8 Tips for Choosing Healthy Frozen Fish

The World Health Organization recommends increasing your intake of fish, as the food reduces the risk of developing cancer. But how to choose a healthy and quality product?

Many myths and rumors surround the consumption of fish, and they can end up preventing us from making the right choice. To verify this, the awesome.club gathered the most common questions and their right answers so you can take home a healthy and tasty fish.

Chilled fish, which is attractively presented in supermarkets, is obtained from fresh food, which is frozen after fishing at a certain temperature. You need to know three things about him:

Almost all refrigerated fish come from aquaculture: the fish is bred in captivity. It is common to find thawed fish under the guise of fresh refrigerated fish.

That’s why it’s better to inform yourself, when buying the product, about the fishing place. The further away, the greater the chance that you are buying unfrozen fish. with a cold face. It’s always best to buy local chilled fish.

A Norwegian research company carried out a series of experiments and announced that frozen fish is no different from fresh in terms of the content of vitamins and other important substances🇧🇷 Frozen fish may taste drier, but it certainly won’t have parasites, something that’s not so sure when it comes to fresh fish. Obviously, we are talking about frozen food that is stored in the right way.

The strange appearance of the fish, like the one in the photo above, for example, does not necessarily indicate that it is of poor quality, as the food is often frozen in blocks on boats, which compromises the appearance. However, one fish sticking to the other can indicate that the food has been thawed and then refrozen. To check the freshness of the frozen fish, place a previously heated knife in it and then smell the object. If you feel a strong unpleasant odor, it is because the food was frozen in poor condition.

To keep the important nutrients to a maximum, you need to thaw the fish in the fridge and cook it right after.

According to data from an international body for the protection of the oceans, about 20% of all fish found on the market are fake, and fillets are even easier to change🇧🇷 For example, it is common to see cheap whiting being sold as if it were cod fillet. Or salmon trout being sold as salmon. So, if you have the choice, choose whole fish, which are hardly fake.

If you still want to buy fillets, opt for those with skin. But first, check the normal appearance of that fish’s skin. For example, the skin of cod is greenish-gray, with a dark, longitudinal stripe.

According to the law in force in most countries, the ice layer must not account for more than 5% of the total weight of the fish, but sometimes the information indicated on the package does not match reality. So, beat the fish on a hard surface. If the ice layer has cracks, it has more than 5%.

The external appearance of the ice can say a lot about the quality of the fish. If the surface of the ice shows signs of melting and cracking, it has been frozen and thawed multiple times. A yellowish layer indicates that the fish is not fresh.

In many countries around the world, as of September 2017, frozen fish packaging need to bring information about the place of fishing and processing of the product. This information is especially important for those who are going to buy fillets, because if the processor’s location is too far from the fishing place, it indicates that the fish was transported frozen, then thawed to prepare fillets, and then frozen again. The nutritional value of a fish in these conditions is very questionable.

In addition, the packaging needs to state the composition of the food, and it is best to choose the product that contains nothing but water and fish. The substance E-452 indicates that the fish has polyphosphates, which retain moisture in the product.

Many people have found themselves in this situation: after defrosting a fish fillet, instead of the kilo purchased, 500 or 600 grams are left over. Artificial weight gain is not possible with the help of the ice layer, but with polyphosphates that keep the moisture inside the muscles. The presence of these substances, when not indicated on the packaging, can be noticed by means of an intense shine in the fillet. When fried, fish with polyphosphates bubbles and takes on a grayish color.

In addition to phosphates, fish can contain other harmful chemicals. Especially the panga fish is often rich in unpleasant surprises, as it is raised in the Mekong River (pictured), which is on the list of the most polluted rivers in the world. At analysis of fish in Vietnam reveal, without considering polyphosphates, a high level of mercury, the presence of ammonia and the antibiotic enrofloxacin. In addition, biogenic animals were found in fish, substances formed from improper storage.

In addition to the fish from Vietnam, there are other types, both among wild caught and farmed fish, whose consumption should be kept to a minimum. The problem with wild fish is mercury contagion. In fact, the fish is one of the main responsible for the contagion of people with this metal. And another interesting fact is that older animals contain more mercury, and among the riskiest species are sea ​​bass, swordfish, shark, mackerel, tuna and clockfish.

The problem with aquaculture is the poor combination of nutritional elements, due to the peculiarities of the diet and habitat of the fish. For example, farmed salmon contains less healthy fats than wild-caught salmon. Not to mention the high possibility that the animals received doses of growth stimulants and antibiotics. The most captive-bred fish are salmon, carp, catfish, dorado, tilapia, panga fish, halibut and sea bass.

After all this information, the question comes: so, what fish to eat, anyway? The best options are herring, hake, whiting and sardines. Among salmonids, prefer white fish, red salmon and Atlantic salmon. The species mentioned are practically not bred in captivity anywhere, and in the list of fish contaminated by mercury, they appear in the last positions.

And you, what kind of fish do you like the most? Comment!