Plaice: Nutritional Properties, Role in the Diet and How to Cook It by R.Borgacci

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What is plaice?

Plaice is a bony, flat and typically sea fish or brackish water, widely fished and marketed for food purposes.

Belonging to the genus Pleuronectes, Plaice species, this fish is a close relative of flounder, sole and rhombuses - not surprisingly, in English the flatfish are generically identified with the name of "flatfish" - with which it shares same biological order (Pleuronectiformes).

From the first fundamental group of foods, from a nutritional point of view it can be considered an excellent source of high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals of this whole. Moreover, as it is a fishery product, it is also rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - vitamin D (calciferol) and iodine.

In the diet, the plaice can be consumed even with a certain regularity and in medium portions. It is also suitable for the diet of overweight subjects and those suffering from metabolic pathologies of the replacement - with some exceptions that we will discuss more in the dedicated chapter.

In the kitchen, the plaice can be prepared in various ways. It has delicate meats that cook quickly, which is why it is particularly suitable for quick preparations. It is excellent - taking for granted the adequacy to personal tastes - boiled, sautéed in a pan, baked and fried au gratin. It is mainly sold in the form of fillets; for more information read: Fileta di Platessa.

The plaice is an oceanic fish, which predominantly colonizes the Central-North-Eastern portion of the Atlantic; moreover, it seems very widespread in the Baltic Sea and in the White Sea, while in the Mediterranean basin it is considered almost a ghost-fish or absent. Like most flatfish, plaice also lives near the bottom - better if sandy, muddy or mixed. While the young fishes remain not far from the breaker - populating also lagoons and estuaries, sometimes even the sweet internal waters - the large platysats prefer greater bathymetric. In the spring and summer seasons it is possible to fish it just a few meters from the beaches.

Plaice fishing has only recently become environmentally sustainable, after the competent authorities have recognized the lowering of the population, consequently regulating the levies.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of plaice

Plaice has nutritional properties similar to those of cod (see also the articles: Cod and Cod Fillet).

Plaice belongs to the first fundamental group of foods - foods rich in proteins with high biological value, certain vitamins (especially of group B) and minerals (above all bio-available iron). Furthermore, being a fishery product, it also provides specific nutrients such as iodine, vitamin D and omega 3. We go into more detail.

Did you know that ...

EPA and DHA are not essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, but rather essential, but biologically more active than the only essential omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - typically vegetable.

The plaice is classified among the skinny fish and is therefore poorly energetic; there are those who call it hypocaloric. Energy is supplied mainly by proteins, followed by lipids, while carbohydrates are totally absent.

Plaice peptides have a high biological value - that is, they contain all the essential amino acids compared to the human protein model; fatty acids are predominantly unsaturated, with good relevance of polyunsaturated fats. In this regard, excellent concentrations of the polyunsaturated omega 3 eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid can be distinguished.

Plaice also contains cholesterol, but in acceptable quantities. The fibers are absent, as are lactose and gluten. It is a non-negligible source of purines, as well as of amino acid phenylalanine. The level of histamine in the well-preserved food "should" be irrelevant.

Plaice is an excellent source of water-soluble B vitamins, such as niacin (vit PP), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12). On the other hand, being a fish, its main nutritional task is to supply the fat-soluble vitamin D (calciferol); useful but not decisive, the contributions of the water-soluble: thiamine (vit B1), riboflavin (vit B2), and of the liposoluble: retinol or equivalent (vit A or RAE) and alpha tocopherol (vit E).

Among the most abundant minerals in the plaice we recognize: phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Having said that, since it is a fishery product, it acquires greater dietary importance due to the concentration of iodine.

Plaice does not have a particular tendency to accumulate environmental pollutants, such as mercury and methylmercury; the same applies to the algal toxins. Moreover, being a fish to be consumed exclusively cooked, it does not constitute a primary means of transmission of Anisakis simplex .

Diet

Dietary role of plaice

Having the same nutritional properties, plaice has identical dietary applications of cod.

Plaice is a food suitable for most diets. Quite digestible despite the high concentration of proteins and low fat, excessive portions - especially of the more elaborate recipes or with added fats, such as fried plaice - may still be inadequate for those with digestive complications such as dyspepsia, gastritis, disease gastroesophageal reflux, gastric or duodenal ulcer.

The plaice with a little extra virgin olive oil, used for cooking or added raw - for example boiled, sautéed in a pan, with pizzaiola or with acquapazza - lends itself very well to the slimming diet, which must be low-calorie and normolipidic. Its use in the diet to lose weight is the same as for molluscs, crustaceans and lean meats - such as most chicken, turkey and rabbit.

The abundance of high biological value proteins makes plaice ideal in the diet for malnourished, debilitated 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. It is also suitable for breastfeeding, pathological and third age intestinal malabsorption - in which eating disorders and decreased intestinal absorption tend to create a protein deficit.

EPA and DHA, polyunsaturated omega 3 biologically active essential seeds, are very important for: the constitution of cell membranes, the development of the nervous system and the eyes - in the fetus and in children, the prevention and treatment of some metabolic pathologies - hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension arterial etc., maintenance of cognitive functions in old age, reduction of some symptoms of neurosis - depressive - etc.

Due to the absence of gluten and lactose, plaice is relevant in the diet for celiac disease and for intolerance to milk sugar. The abundance of purines makes it unsuitable, in considerable portions, in the nutritional regime for severe hyperuricemia - with gouty attacks - and for kidney stones or renal urinary lithiasis. Well preserved, it has no contraindication for histamine intolerance. The massive presence of phenylalanine precludes a significant use in the diet against phenylketonuria.

The B vitamins have a mainly coenzymatic function; this is why plaice can be considered a discrete source of nutrients that support the cellular functions of all tissues. In particular, given the admirable content of cobalamin, it could be an excellent food in the diet of the pregnant woman - a condition in which a significant increase in the need for vit B12 occurs. Vitamin 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, is one of the main constituents of bone (hydroxyapatite) and nervous tissue (phospholipids). Zinc constitutes enzymes - some of which are antioxidants - nucleic acids and proteins of various kinds. Potassium is an alkalizing mineral, it is essential for muscle contraction and counteracts the undesirable effects of excess sodium - sodium-sensitive primary arterial hypertension. However, it should be remembered that foods of animal origin are not to be considered primary sources of this mineral, a task instead attributed to fruit and vegetables. 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.

The cooked plaice meat is considered safe, in all respects, in the diet during pregnancy.

The average portion of plaice - as a dish - is 100-150 g (70-105 kcal).

Kitchen

How is plaice cooked?

The plaice is generally sold in the form of plaice fillets.

It has very delicate meats, which they cook quickly. It supports most cooking techniques, except for the grilled one, in which it is common to break during handling.

Boiled, better if steamed or vacuum cooked, it is one of the diet foods par excellence. Stir-fried with a little oil - also with other ingredients - with acquapazza, in vasocottura or gratinated with little bread and without added fat, it maintains most of its nutritional properties and its function in the diet. Fried instead, becomes less digestible and more caloric, but very tasty.

Description

Description of the plaice

The plaice has a shape very similar to our "plaice" and lives resting on the bottom on the left side. It is flat, quadrangular. Without dorsal spines, it is instead equipped with 65-79 soft rays. It has no anal spines and 48-59 soft rays. The dorsal and anal fins are symmetrical and run from behind the head to the caudal fin. The pectoral fins are arranged one on the upper side (right) and the other on a margin of the lower side. The eyes are both positioned on the upper side while the gills are one on each side. The mantle has small scales, of sand color, brown or tending to greenish dotted with red or orange above, and white on the lower side - generally misunderstood as if it were the belly. The lateral line is straight, slightly curved above the pectoral fin.

Biology

Basics of plaice biology

Plaice belongs to the biological order Pleuronectiformes, Family Pleuronectidae, Genus Pleuronectes and plaice species - Linnea classification. The common English name is european plaice, or platessa / passera europea.

It occupies the geographical area off the coasts of the Barents Sea, the Baltic Sea and the White Sea, and the Central-North-Eastern Atlantic, outside of Greenland. It seems to be present also in the Mediterranean Sea, but it is very rare; some argue that these are identification errors. It is possible that it was present in the past due to climate changes in the ice age, but today the water temperature does not seem compatible. In some places, such as the Irish Sea, this species is now considered to be significantly exploited by commercial fishing.

The plaice is a common flat fish that populates the sandy and muddy bottoms of the European platform, usually at depths of 10 to 50 m, where it tends to dig to hide among the sediments during the day remaining stationary even for long periods. They can be found occasionally at depths up to about 200 m. The young specimens are closer to the breaker.

The plaice can survive low salt concentrations and can colonize the brackish water of the lagoons and pockets, or even the fresh water of river courses.

Plaice reproduces between autumn and spring, when the water is very cold. It feeds on molluscs - bivalves and gastropods - crustaceans, worms, annelids, fish and everything that can hunt on the bottom. In turn, it is predated by marine mammals, large crustaceans, jellyfish and other larger fish.

Plaice is a gregarious creature; it forms large groups that remain partially sunken in the sand, camouflaged thanks to the shape, color and hidden positioning. It is more active at sunset.

The plaice has an average length of 30.8 centimeters, maximum in males of 100 cm. The maximum weight recorded is 7.0 kg, with an age of about 50 years.

Basics of ecology on plaice

That of plaice is a perfect example of how simple a totally eco-sustainable management of professional commercial fishing could be.

Source: "Dutch Fish Marketing Board".

The plaice is captured essentially by means of the trawl or the positioning of bottom nets. Although it is still marketed with great success, its fishing has recently been subject to strong limitations, so much so that it was even hypothesized that it was definitively blocked for non-sustainability. Specifically, the collapse of the population density of the fish alerted the European Commission ichthyologists who, also consulting the Fisheries Council (Ministers of the European Union), established new annual TACs to be respected (Total Allowable Catch - Total Allowed Catches ). Furthermore, the same Council ordered the adoption of a multi-year plan for the management of plaice and sole in the North Sea, based on the principle of Maximum Sustainable Harvest. The Netherlands was the first country to pursue the goal and, thanks to the integrity of the countries involved, in 2008 the plaice fishing was again declared environmentally sustainable. To date, the "Responsible Fishing" agreement is in force, and the Netherlands continues to experiment with new, less destructive and / or polluting sampling techniques.

Source: "eurofishmarket.it".

Still on the subject of fishing and plaice commercialization, we recall that the species' biodiversity that can be "confused" with it is nothing short of ample. On the basis of research carried out on a large number of samples (27), taken from various parts of Italy and for over 6 months, it emerged that as many as 10 were not plaice. The frauds in question included two methods: total replacement of the fish or partial replacement.

Obviously, the survey involved the world and began back in 2004, developing until 2009. The methods of analysis used by the research institutions were the IEF - protein analysis or better Isoelectric focus - and the PCR - analysis of the DNA or better polymerase chain reaction.