be composed of various ingredients, such as: parsley, gherkins, carrots, chopped hard-boiled eggs, chicken liver, fried mushrooms, anchovies, truffles.

KARAŚoccurs in lowland stagnant and slowly flowing waters, it is rarely bred in fish farms. Two species live in Poland: golden crucian and silver crucian. They are usually 20-35 cm long and weigh 20-50 grams. The meat is tasty, white, lean but bony. You can bake them, fry them or cook soup. Fish fried in pancake batter with the addition of beer are very tasty.

ZANDACZlives in clean waters, in the lower reaches of rivers, in lakes and sea bays, it is kept in ponds. Fish weighing 1-3 kg are best. Zander meat is very tasty, white, delicate, not very bony and containing little (only 0.2%) fat. It is perfect for preparing cooked, stewed and baked dietary dishes. Delicious in jelly.

OKOŃoccurs in all types of inland waters and at the B altic coast. The best fish are 20-25 cm, valued for their very white, lean and delicate meat, unfortunately quite bony. Perfect right after catch - grilled or pan. Fried fish marinated in sour pickle with spices are a speci alty, smaller pieces are good for soup.

ROACHis a small fish from the carp family. It lives in rivers, ponds and on the shores of lakes. The meat is tasty, but bony and medium-fat. The best fish are fried without breadcrumbs or in pancake batter.

KARPlives in ponds and slowly flowing waters. The most valued carp is the royal carp, mainly bred. Young specimens (1-1.5 kg) are the most delicious. Carp has tasty, pinkish, medium-fat, tender and quite bony flesh. It is prepared in various ways, but the traditional Jewish style is fried carp in gray sauce.

Important

What you need to know about smoked fish?

Smoked fish are more fatty and more difficult to digest than those subjected to other heat treatment (boiled, stewed, baked). In addition, they contain a lot of sodium, which should be avoided by hypertensive people, as well as smoke components that can be harmful in large amounts. 100 g of smoked eel has 854 mg of sodium, and 100 g of fresh - only 55 mg. That is why smoked meats are to be only a tasty addition to the diet. It should be taken to heart not only by people withhypertension , but also those withpeptic ulcer diseaseandkidney problems. It is worth knowing that the method of smoking determines the he alth benefits of a fish. You should therefore choose fish originating fromhome processing plants, smoked in a traditional way in smokehouses fired with good wood (alder, hazel) using only natural ingredients. They have a completely different taste than those from industrial smokehouses (there, the fish are immersed in a chemical solution that gives them a smoky flavor and a characteristic color). Supermarket fish are usually smoked with chemicals.

How to prepare freshwater fish?

Steamed, grilled or oven-baked fish are easily digestible and the least caloric. Pike perch, carp, pike, trout, whitefish are best suited for cooking in water. Pour them over with boiling vegetable stock or put them in the stock (fillets with the skin facing up) and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. In order for the fish to retain its color and firmness, wine vinegar or lemon juice (a teaspoon per liter of water) is added to the decoction. Some ingredients, e.g. B vitamins, get into the water during cooking, so fish prepared in this way lose some of their value.

Fish that contain a lot of collagen are the best for jelly - carp, tench, perch, pike and zander. You can bake whole fish or fillets with fresh herbs - then they will gain flavor. It is best to use a special basket for grilling. The fish sticks well to it, so it is easier to turn. When baking directly on the wire rack, remember to put a drip tray on it (burning in a fire may release harmful compounds). All freshwater fish species can be fried.

Unfortunately, fried fish, especially breaded fish, is high in calories and hard to digest. As research shows, they also do not have a beneficial effect on the heart, unlike cooked and baked ones. It is best to fry in olive oil or well-heated rapeseed oil. Before frying, cut the skin so that the pieces of fish do not deform when exposed to high temperatures (the skin contracts more than the meat). Fried fish may only be eaten from time to time. It should be avoided by people with digestive ailments and on a low-calorie diet.

monthly "Zdrowie"

Category:

What do you eat