What's this
What is bluefish?
Greenhouse (Genus Pomatomus specie saltatrix ) - or lemon or imperial sauro, bluefish in English, tailor in Australian, elf in South Africa and shad in KwaZulu-Natal - is the name of a sea bone belonging to the Pomatomidae Family.
Of recent commercial interest, the bluefish belongs to the so-called set of poor fish (such as: gray mullet, boghe, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, garfish, suri, lanzardi, salps, alacce etc.) and also blue fish. From the nutritional point of view, it is classified in the first fundamental group of foods, as a rich source of high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals. It is also a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids from the omega 3 group and cholesterol.
The greenhouse is not considered a valuable fish. Its flesh has a very intense taste and smell, and a slightly fibrous consistency that can make food or cooking too bad - too intense and / or prolonged. This in no way means that it is of poor quality, far from it. It simply requires a little more wisdom than white fish and, more generally, fish of higher commercial value (sea bream, sea bass, corvina, croaker, grouper, snapper, porgy, cod, plaice, sole, turbot and spikes, etc.) .
Hungry predator, the greenhouse is also strongly colonizing the Mediterranean Basin. It is hypothesized that it has oceanic origins, more precisely from the Indian Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean, and that it was able to sneak quickly across the Basin across the Strait of Gibraltar and / or Suez. Only 50 years ago, his capture, for example, in the Upper Adriatic, was considered a more unique than rare event. The voracity of the bluefish is rapidly changing the balance of the Mare Nostrum. Some argue that even in the Mediterranean, as happens in the oceans - a phenomenon observed in the United States of America on the east coast - the presence of bluefish respects a cyclic trend of more or less than 10 years.
The bluefish, pelagic, moves in numerous banks between the breaker - even into the mouths, in the valleys and in the pockets - up to offshore, especially in the first 20 m of water. It is very prolific and reaches a considerable size - similar to that of the bonito - but decidedly inferior compared to tuna, amberjack, leccia, cernia and alletterato tuna. With its sharp teeth, it tithes tirelessly entire colonies of garfish, anchovies, alacce, sardines, horse mackerel, mackerel, cuttlefish, prawns, squid, etc.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of greenhouse fish
Bluefish is a fishery product that falls within the 1st fundamental food group. As we have anticipated, it is qualitatively considered not very valuable - poor fish - nonetheless, it is a very nutritious food. Due to its chemical and nutritional characteristics, it is also pertinent to the whole blue fish.
It has a significant energy intake but not too high, of about 125 kcal / 100 g. It is more caloric than anchovies and spearfish, but less so than mackerel, tombarello and bonito; it has nutritional properties more or less similar to those of sardines.
The calories of greenhouse fish derive, almost equally, from lipids and proteins; the carbohydrates, if present, have no nutritional relevance. The fibers are absent. Fatty acids are mainly unsaturated and peptides with high biological value. Among the lipids we can appreciate a significant amount of semi essential polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 group, ie eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Proteins have a high biological value, that is they contain all the essential amino acids compared to the human protein model.
The greenhouse is rich in water-soluble B vitamins, such as niacin (vit PP), pantothenic acid (vit B5), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12). Regarding the fat-soluble vitamins, this fish contains excellent levels of retinol equivalent (RAE and vit A) and vit D (calciferol). Even the mineral profile is appreciable; the levels of phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium and iodine are significant.
Cholesterol is not negligible. Lactose and gluten are absent. The concentration of purines is very abundant. Histamine, absent in the fresh product, increases exponentially in poorly preserved fish.
Food safety
Bluefish and pollution
The greenhouse, like other fish, is exposed to environmental pollution. In its meat there may be traces of mercury, lead, dioxins and the like. The adult specimens are located exactly at the top of the food chain. These creatures also have a medium life cycle (about 9 years) and reach a considerable size - very rarely over 9 kg. Although it presents a risk of contamination decidedly inferior to major fishery products such as tuna, verdesca etc., even large greenhouse fish should be consumed sporadically.
Greenhouse fish parasites
Like other fish, the greenhouse also hosts numerous parasites. One is the Philometra saltatrix, a nematoda that invades the ovaries. The females are brownish red and can reach a length of 80 mm; males on the other hand are very small.
The bluefish can also host the dreaded Anisakis, a parasite that, if not killed by cooking or by lowering the temperature, can also infest humans.
Diet
Greenhouse fish in the diet
Like all other exponents of blue fish, the greenhouse is also rich in aromatic components. These, which persistently recur during digestion, have nothing to do with the digestibility of the food - which is of medium size.
Excessive portions are 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. It is suitable for a low-calorie slimming diet, although it may be advisable to reduce the amount of oil in the meal to maintain nutritional balance.
The abundance of high biological value proteins makes the greenhouse ideal in the nutritional regime of malnourished subjects or those with an increased need for essential amino acids. Some suggest it in the case of high intensity sports motor activity, especially in the strength disciplines or with a very important muscular hypertrophied component. 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. However, the cholesterol content imposes reasonable quantities and frequency of consumption.
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 the greenhouse unwanted in the nutritional regime for hyperuricemia and gout. As far as histamine intolerance is concerned, it must be perfectly preserved.
The B vitamins have a mainly coenzymatic function; this is why the greenhouse can be considered a good source of nutrients that support all cellular functions. 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. Vitamin A has many functions; Among the various we mention: support of the visual task, maintenance of fertility, cellular differentiation, etc. Iron can contribute to the need necessary to prevent or treat iron deficiency anemia - frequent in fertile and pregnant women. Phosphorus, which is hardly lacking in the diet, makes up a large part of the nerve cells and hydroxyapatite in the bones. The potassium, alkalizing and indispensable for neuromuscular conduction, is often lacking in athletes or in those who sweat a lot. 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.
It is not suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.
The cooked greenhouse is allowed in the diet during pregnancy.
The average portion of the greenhouse - as a dish - is 100-150 g (about 125-190 kcal).
storage
Tips for buying the greenhouse
The fresh greenhouse has the following characteristics:
- Rigor mortis: it is hard and rigid, often in unnatural positions, for example bent and with an open mouth. It can be tender only if captured by minutes or, at most, an hour (the time varies according to the outside temperature). The latter is a very rare eventuality, unless it is fished personally. In fact, the greenhouses that end up in the nets die even before being recovered and acquire the rigor mortis when they are still at sea, losing it in a short time once on sale
- Bright skin and eyes: the shine indicates hydration and integrity of the mucus, as well as of naturally water-rich fabrics
- Red gills: the myoglobin and hemoglobin of the gills oxidizes rather quickly. If these turn brown, the fish is old
- Mucus on the skin but not on the gills: the mucus of the skin, especially when kept on ice or ice water, indicates the good state of conservation of the animal. Conversely, a slimy layer on the gills (which will certainly be smelly and brown) translates to bacterial degradation and proliferation
- Flesh and elastic, turgid, trophic and compact eyes: the sunken eye indicates that the fish is not fresh. If the meat, pressing with a fingertip, sinks leaving the imprint, the fish is old
- Smell of fish, not rotten: a bad state of preservation, even in the absence of bacterial contamination (rare in already gutted animals), gives off an unpleasant smell.
Due to the very nature of the fabrics that make up the greenhouse, its conservation is rather limited. A high percentage of proteolytic enzymes is observed which tend to increase the amount of free amino acids. For this reason, poorly preserved fish, although not due to bacterial proliferation, tend to smell very quickly.
To increase the shelf life of the product, as an alternative to freezing, it is therefore essential to cook it rather than refrigerate it in the refrigerator when it is fresh / thawed. Furthermore, remember that omega 3 fatty acids are very sensitive to oxidation - oxygen and free radicals - to light and heat, and tend to degrade quickly. Also for this reason, a poorly conserved greenhouse, besides being very bad from a qualitative point of view, is also less rich from a nutritional point of view. This does not mean that the greenhouse has the characteristic, like many other blue fishes, of being negatively affected by freezing; the meat worsens from the organoleptic and gustatory point of view but this can however prove indispensable.
Greenhouse freezing is also essential for those who intend to eat it raw. More precisely, the reduction of temperature - due to the time and intensity required - destroys the possible presence of Anisakis. In all cases, it is advisable to prefer gutted bluefish (difficult to find) or low temperature on board the boat.
Kitchen
How to cook bluefish?
The bluefish can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw in the form of carpaccio, tartare or sushi - after a reduction in temperature. Cotto instead, is an excellent ingredient for fish soups and sauces for pasta dishes, but also as a dish.
Many do not know that, despite the fact that in Italy the greenhouse fish is considered of little gastronomic value, abroad - especially in the North American continent - it is a real delicacy. In recent years, consumer appreciation has been such as to oblige the competent bodies to regulate fishing to stabilize the density of the sea population.
Some Italian recipes are: sea soup, grilled or grilled greenhouse fillet, pan-fried greenhouse, baked greenhouse, greenhouse in foil, etc.
The most used spices in the combination with the greenhouse are: thyme, marjoram, oregano, fennel - not the seeds - basil, chilli, white pepper. Ingredients such as: lemon peel, green and black olives, capers, etc. are also widely used.
Note : the greenhouse has a meat that, if cooked in excess, becomes easily stringy. We therefore recommend using progressive cooking techniques that are not too intense or prolonged.
Description
Description of the bluefish
The bluefish is a fairly proportionate fish, with a large and forked tail. The first spiny dorsal fin is normally folded, as are its pectoral fins. The color is a greyish-blue or brown-green on the back, which lightens in white below on the sides and on the belly. It has a single row of teeth in the jaw and jaws, with uniform dimensions and "knife-edge" shape. The bluefish is the size of a bonito; rarely exceeds 9 kg of weight per 120 cm in length, even if in the ocean specimens up to 18 kg have been caught.
Biology
Greenhouse fish biology
Of the Pomatomidae Family - sole exponent - Genus Pomatomus and saltatrix species, the greenhouse is a predatory marine bone fish with pelagic habits.
It mainly colonizes temperate and sub-tropical waters, with the exception of the North Pacific Ocean. It occupies the pelagic belt on most of the continental shelves of eastern America (not between southern Florida and southern North America), Africa, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, southeast Asia and Australia.
It lives in a wide variety of coastal habitats and tolerates murky, brackish, sandy, muddy and rocky waters. It also enters the mouths, valleys and pockets. Periodically, it leaves the coasts and migrates to the open sea - in general, in the cold season.
The breeding habits of bluefish are not well known. The fry become part of the zooplankton and sail at the mercy of the currents. At this stage, they are easy prey for whales, manta rays, whale sharks, basking sharks etc.
Fishing
Bluefish fishing
The bluefish is a much sought after prey by fishermen with canes. It mainly targets recovery, then spinning, or trolling. The baits can be artificial - silicone, plastic or metal - or natural - especially mullet and needlefish. One of the main features of greenhouse fish is that it has a set of teeth that can cut any non-metallic line.
Especially in the USA, medium sized bluefish are used for tuna, shark or billfish (a species of swordfish).
Bluefish is also interested in spearfishing in apnea. It is generally an occasional catch, even if lately the fish habits and the areas they can attend have been shown to be clearer.
In Italian professional fishing, bluefish is an occasional catch and occurs mainly with nets.
