Sarago by R.Borgacci

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What is the bream?

Sarago - also called sarago maggiore or reale - is the common name of a fish belonging to the Sparidae family, Genus Diplodus and sargus species (subspecies sargus ).

Nevertheless, other species of the same genus such as the banded, the pizzuto, the peacock, the sparaglione etc. are grouped together in the set of bream.

Did you know that ...

The Sparidae family includes many widely consumed species such as sea bream, snapper, pagro, murmur and bream, but also lesser-known species, belonging to the group of the "poor fish", such as tanuta, salpa, occhiata and boga.

Sarago is a fairly widespread fishery product known not only throughout Italy, but also in the rest of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Basin and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.

The bream belongs to the first fundamental group of foods, as a nutritional source of high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals (vitamin PP, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, phosphorus, iodine, etc.). Furthermore, it contains an excellent lipid profile, thanks to the considerable percentage of "semi-essential" omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It is suitable for most diets, including diets for the clinical nutrition of the obese and those suffering from metabolic disorders.

Quite renowned for the goodness of its meat, the reputation of the bream may however change significantly depending on the species, the territory (fishing habitat) and local traditions.

Sarago lends itself to any type of recipe: it appears above all roasted, boiled or in a pan, in soups or in soups; some like it fried. The barbed meat is also suitable for making sauces for the first courses.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of the bream

The bream is not all the same; in the table below, the nutritional values ​​of the major bream ( D. sargus ) and of the allied species called sarago pizzuto ( D. puntazzo ) will be compared .

Worthy exponent of the first fundamental food group, the bream is a product rich in high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, being a fishery product, other useful nutrients abound, such as omega 3 polyunsaturated fats EPA and DHA, vitamin D and iodine. Let's go into more detail.

Bream has a moderate caloric intake; to be clear, they supply 70% less energy than fresh salmon and 30% more calories than cod. Energy is supplied mainly by peptides, which we have said are of high biological value (they contain all the essential amino acids for humans in the right quantities and proportions). A modest lipid percentage follows and finally an almost irrelevant quantity of carbohydrates. The distribution of the fat of the greater sarago seems to be qualitatively higher than that of the pizzuto sago; the former is in fact characterized by higher levels (85% of the total) of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic - limitedly essential but biologically more active than the essential plant precursor alpha linolenic acid (ALA). On the contrary, saturated and monounsaturated are also important in pizzuto (each is present at almost 30%). However, 100 g of D. sargus provide as much as 20 mg of cholesterol more than D. puntazzo . Carbohydrates, which appear to be measurable only in the major bream, are soluble (glucose).

The vitamin profile of the bream is very good. Noteworthy are the remarkable concentrations of water-soluble B group, especially niacin or vit PP (B3), pyridoxine (B6) and cobalamin (B12), and an excellent level of the fat-soluble cholecalciferol (vitamin D).

Among the minerals, appreciable levels of phosphorus, iron, potassium and iodine are observed in the bream.

A large quantity of purines is present in the bream.

The bream does not contain fibers; it is also free of the two molecules most commonly responsible for food intolerance: gluten and lactose. Well preserved it is also histamine-free, a molecule that nevertheless increases exponentially in "old" fish. Sarago allergy, identified as cross-reactivity to the allergen Gad c 1 (parvalbumin) in cod, is not the most common.

Diet

Sarago in the diet

The bream is suitable for most diets, except, of course, in cases of allergy.

It is suitable for the child's diet (barbed, for the youngest; the appropriateness after weaning is however at the discretion of the pediatrician), of the elderly, of the sportsman, of the pregnant (cooked), of the nurse, of the obese and of the subjects affected by metabolic disorders.

Being low in calories, the bream allows you to eat it in gratifying portions even in the low-calorie slimming diet. It should also be remembered that fish proteins have greater satiating power than others. Moreover, the bream is also rich in iodine, a mineral potentially lacking in the collective diet and necessary for the functioning of the thyroid gland - which regulates cellular metabolism and therefore the body's basal energy consumption.

The richness in "semi-essential" omega 3 EPA and DHA polyunsaturated fatty acids makes it an advisable product in anti-hypertensive food therapy and against hypertriglyceridemia. It can also be beneficial in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. Because of the richness in purines - constituents of nucleic acids which, in excessive quantities and in predisposed subjects, harm the metabolism of uric acid - the bream is not recommended in the diet against hyperuricemia, gout and lithiasis or kidney stones (of uric acid). If the disease is compensated by means of specific drugs, moderate and occasional portions of the fish in the diet are allowed.

Raw, the bream should not be consumed by pregnant women. Lowered in temperature, the carpaccio and the sarago tartar are free from the risk of parasitosis from Anisakis. During gestation, due to other dangers of an infectious nature, it is however advisable to subject the fish to cooking.

The bream is obviously not suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets; on the other hand, it is admitted by the Jewish and Muslim religions (not by the Hindu and Buddhist religions).

The average portion of bream is 100-150 g (about 100-150 kcal) of meat, which corresponds to about 200-300 g of whole fish to be cleaned.

Kitchen

Cook the bream

The sarago is excellent raw, carpaccio or tartar, or even in sushi. Like other fish, it is always a good idea to subject it to a lowering of the temperature to reduce the risk of carrying Anisakis. You can eat naturally, with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, etc.

The recipes cooked with a bream are very numerous. It is excellent roasted, grilled or baked, whole or filleted, natural or au gratin with fragrant bread.

The spiny sea bream fillets can be used in soups and soups; the bones are excellent for producing comics.

Sauteed in a pan, the fillet of bream with white wine, garlic and parsley (or crazy water) is an excellent second course, light and easily digested almost as much as boiled fish (steamed or boiled).

Saragus pulp cooked in a pan, even with tomato, is an excellent accompanying sauce for pasta-based first courses. It can also be used in risottos.

To cook the fried sarago, a not very common recipe, simply flour it and dip it in peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil at the appropriate temperature.

Among the most used aromas for the bream we mention parsley, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, dill, chilli, pepper and lemon zest. The winemaking combination can change from one recipe to another, but generally white wines are not too full-bodied.

Description

Description of the sarago

The greater sarago is a bony fish with oval profile and thin thickness. It is entirely covered with scales and the color varies from green or light brown on the back, passing through the silvery gray on the sides, to the white on the belly. Laterally it has dark lines (8-9) that make it appear brindle. At eye level and just before the tail it has small black spots. The mouth is small but powerful, equipped with numerous incisors and molars necessary to break and grind the shells and small limestone fragments. Although rarely, D. sargus can reach 2 kg in weight and 40 cm in length.

Did you know that ...

Are other fish commonly referred to as sea bream easily distinguishable?

• The pizzuto bream is more tapered, has a narrower and elongated mouth, shows evident black spots on the back and more evident lateral lines (7-8)
• The banded bream, which has an intermediate form between the major and the pizzuto, has a totally silvery color, without vertical lines, but has the two extremely marked black spots (head and tail)
• The sparaglione remains small, has larger eyes, is not brindle and shows evident yellowish-greenish reflections and ventral yellow fins

Biology

Sarago biology

Sarago is synonymous with the Genus Diplodus, belonging to the Sparidae family of bony fish. The sarago proper, "major" or "real", is of the species D. sargus . The Sarago pizzuto, on the other hand, has binomial nomenclature D. puntazzo, while that of the banded sarago is D. vulgaris (the sparaglione, normally called as such and not sarago, is D. annularis ).

All the Mediterranean sea bream are also present in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. In the Mare Nostrum is also present, albeit rare, the species D. cervinus or sarago faranone, more abundant on the Spanish coasts since it proliferates abundantly in the Atlantic Ocean; reaches more generous dimensions.

The greater bream has extremely variable depths, from the breaker up to 100 m, on rocky, sandy and muddy bottoms. It is curious to note how the morphology and color of the bream can change considerably depending on the habitat. In the very muddy bottoms, for example (as in proximity to the lagoon exits), the fish become much fatter, darker and acquire a more stocky, short, and almost higher than long shape. This also depends on the diet which, in these areas, worsens the organoleptic and gustatory properties of the meat.

The bream feeds on sea urchins, gastropod and bivalve molluscs, small crustaceans and worms. It is hunted, especially at a young age, by predatory fish (adult only from large pelagic fish), birds and marine mammals.

The bream is caught both professionally and professionally. Trawl, gillnets and longlines contribute to constantly supplying the fish market with bream. On an amateur level, the bream is caught with surfcasting or bottom fishing rods. They are also among the fundamental preys of the freediver spear fisherman, who threatens them with their appearance, ambush and den. The population density of the bream is, like that of most fish, progressively decreasing (especially of the larger specimens).