What is the Branzino
The sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax L.), also known as sea bass, is a fish belonging to the family of the Moronidae and to the genus Dicentrarchus ; genus that - inside it - also counts another species, very similar, called spotted bass ( Dicentrarchus punctatus ).
NB : Sea bass or sea bass should NOT be confused with bass-perch (hybrid species).
Description
The lateral line is quite evident and there is a small dark spot with an elliptical shape behind the branchial opercula (visible especially when it swims, more evident in the spotted bass).
The head of the sea bass has the typical characteristics of predatory fish: the mouth is large, rather prognate, the teeth are numerous but not particularly developed, the eyes are round and of medium size (larger in the spotted bass), and the skull seems triangular. It has two separate dorsal fins (one of which radiated), two pectoral fins, two ventral fins, an anal fin and, of course, a single caudal fin (all gray with a black edge).
The sea bass does not have a medium size; those commercially available are deliberately captured and marketed at a young age (size from portion to the grill: about 350g, or to be cooked in salt: about 1.5-2.5kg - the latter more frequently deriving from fish farming or fishing). The sea bass easily reaches 6-9kg in weight but specimens up to 15kg have been caught.
Habits and dissemination
The sea bass is a predatory fish that colonizes the Mediterranean basin, the Black Sea and the Atlantic Ocean of the East. It lives on all the bottoms (sandy, grassy, rocky, etc.), above all near the river mouths since it does not disdain levels of salinity also very contained. The sea bass hunts above all in the low ground (generally no more than 20m), where even large specimens go to eat fish, molluscs, crustaceans, annelids, worms, insects, etc. (it is not unusual to spot them on a few centimeters of water).
The sea bass is a fish notoriously active even in winter (when it reproduces - between January and March) and, with the exception of the northernmost areas of the Adriatic Sea (where the water temperature can drop to 6-8 ° C), can be fished on the coast in all months of the year.
The sea bass is highly suitable for both horticulture and intensive fish farming. The density of its wild population in the Mediterranean basin (especially in Italy) is diminishing due to:
- Excessive withdrawal intensity
- Use of turbo-blowers dedicated to the poaching of clams (which destroy their nests)
- Biological competition with other species such as: pompano, greenhouse fish and Mediterranean barracuda.
It should be noted that, although it may seem strange, the most significant damage to the sea bass fish population is brought by the craftsmen who apply trawling near the coast even in the period in which the fish reproduces (obviously of poaching and mainly at night ). To follow, we also mention the "sporting" fishermen with the rod and with the net that, instead little sportingly, capture and do not release even the small specimens (often in considerable quantities and beyond individual consumption capacities). It would definitely be more correct to take the sea bass selectively.
Preparation and Recipes
Wild and farmed sea bass
As for the gilthead, the meat of the sea bass obtained from the wild animal is extremely different from that obtained from the farmed beast. In fact, in fish farming it is still possible to use animal meal based feeds, poor in good fats and rich in bad (saturated) lipids. Furthermore, although some research has shown that the anomalous development of prions cannot be verified (see BSE), I believe that this is not a completely correct practice.
Gastronomy
At the gastronomic level, the sea bass represents an extremely coveted species by virtue of the quality and composition of its meat; however, the retail price of wild, fished and fresh fish does not certainly place it in the category of products suitable for ordinary consumption (from € 25 to € 35 per kilogram).
The sea bass lends itself to all types of cooking: from the fillet in a pan to the filling of fresh pasta, from the sauce for dried pasta to whole baked and baked fish; the most popular preparations are grilled sea bass, salt sea bass and sea bass crudités.
Nutritional characteristics
The wild sea bass boasts a lower level of adiposity than that of the farmed animal (which is over 450% more fat), an aspect that significantly changes its use and contextualization in the diet. The ratio between fatty acids (most saturated in the bred specimens) and the total amount of cholesterol (greater in the captive sea bass) are particularly affected; it can be seen that, especially in the diet of hypercholesterolemic, the choice between a wild and a raised sea bass should be in favor of the former compared to the latter.
At the same time, the amount of protein is greater in the sea bass raised than in the wild fish, to the detriment of the hydration of the meat.
From the saline point of view, the sea bass is rich in potassium, phosphorus but above all iron (an aspect that makes it very interesting in the diet therapy of subjects with iron deficiency anemia ); as far as vitamins are concerned, there is no lack of those of group B and vit. D (calciferol).
NB. The sea bass is generally framed among the lean fishes although, consuming also the skin (very pleasant in the roasted fish), the quantity of fatty acids and cholesterol ingested increases dramatically.
Baked Fish with Potatoes
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeNutritional values
Nutritional composition of the Spigola - Reference values of the INRAN Food Composition Tables
Comparison Spigola, selvatica and Spigola, of breeding, fillets | |||
Chemical composition and energy value of foods per 100g of edible portion | Wild sea bass | Breeding bass, fillets | |
Edible part | 54.0% | 100.0% | |
water | 79, 0g | 69, 9g | |
Protein | 16, 5g | 21, 3g | |
Lipids TOT | 1.5g | 6, 8g | |
B.C. saturated fats | 0.35 g | 1.44 | |
B.C. monounsaturated fats | 0.30 | 2.13 | |
B.C. polyunsaturated fats | 0.40 | 2.56 | |
Cholesterol | 48, 0mg | 75, 0mg | |
TOT Carbohydrates | 0.6g | 0.8 | |
Starch / Glycogen | 0.0g | 0.0g | |
Soluble sugars | 0.6g | 0.8 | |
Dietary fiber | 0.0g | 0.0g | |
Power | 82, 0kcal | 149, 0kcal | |
Sodium | - mg | - mg | |
Potassium | 307, 0mg | - mg | |
Iron | 4, 1mg | - mg | |
Football | 20, 0mg | 30, 0mg | |
Phosphorus | 202, 0mg | 1150, 0mg | |
Thiamine | 0, 11mg | - mg | |
Riboflavin | 0, 16mg | - mg | |
Niacin | - mg | - mg | |
Vitamin A | 15, 0μg | - µg | |
C vitamin | tr | tr | |
Vitamin E | - mg | - mg |