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What is spurdog?
Spinarolo is the name of a cartilaginous sea fish commonly used for food purposes; from the nutritional point of view, it is framed in the first fundamental group of foods - foods rich in high biological value proteins, mineral salts and specific vitamins.
It is not a blue fish but, in the past, could be considered a poor and widely available fish. Today, however, its presence in the seas is less and less frequent.
Like the verdesca, the emery (also called sea calf), the dogfish and the catfish, even the spur is a real shark.
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They are of the cartilaginous type (Chondrichthyes Class) and therefore closely related to the sharks, also the races - for example the trigone - and the torpedoes; both of these biological Orders include various Species - of different Family and Gender - widely used in the Italian gastronomic tradition - especially as soup fish.
Of the Squaliformes Order, Squalidae Family, Genus Squalus and acanthias species, the spurdog is widespread in most seas even at significant depths.
Efficient predator, it feeds by hunting near the bottom; it is not aggressive and does not attack man, also seen and considered the modest size it can reach. It has a predominantly grayish color. It has no anal fin and has a heterocercal tail.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of spurdog
Spurdog is a fishery product that is part of the 1st fundamental food group. It falls into the category of poor fish and, although it is very nutritious, it is considered not very refined. It is not a blue fish, but it contains equally good doses of omega 3 EPA and DHA semi essential fatty acids. Its chemical nutritional characteristics are similar to those of dogfish.
Spurdog has a moderate energy intake, comparable to cod, thanks to the very low concentration of fat. Calories are supplied mainly by proteins, lipids and sugars are almost irrelevant and present in equal quantities - just over 1 g per 100 g of edible portion. Peptides have a high biological value - they contain all the essential amino acids compared to the human protein model - simple carbohydrates and predominantly unsaturated fatty acids, with an excellent percentage of polyunsaturated fats. As we have already said, among the lipids we can appreciate a significant quantity of semi essential fatty acids of the omega 3 group, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
The fibers are absent. Cholesterol is not negligible. No traces of lactose or gluten are detected. The concentration of purines is very abundant. Histamine, absent in the fresh product, increases exponentially in poorly preserved fish. Being a highly protein food, it is also a significant source of phenylalanine amino acid.
Data concerning the vitamin profile are limited; it is however reasonable to think that spurdog is rich in water-soluble B vitamins - such as niacin (vit PP), pantothenic acid (vit B5), pyridoxine (vit B6), cobalamin (vit B12) - and the liposoluble vit D ( calciferol). The level of phosphorus and, hypothetically, of iodine is appreciable, but there is not enough information concerning the other minerals.
Diet
Spurdog in the diet
Spurdog is a very digestible protein food. However, excessive portions are however inadequate for the diet of subjects with digestive complications such as dyspepsia, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer.
It is a food suitable for most diets, including slimming ones, which must be low-calorie and normolipidic.
The abundance of high biological value proteins makes spurdog ideal in the nutritional regime of malnourished, weakened or with an increased need for essential amino acids. Some suggest it in the case of very high intensity sport 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 for breastfeeding, intestinal malabsorption and the third age - in which eating habits and intestinal absorption 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. - counteract some metabolic pathologies - hypertriglyceridemia, arterial hypertension, etc. - maintain cognitive function in old age, improve some symptoms of neurosis - depressants - 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 unwanted dogfish in the nutritional regime for hyperuricemia, especially with gouty attacks, and for those suffering from the tendency to calculosis or renal lithiasis from 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 spurdog 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.
However, phosphorus, which is hardly lacking in diet, constitutes both bone (hydroxyapatite) and nervous tissue (phospholipids). 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.
Spiny dog meat is allowed in the diet during pregnancy, better if it comes from medium-sized creatures - to avoid large specimens loaded with mercury.
The average portion of spinarolo - as a dish - is 100-150 g.
Kitchen
Cook the spinarolo
Most recipes with spinarolo need the fish not only to be gutted, decapitated and stripped of the fins, but also skinned / skinned. It is not, in truth, a fundamental passage. On the contrary, in some cases the skin, thick and leathery, can help to keep the meat tender. Since it is not edible, it must still be removed from the plate.
Spurdog can be cooked in various ways. It is not recommended to use it peeled on the grill, especially with coal or wood. This method of cooking is based on irradiation and tends to dry the spiny dog very much which, in itself, is already quite thin; the gas grill should be preferred, if necessary. Other useful tips for not drying the food are: use slices of spurdog with the skin, or oil it and bread it properly.
In the oven, it is necessary to meticulously calculate the cooking times and temperature. It is advisable to interrupt the process as soon as the meat is detached from the bone. It goes very well with potatoes, olives and many types of vegetables.
Cut into cubes or slices, the spinarolo lends itself to stewing, especially stewed in casseroles like soups. It is also excellent sautéed and is a fairly used ingredient for pasta sauces.
Breaded and fried it is very popular in England, where it is one of the fundamental ingredients of fish and chips. It can also be just floured.
Boiled or steamed, the spiny dog can be eaten hot or cold, even in salads with citrus fruits and sprouts.
It is not suitable for raw consumption, such as carpaccio, tartare or sushi.
Other uses
Other uses of spurdog
Spurdog is widely consumed in Europe - especially England (where it is used for fish and chips), France (where it is known as saumonette), Netherlands, Germany, Belgium (in the latter two it is called zeepaling and seeaal, ie " sea eel ") and Luxembourg, in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Chile. This fish is not fished only for the delicacy of its muscular meat; we see the other most common uses:
- The fins, for example, constitute a "surrogate" of those most frequently marketed as "shark fins" - tiger shark, mako shark, gray shark, leuca shark, bull shark, edged shark, emery, greenish, alopid, sawfish and guitar fish. Already skinned, shark fins are used - especially in the east - for the preparation of the famous shark fin soup
- The liver of spinarolo is, like that of cod and salmon, an excellent source of semi-essential omega 3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); for this reason it is a primary source of fish oil, or better, of fish liver oil
- Many clippings end up enriching pet feeds, especially cat food
- Cartilages are destined for the food supplement industry, which purifies and transforms them by selling them as shark cartilage - supplement for joints
- A marginal use is for educational purposes, or as a model of dissection in the academic field
- The final processing waste of the spiny dogfish are destined for the production of fish meal - used as feed especially in fish farming. The ultimate quality grade of these products is even used as a field fertilizer.
Description
Description of spurdog
Spurdog has the characteristic shape of sharks. The body is tapered, slender, with a pointed head, glazed eyes with a slightly elongated pupil and developed teeth. The color is gray-brownish, against shaded, white on the belly; the back is characterized by lighter spots. The skin is devoid of scales, lycian in the direction of sliding and rough in the opposite one. Totally devoid of anal fin, the spurdog has two pectoral fins, two pelvic, two dorsal and one asymmetrical bilobed caudal fin. Males and females reach the same size that does not exceed 80 cm in the first case and 100 cm in the second.
The meat of the spiny dog is white, pink pigmented just below the skin. It is usually sold decapitated, stripped of fins, gutted and skinned; it is generally unrecognizable and most consumers ignore its real features. The consistency is turgid, firm, slightly rubbery; for this reason it lends itself to the composition of soups. The palate is quite succulent, sweetish with a typically mildly "metallic" aftertaste. The scent is tenuous, faint.
Curiosity
The name of spinarolo (from the Latin acanthias ) derives from its characteristic of having two spines placed anteriorly on the dorsal fins. These, used for defensive purposes, can pierce enemies by injecting a mildly toxic substance.
Biology
Outline of biology on spurdog
Spurdog is a cartilaginous fish of the Squaliformes Order, Squalidae Family, Genus Squalus and acanthias species. Widespread in most of the seas of the world - Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean - it prefers temperate waters not exceeding 15 ° C; lives at high depths, normally around 200 m but exceptionally up to 1500 m. Spurdog has predatory food attitudes; it feeds mainly by hunting fish, molluscs and crustaceans. It reproduces at the age of 18-21, in winter; fertilization is internal and gestation - for ovoviviparity - lasts about 22-24 months.
Outline of ecology and ecosustainability of spur fishing
Spurdog is fished mainly with bottom and bottom trawls. It is not selective fishing and therefore it cannot take into account a possible minimum or maximum size - the latter already established to protect large fertile females. In short, it is not an eco-sustainable activity. However, there is a maximum catch limit. However, these laws change a lot according to the countries of origin and / or are applied in a sectoral manner.
Once known as the most abundant shark species in the world, today spurdog has become almost a rare fish. The countless applications of its meat have meant that the collection in the waters of the whole world was so massive as to reduce the population density making it threatened and vulnerable, therefore suitable for the IUCN Red List - the stocks have, at present, decreased by 95 % compared to the past.
