There's Something Fishy Going On Here

by Mark R. Vogel

"Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime," asserts an old Chinese proverb. Well, not quite.

There's one more step. You also have to teach the man how to cook the fish. And for those of you non-anglers who procure your fish at a market, you'll need to know how to select your fish as well.

Fish are divided into two broad categories, fish and shellfish, which I amusingly refer to as "swimmy" fish and "crawly" fish.

Our current discussion will focus on the former. Swimmy fish are further subdivided into flatfish and roundfish. Flatfish are shaped like a flat oval and swim horizontally along the sea floor.

Both their eyes are on top of their head. You can obtain four fillets from a flatfish. Roundfish have a rounder body with an eye on each side of their head and yield two fillets, one from each side.

Fish also vary on their fat content. Generally speaking, the higher the fat content the darker the flesh. Very lean fish include red snapper, sea bass, flounder, and cod; moderately fat fish include striped bass, swordfish, and Atlantic salmon, and high fat fish include eel, mackerel, and bluefish.

All fish are high in protein, B vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorous.

Fish deteriorate rapidly and you must be very picky when selecting them. Fresh fish should not smell fishy. If it has anything beyond a mild aroma of the ocean do not buy it. The eyes should be clear, the gills bright red, the skin moist, and the flesh firm.

When you press the flesh it should spring back. If it has been gutted check the belly to ensure it is free of browning. If the entails were not removed promptly, enzymes in the stomach can begin to disintegrate the flesh.