Fish There all kinds Did you know Fish

Fish There all kinds! Did you know? Fish represents the planet’s largest stock of ‘wild’ food

They are usually classified according to their physical structure and composition. Into: White fish Oily fish Shell fish

White fish Or flat, e. g. plaice and sole Are round, e. g. cod, haddock and whiting These have white skin underneath and dark skin on top for camouflage Most white fish are sea water fish and live on the bottom of the sea bed This group of fish are known as white fish because of the colour of their flesh - not the skin Only minute traces of fat are found in this fish flesh

Oily fish Are fish that have fat distributed through the flesh in the muscle fibres - (never separate like in meat) They contain - on average - 10% fat They are sea fish such as herring, mackerel, sardines and tuna Or fresh water fish such as trout Or both such as salmon that live in the sea but return to the river to mate and lay eggs

Shell fish Are all found in the sea There are two types: Crustacea have legs with partly jointed outer shells Molluscs - have harder outer shells and no legs Mussels, oysters and scallops are examples Crabs, lobsters and prawns are examples Squid and Octopus are also classed as molluscs - even though their shell is inside!

Fish is a highly perishable food - it is a high-risk food. It has to be stored below 5°C. It must be eaten fairly quickly. And if buying fresh - make sure it is fresh: • Eyes should be bright and not sunken • There should be no strong smell • The skin should be moist and a little slimy and quite firm • The gills should be bright red • The tail should be stiff Molluscs - such as mussels - should be shut tight

Preservation of fish Because fish is highly perishable, a high proportion of the fish we eat is preserved in some way: Frozen - a lot of the fish we buy as fresh is frozen at sea Canned - such as salmon, tuna and sardines Smoked - such as salmon and mackerel Pickled Such as rollmops (herrings) The fish shown here can be eaten on their own or used in dishes such as pastas, pies and salads Did you know: The Omega 3 in fresh tuna is lost during canning

Cuts of fish Fish can be cooked and eaten whole - such as whitebait Or trout - where you leave the head! Larger fish such as cod are cut into fillets Or steaks

Cuts of fish - continued Fillets can then be cut again - or shaped into different cuts for different dishes: Suprême A small fillet Délice Paupiette a folded Suprême a rolled-up Suprême Gougons a fillet cut into strips

Cuts of fish - continued Some fish have different parts eaten! A skate fish’s wings are the parts eaten A monkfish’s tiny tail is all that is eaten

Cooking Fish is always tender and requires short cooking times fish This is because the muscle fibres are short and there is little connective tissue (unlike meat) The protein in the fish coagulates - this begins at 60°C The flesh hardly changes colour - it is cooked when it falls into flakes when tested by a fork It is easy to overcook fish - a coating such as batter or breadcrumbs will protect the fish from this in some way Fish that is twice as thick will take 4 times longer to cook Shellfish is often bought already cooked Live lobsters are brown or even blue!

Fish is a very versatile product to make food products with: Mixed with potato as fish cakes As a main meal served in a sauce Or stuffed! A sandwich filling As a starter to a meal

Why is fish so good for us? Why should we eat lots of it? White fish and Oily fish and Shell fish All contain water, protein (good animal protein), fat and calcium Oily fish are the good guy! They are rich in Vitamin D and the essential fatty acid Omega 3 Canned fish contain lots of calcium if the bones are eaten with the flesh these bones are softened during the process