Fish Tales 2(3)
FISH...HEALTH BENEFITS
If you're looking for fish that are truly good for you and your heart,
you're looking for fish with lots of Omega-3 oils--that is, special
polyunsaturated oils. Look no farther than sardines, herring, mackerel,
Atlantic bluefish, tuna, salmon, pilchard, butterfish, and pompano.
FISH...NO BONES ABOUT IT
Ever wonder why saltwater fish have thicker bones than freshwater fish--those
great tasting trout and bream that you catch in rivers and lakes only
to spend the rest of the night picking little filaments out of your
mouth? It's because saltwater is more buoyant than fresh water...so
fish can grow nice big bones without sinking to the bottom.
FISH...AS A FLAVORING
Asian cultures are crazy about fermented fish sauces--and have been
since ancient times, using them like Westerners use salt. Vietnam has
its nuoc mam. Laos calls it nam pa. Thailand? It's nam bla. And Burma,
ngan pya ye. Although all have their own signature, all are alike--fish,
both saltwater and fresh, are salted, mixed with water, then allowed
to ferment in wooden casks (just like soy sauce, only with fish instead
of soy beans). The end product is a clear liquid that is some shade
of brown, salty to the taste, and fishy to the smell.
Reputedly the best fish sauce is made on Phu Quoc, an island in the
Gulf of Thailand, where exquisite and delicate anchovies, called ca
com, are layered, salted, and left to ferment for months in their wooden
casks. After 3 months, the juice is tapped and poured back on top of
the layered fish. Three months later, the liquid is tapped again--and
it is this extraction that is considered the "first pressing"
and of the highest quality. It's this sauce that goes on the dining
table, while second and third pressings are used in cooking.
