Grouper by R.Borgacci

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What is the grouper?

Cernia is the name of a bony sea fish well known for its excellent meat and frequently used for food purposes.

Of the first fundamental group of foods - foods rich in proteins with high biological value, mineral salts and specific vitamins - the grouper is a fishery product that can not be considered white fish - such as the bream, bream, tanuta etc. - neither oily fish - such as anchovies, sardines, alacce, needle, herring, mackerel, lanzardo, tombarello, bonito etc. It is also a very expensive fish, often caught with systems that do not allow to save the specimens that are too young - therefore not eco-sustainable - and foreign to the category of poor fish.

The meat of the grouper is also rich in omega 3 fatty acids and iodine, but it is not a nutritional source of these sustainable nutrients for the population - a role attributable to poor fish. It is rather digestible and has few contraindications even in clinical nutrition.

In the kitchen, the grouper is essentially prepared in stews and in the oven, even if there is no lack of fans of raw food - which, on the other hand, needs a rather thin cut of the meat (given the compactness of its fibers).

In truth, there are various types of grouper; these fish, biologically differentiated from each other, are morphologically rather similar and, for convenience, are marketed under the same name. The various groupers, in fact, all fall within the Biological Family Serranidae - commonly called "serranids" - and Subfamily Epinephelinae.

On the other hand, groupers populate the seas all over the world, breaking down into numerous genera and species with markedly different characteristics. Those widespread in the Italian seas are of the genus Epinephelus (brown grouper, golden grouper, white grouper).

Did you know that ...

The closest relatives of the grouper, considered the "queen of the seabed" due to the size it can reach, are rather small fish. Of the same biological family, the latter belong instead to the genus Serranus . The most indicative species is the scribe, commonly known as "scrape", but also cabrilla or perchia and hepatus or bag are extremely common. In all three cases it is a poor fish, mainly used as a soup or frying ingredient, but it is often thrown back to the sea by fishermen with nets or by line because it is barely marketable.

The grouper is a predatory fish with a complicated reproductive cycle, an aspect that makes it a potentially "at risk" species. It has predominantly permanent attitudes and, although this may change according to the species, it spends most of its existence in the rocky lairs or in the vicinity of the same.

Curiosity

The giant oceanic groupers, which can also become several hundred kilos, are famous for being the only natural predators of sharks.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of the grouper

The grouper is a product of fishing that falls within the first fundamental group of foods. It is not part of the category of poor fish, blue fish and white fish; in general, groupers are grouped in a separate group. However, it contains good levels of semi essential fatty acids omega 3, eicosapentaenoico (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA); Vitamin D and iodine concentrations are also remarkable.

The grouper is a low-energy food, nutritional property mainly due to the low lipid concentration, despite the excellent protein intake. Calories are therefore supplied mainly by peptides, followed by low concentrations of lipids and irrelevant carbohydrates. The poteines are of high biological value - they contain all the essential amino acids compared to the human model - the fatty acids are mainly unsaturated - as we have anticipated, with an excellent percentage of the biologically active semi-essential polyunsaturated EPA and DHA - and the carbohydrates are simple.

The fibers are absent and the cholesterol should be present but not excessive. The grouper is not a species that contains large quantities of sea wax. Lactose and gluten are completely absent. The concentration of purines is 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. The grouper is rich in water-soluble B vitamins, especially riboflavin (vit B2), niacin (vit PP), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12); should also have excellent levels of fat-soluble calciferol vitamin (vit D). The levels of phosphorus and, probably, of iodine are appreciable.

The grouper is a predatory fish, therefore the accumulation of mercury and methylmercury in its flesh is closely related to the dimensions reached. It is therefore considered necessary to avoid eating large specimens often, especially in large portions. Moreover, in certain oceanic areas, the grouper is one of the creatures that can accumulate algal toxins in its flesh; it is therefore advisable to pay attention, especially during the stay abroad, to the origin of the raw materials.

Diet

Dietary grouper

Grouper is a food suitable for most diets. Very proteic even if digestible, any excessive portions are in any case inadequate for the diet of subjects with digestive complications such as dyspepsia, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer. The grouper is a food suitable for almost all diets, including slimming ones, which must be low-calorie and normolipidic. Being very thin, this fish can be cooked using extra virgin olive oil also in nutritional therapy against obesity. The abundance of high biological value proteins makes the grouper ideal in the diet of malnourished, weakened or with an increased need for essential amino acids. This type of food is advisable in the case of very high intensity sports activity, especially in the disciplines of strength or with a very important muscular hypertrophied component, and for all particularly prolonged aerobic disciplines. The grouper is also suitable in case of breastfeeding, pathological intestinal malabsorption and in old age - in which the eating disorder and the decreased 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
• The health of the nervous system and the eyes - in the fetus and in children
• Prevention and treatment of some metabolic pathologies - hypertriglyceridemia, arterial hypertension, etc.
• The maintenance of cognitive functions in old age
• Reduction of some symptoms of neurosis - depressive, etc.

Due to the absence of gluten and lactose, the grouper is relevant in the diet for celiac disease and for intolerance to milk sugar. The abundance of purines makes it undesirable, in considerable portions, in the nutritional regimen for hyperuricemia, especially of a serious nature - with gouty attacks - and in that of calculosis or renal urinary lithiasis. As for histamine intolerance, if perfectly preserved, it has no contraindication. The massive presence of phenylalanine precludes a massive use in the diet against phenylketonuria.

The B vitamins have a mainly coenzymatic function; this is why grouper 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 one of the main constituents of 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.

Grouper meat is allowed in the diet during pregnancy, provided it comes from safe sources and medium-sized creatures, not large specimens - rich in mercury and methylmercury. In this case, it would still be a good idea to limit its consumption to one-off. The average portion of grouper - as a dish - is 100-150 g (90-130 kcal).

Kitchen

Cook the grouper

The grouper is a fairly simple fish to prepare. Having excellent organoleptic and taste characteristics, it does not require special processing or special ingredients; however it marries brilliantly with many other foods, aromatic herbs and spices.

The grouper is a spiny fish; however, do not be fooled by frozen products. These, appropriately filleted - which causes a terrible waste, later we will understand better why - they are derived mainly from large fish from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. By purchasing a local 3-kilogram grouper, it will still be necessary to carefully prick it.

The muscle tissue of the grouper is firm, firm and elastic; the consistency is very reminiscent of monkfish or monkfish. The grouper is an excellent ingredient for both long and short cooking; it also makes it very raw, but due to its compactness it needs a particularly thin cut - both carpaccio and tartare.

This fish should be cooked whole; it is unreasonable to fillet a creature with a head that, in large specimens, affects more than 1/3 of the total weight. Nevertheless, the head of the grouper is a real delicacy; the powerful, large but very tender and tasty muscles that characterize the mouth of the serranids are enclosed in the capacious chambers of the skull.

The recipe that best enhances the grouper is probably the one in the oven. Let me be clear, it certainly does not disappoint cooked in the same way in a casserole or in a dry oven but, for connoisseurs, the smell and taste that can release a large grouper slowly cooked together with a good tomato, white wine, capers and some aromatic herbs it's priceless.

Going back to the frozen grouper fillets, they can be baked in the oven, sautéed, boiled or steamed, or even fried. Note : on the palate, the oceanic grouper does not even remotely resemble the local ones - above all fresh.

Biology

Outline of the biology of the grouper

Being an entire biological subfamily, it is not possible to describe accurately but synthetically the biological characteristics of all the groupers; we will therefore confine ourselves to making a few hints of what is considered the most widespread species in the Mediterranean Sea, namely the brown or brown grouper, of the genus Epinephelus and species marginatus .

This is the grouper most present and known in Italy but, in addition to the Mare Nostrum, it does not seem to be rare in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, in some places in the Western Atlantic Ocean and in the Western Indian Ocean. It is a predator of cephalopod molluscs - octopus, cuttlefish, squid, squid - crustaceans - lobster, lobster etc. - and fish - boga, castagnola, small bream etc .; in adulthood, he fears only fishing by man. Typically curious, it is nevertheless solitary and shy. It lives between 10 and 50 m of depth, but large specimens remain even beyond these depths. It prefers rocky bottoms, where it stands between caves, slits and gullies. At a young age it is not unusual to meet her near the juncture. It is protogynous hermaphrodite - it changes sex with age; born female and becomes male around the age of 12; it reproduces in summer. It can reach dimensions of 1.5 m and 60 kg of weight, when it reaches 50 years of age. As the name suggests, it is brown in color, characterized by light, beige stains, which give it an excellent mimicry.

The other groupers widespread in the Mediterranean Sea are:

• Epinephelus aeneus : also called white grouper, it has less stable and sedentary attitudes than the brown grouper. It is more common in Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia and some places in the Tuscan archipelago. It does not disdain posidonia meadows and sandy tongues bordering on rocky sea bed or these prairies. He takes refuge, however, in narrow gorges, when necessary.
• Epinephelus costae : also known as "dotto" or golden grouper. Many believe that the golden grouper and the ductus are different fish, because the pigmentations of the livery are different. In reality, the duct changes significantly during the course of his life. As a young man he has particularly evident horizontal golden lines and no clear spots behind the gills; on the other hand, as an old woman, it is almost the opposite: the lines almost disappear and the circular spot becomes large and evident. Note : these developments do not follow a particularly uniform pattern among the specimens, hence the common misconception that they may be different animals. It lives more willingly in the south than the brown grouper, both in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic Ocean. It prefers posidonia mixed with sand and / or rock; it has greater aptitudes than the previous ones for the escape in open waters but, when cornered, it too exploits the transitional dens where however it does not reside permanently.
• Epinephelus caninus : also known as black grouper, it is actually quite rare in Italian and Mediterranean waters in general. It becomes much thicker than the brown grouper but it also lives in decidedly more demanding bathymetries.

Notes on grouper fishing

Groupers are fished at a professional level both with nets, by trawl or by post, and with longline type lines. On an amateur level, on the other hand, it is a highly sought-after prey both to be caught with reeds - bottom fishing boats - and to be undermined with the gun in apnea underwater fishing. On the other hand, the population of the grouper is constantly decreasing, which is why the French government has prohibited fishing. In Italy there is a minimum size, on the other hand impossible to respect for the craftsmen who with their systems also capture small specimens. Fortunately, living inside caves and crevices, the brown grouper or brown grouper is more difficult - compared to the ducts and the white grouper - to be taken with the trawling system - definitely the most destructive for the ecosystem.

Ecology of grouper and sustainability of fishing

The brown grouper, the most widespread in the Mediterranean Sea, is a "hermaphroditic proteroginous" fish, that is, it is always born female to become male only when it reaches 12 years of age. This attitude is influenced by variables such as: food availability, population density and human withdrawal, average age of groups, etc. In response to the demographic collapse caused by large-scale fishing, the minimum age of sex change seems to be decreasing, to the advantage of male specimens that should anticipate fertilization. On the other hand, this mechanism does not seem sufficient to compensate for the indiscriminate withdrawal with lines and nets, which penalizes above all small groupers unable to perform even a reproductive cycle. For this reason it is indisputable that fishing is more sustainable to the grouper, and the only one that can be protracted in the long term, is the underwater one in apnea, which allows not only to enormously increase the difficulty of capture - in many cases granting the possibility to fish to "get by" - but also to select the correct size specimens.