Pezzogna by R.Borgacci

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What is the pezzogna?

Pezzogna - or "la pezzogna" - is a bony sea fish; also known dialectally with the synonyms of occhino, besugo, pizzogna, mupu, rovello and occhialone - a name also attributed to horse mackerel or suto ( Trachurus trachurus ) - it is often generically identified as a smaller bream.

The pezzogna belongs to the Perciformes Order, Percoid Suborder, Sparidae Family, Genus Pagellus (English "pandora") and bogaraveo species - or centrodontus . In English it is known as "red sea bream", a name also used to indicate the species Pagrus major - translated as "pagro maggiore", in Japanese "tai" or "madai", in Korean "ch'amdom" - closely related to the Mediterranean ( Pagrus pagrus ). P. major is the most consumed fish in Taiwan.

Disambiguation

Pezzogna fish is not, as one could deduce by reading the binomial nomenclature P. bogaraveo, the boga fish, belonging instead to the genus Boops and boops species.

Typically of the first fundamental food group, pezzogna is a product rich in high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals. Good is also the quantity of iodine, vitamin D (calciferol) and omega 3 semi essential - but biologically active - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Pezzogna is a food that belongs to the group of fishery products; it is not considered a blue fish, despite the almost superimposable nutritional characteristics, but it certainly appears in the list of poor fish. In the kitchen it is prepared in the same way as the fragolino report, with which it shows a certain similarity also in the organoleptic and gustatory properties. It lends itself to being fried, boiled, sautéed, roasted on the grill or in the oven; raw is not considered of great value.

The pezzogna is widespread in the Mediterranean Basin and in the Atlantic Ocean; it colonizes all the seabeds and not beyond the 400 m of depth in the Mediterranean and 700 m in the Atlantic. It eats mostly invertebrates of various kinds and is preyed upon by many large fish. It has a reddish-pink color, especially on the back and on the fins. The eyes are large. Laterally it has a line that starts from the gills and reaches the tail. He has a dark, round spot behind his head. It can exceptionally reach 70 cm in length. It is abundant in the seas thanks to its marked reproductive capacity; it is fished mainly with nets and is not an endangered species.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of pezzogna fish

Pezzogna is a fishery product that falls within the first fundamental group of foods. It is part of the category of poor fish and, despite being very nutritious, it is considered not very refined. It is not a blue fish but contains equally good doses of omega 3 semi essential fatty acids. Its chemical nutritional characteristics do not differ from those of the Mediterranean shear ( P. pagrus ) and the greater shear ( P. major ), as long as they do not they are detected in old age - where the specimens of the species can reach quite different sizes.

The pezzogna has a moderate energy supply, thanks to the very low concentration of fat contained in the meat. Calories are supplied mainly by proteins, followed by lipids; sugars are absent. Peptides have a high biological value - they contain all the essential amino acids compared to the human protein model - and the fatty acids are predominantly unsaturated, with an excellent percentage of polyunsaturated fats; among lipids a significant amount of EPA and DHA is appreciated.

The fibers are absent and the cholesterol is not negligible, but neither is it excessive. It does not contain lactose or gluten. The concentration of purines is instead very abundant. The histamine, totally absent in the fresh product, increases exponentially in the poorly preserved pezzogna. Being a highly protein food, it is also a significant source of phenylalanine amino acid.

The data concerning the vitamin profile are very limited; it is however reasonable to think that the pezzogna is rich in water-soluble B vitamins - such as niacin (vit PP), pyridoxine (vit B6), cobalamin (vit B12) - and the fat-soluble vit D (calciferol). Potassium and iron levels are appreciable; hypothetically phosphorus and iodine should also abound, but information is not sufficiently accurate in this regard.

Diet

Pezzogna fish in the diet

Pezzogna is a very digestible protein food. However, excessive portions are however not recommended in the therapeutic diet for digestive complications, for example dyspepsia, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer etc.

It is a food suitable for most diets, including slimming, which must be low-calorie and normolipidic - balanced from a nutritional point of view.

The abundance of high biological value proteins makes the pezzogna ideal in the diet of malnourished, weakened or with an increased need for essential amino acids. It is suitable in the case of very high intensity sporting motor activity, especially in the disciplines of strength or with a very important muscular hypertrophied component, and for all the extraordinarily intense and prolonged disciplines - even aerobic. It is also suitable in cases of pregnancy, lactation, development, pathological intestinal malabsorption or linked to the third age - in which dietary habits and reduced physiological absorption potential tend to create a protein deficit.

EPA and DHA, semi-essential but biologically active omega 3, are very important for the constitution of cell membranes, for the growth of the fetus and children - nervous system, eyes, etc .; moreover, they contrast some metabolic pathologies - hypertriglyceridemia, arterial hypertension, etc. - maintain cognitive function in old age, improve symptoms of depressive neurosis, etc.

Due to the absence of gluten and lactose, it is pertinent in the diet for celiac disease and for intolerance to milk sugar.

The abundance of purines makes pezzogna inadequate for the nutritional regime due to hyperuricemia, especially with gouty attacks, and for those suffering from the tendency to calculosis or renal lithiasis with uric acid crystals. As for histamine intolerance, if perfectly preserved it has no contraindications. The massive presence of phenylalanine makes it inappropriate for the diet against phenylketonuria.

The B vitamins have a mainly coenzymatic function; this is why pezzogna can be considered a good source of nutrients that support the cellular functions of all tissues. D, on the other hand, is crucial for bone metabolism and the immune system. Note : we remind you that dietary sources of vitamin D are very rare.

Phosphorus, which is hardly lacking in diet, is a necessary constituent of hydroxyapatite - a mineral of bone tissue - and phospholipids - abundant in cell membranes and nervous tissue. Finally, iodine is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland - responsible for the regulation of cellular metabolism after the secretion of hormones T3 and T4.

Pezzogna meat is allowed in the diet during pregnancy because, being fish far from the top of the food chain, they are not loaded with mercury or other pollutants - such as dioxins.

WARNING!

To eliminate the risk of contracting anisakis infestation, it is necessary to lower the temperature before eating raw. Cooking completely eliminates any parasites.

The average portion of pezzogna - as a dish - is 100-150 g (about 100-150 kcal). Note : the whole fish has an edible portion percentage of about 50% on the food still to be cleaned.

Kitchen

Cook the pezzogna fish

Pezzogna is a fish that lends itself to many types of recipes. In Japan, similar species are a much-loved ingredient in sushi and, having the reputation of bringing good luck, are served mainly at parties - especially weddings - and on New Year's.

Of modest size it is excellent fried, previously gutted and scaled. In the pan it is very popular "all'acquapazza", a method applied to almost all the Sparids, as long as the size allows - generally prefer fish over 250 g but less than 700-800 g; if larger, but not more than one kilogram in weight, they can be filleted.

In Spain, where it is known as "besugo" - as in Liguria - the pezzogna is prepared especially roast on the grill with wood embers. It is served with buckwheat polenta.

Baked in the oven can be packaged simply, perhaps with vegetables around - potatoes or mixed - but also in foil and in salt crust.

The boiled pezzogna, drowned in water or steamed, is an excellent recipe both hot and cold. After cooking, once skinned and barbed, it can be served with extra virgin olive oil, green olives, vinegar, capers and parsley; some appreciate it in oil.

The risk of anisakis infestation is not known; however, as a precaution, if it is intended for raw consumption, it is advisable to lower it in temperature.

Description

Description of the pezzogna fish

The pezzogna is a fish that reaches the maximum, albeit very rarely, the 70 cm of length and 2.0 kg of weight - the record is of 4.0 kg; in the Mediterranean Sea the specimens of 30 cm (500 g) are more frequent. It has a slightly tapered shape, typical of the sparids, less roundish than the bream and more similar to the fragolino, to the pagro, to the gilthead and to the snapper.

It has a reddish color on the fins and on the back, which fades into silvery down towards the belly; the belly is white. On the sides, the pezzogna shows a black line starting from the operculum gill to the caudal fin; it is located just above the lateral line. Always behind the head, above, a small dark speck is evident.

The head is important, rounded, with large eyes from which many dialectal names derive. The mouth is not large and shows a small set of teeth, both upper and lower, useful for hunting invertebrates and microscopic fish. Note : the pezzogna has the characteristic of having eyes with a diameter greater than the length of the muzzle.

Biology

Outline of biology of pezzogna fish

The pezzogna is a fish of salt water, of sea, present in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea - above all western. It is widespread off the coast of Norway, near the Strait of Gibraltar, in Cape Blanc in Mauritania, in Madeira, in the Canary Islands; it is rarer than the Sicilian strait. Some reports also suggest the Icelandic coasts.

It frequents various types of backdrops - rock, sand, mud; it populates the coast only at a very young age; later it moves away from the coast to reach rocky summits or wrecks even at very high depths - between 150 and 700 m, with greater frequency in the first 300 m. It has a bentopelagic attitude, that is it lives in open waters but it is not completely detached from the substratum - for this reason it stands above the shoals, rises and wrecks.

Pezzogna is omnivorous, but feeds mainly on zooplankton - krill - crustaceans, molluscs, worms and small fish. It is hunted by various species of large fish and, although less so, by certain marine mammals.

It is a hermaphrodite protalic, meaning that it only becomes female from 20-30 cm in length - 2-7 years of age; it also refers to the attitude to simultaneous hermaphroditism. Adults migrate to the coast to lay eggs between late winter and early summer - from January to June. The size of the egg is 1.19 mm; the larval length at hatching of 3.7 mm.

The pezzogna can reach 15 years of age, to which the extraordinarily large specimens caught in the ocean (4.0 kg) have been associated.

Pezzogna fishing is essentially professional. It occurs mainly with bottom networks, most often trawlers. It is a not too frequent prey of the amateur fishermen with the rod who use bottom bottom fishing. He is not interested in spearfishing.