Fish served with vegetables and herbs.

Fish as a food describes the edible parts of water-dwelling, cold-blooded vertebrates with gills. Other edible water-dwelling animals such as mollusks, crustaceans, and shellfish may^{[citation needed]} also be classified as fish but are often referred to as shellfish. Fish are highly perishable, so fresh fish is only found near bodies of water, or where efficient refrigerated transportation is available. Fish is also widely preserved through drying, salting, freezing, and canning. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,800 × 2,700 pixels, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,800 × 2,700 pixels, file size: 2. ... Cold-blooded organisms, more technically known as poikilothermic, are animals that have no internal metabolic mechanism for regulating their body temperatures. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Gill (disambiguation). ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ... Cooked mussels Shellfish is a term used to describe shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food. ... Cooked mussels Shellfish is a term used to describe shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food. ...

Fish is consumed as food all over the world; with other seafoods, it provides the world's prime source of high-quality protein: 14-16% of the animal protein consumed world-wide; over 1 billion people rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein.^[1][2] Fish is among the most common food allergens.^[3] A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... A food allergy is an immunologic response to a food protein. ...

Common food fish

There are over 27,000 species of fish, making them the most diverse group of vertebrates. However, only a small number of the total species are commonly eaten. For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ...

Some popular fish species

Main Article: List of edible fish

This is a list of fish that are considered as suited for human consumption. ... Genera Amazonsprattus Anchoa Anchovia Anchoviella Cetengraulis Coilia Encrasicholina Engraulis Jurengraulis Lycengraulis Lycothrissa Papuengraulis Pterengraulis Setipinna Stolephorus Thryssa The anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small, common salt-water fish. ... For other uses, see Carp (disambiguation). ... This article is about the siluriform catfishes; for the Atlantic catfish, see Seawolf (fish); for other uses, see Catfish (disambiguation). ... The Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) is a large, slender fish found in the cold, temperate waters (from 50 to 3850m) of the Southern Atlantic, Southern Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans on seamounts and continental shelves around most sub-Antarctic islands. ... COD may refer to many different topics, including: Cash on delivery Completion of discharge, shipping College of DuPage, a public Junior College with campuses in the suburbs of Chicago Call of Duty (series), a series of computer games Canadian Oxford Dictionary Carrier onboard delivery Catastrophic optical damage, a failure mode... For other uses, see Eel (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Haddock (disambiguation). ... Species Clupea alba Clupea bentincki Clupea caspiopontica Clupea chrysotaenia Clupea elongata Clupea halec Clupea harengus Clupea inermis Clupea leachii Clupea lineolata Clupea minima Clupea mirabilis Clupea pallasii Clupea sardinacaroli Clupea sulcata Herrings are small oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Atlantic... Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. ... For other uses, see Salmon (disambiguation). ... Genera Aphareus Aprion Apsilus Etelis Hemilutjanus Hoplopagrus Lipocheilus Lutjanus Macolor Ocyurus Paracaesio Pinjalo Pristipomoides Randallichthys Rhomboplites Symphorus Snapper can also refer to the Snapping turtle. ... Genera Oreochromis (about 30 species) Sarotherodon (over 10 species) Tilapia (about 40 species) and see text Tilapia is the common name for nearly 100 species of cichlid fishes from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. ... Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss Biwa trout (or Biwa salmon), Oncorhynchus masou rhodurus Trout is the common name given to a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the salmon family, Salmonidae. ... For other uses, see Tuna (disambiguation). ...

Fish consumption

Bangladeshis and Indian people from the states of West Bengal, Orissa, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala usually like to keep fish in their daily menu of foods. In India and Bangladesh fresh water fishes like Rohu and saltwater fishes like Hilsa are quite popular. Iceland, Japan and Portugal are the largest fish consumers per capita in the world.^[4] , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... , Orissa   (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା), is a state situated on the east coast of India. ... For other uses, see Goa (disambiguation). ... , Karnataka (Kannada: , IPA:  ) is a state in the southern part of India. ... Andhra redirects here. ... , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... Labeo rohita, of the carp family, found commonly in rivers and freshwater lakes in and around the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia. ... Hilsa, also pronounced Ilish (Bangla: ইলিশ) is the national fish of Bangladesh and also relished in Indias Bengali and Oriya speaking populace. ...

Preserving fish for market

Fish at an Asian supermarket.

Fish is highly perishable once dead. The fishy smell that fish have is due to the breakdown of amino acids into amines and ammonia. It is sometimes transported live in tanks at a high expense to prevent the decay of the rich flesh. It can be refrigerated for a short time or preserved. In the many industrialized countries freezing is the most common preservation technique. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. ... Ammonia Amines are organic compounds containing nitrogen as the key atom in the amine functional group. ... For other uses, see Ammonia (disambiguation). ...

Fish can be preserved in a variety of ways from different cultural heritages. The oldest and still most common way world-wide is drying or salting. Some fish, such as salmon, tuna and herring are cooked and canned, while desiccation (complete drying) is commonly used to preserve some food fish, such as cod and partial drying and salting is popular for the preservation of herring and mackerel, among other fish. Various preserved foods Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, density, texture and flavor. ... A whole potato, sliced pieces (right), and dried sliced pieces (left) Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which prevents the growth of microorganisms and decay. ... Salting is the preparation of food with salt. ... For other uses, see Salmon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tuna (disambiguation). ... Species Clupea alba Clupea bentincki Clupea caspiopontica Clupea chrysotaenia Clupea elongata Clupea halec Clupea harengus Clupea inermis Clupea leachii Clupea lineolata Clupea minima Clupea mirabilis Clupea pallasii Clupea sardinacaroli Clupea sulcata Herrings are small oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Atlantic... Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. ... COD may refer to many different topics, including: Cash on delivery Completion of discharge, shipping College of DuPage, a public Junior College with campuses in the suburbs of Chicago Call of Duty (series), a series of computer games Canadian Oxford Dictionary Carrier onboard delivery Catastrophic optical damage, a failure mode... For other uses, see Salt (disambiguation). ... Species Clupea alba Clupea bentincki Clupea caspiopontica Clupea chrysotaenia Clupea elongata Clupea halec Clupea harengus Clupea inermis Clupea leachii Clupea lineolata Clupea minima Clupea mirabilis Clupea pallasii Clupea sardinacaroli Clupea sulcata Herrings are small oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Atlantic... Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. ...

Preparation for consumption

Fish can be prepared in a variety of ways, including not cooking (raw) (cf. sashimi), marinating (cf. escabeche), baking, frying, grilling, and poaching in court-bouillon. Many of the preservation techniques used in different cultures have since become unnecessary but are still performed for their resulting taste and texture when consumed. Assorted sashimi Sashimi (Japanese: ) is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafoods, thinly sliced into pieces about 2. ... Marination, also known as marinading, is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. ... Escabeche (from the Spanish word meaning pickle) refers to both a dish of poached or fried fish that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving, and to the marinade itself. ... Some examples of baked food. ... Plantains frying in vegetable oil. ... Food cooking on a charcoal grill Grilling is a form of cooking that involves direct heat. ... Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, stock or wine. ... Court bouillon is french for short broth. ...

Nutrition and health

Fish, especially saltwater fish, is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are heart-friendly, and a regular diet of fish is highly recommended by nutritionists^[5]. This is supposed to be one of the major causes of reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases in Eskimos. It has been suggested that the longer lifespan of Japanese and Nordic populations may be partially due to their higher consumption of fish and seafood. The Mediterranean diet is likewise based on a rich intake of fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain fish tissues, and in vegetable sources such as flax seeds, walnuts, and canola oil. ... Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). ... For other uses, see Eskimo (disambiguation). ... Political map of the Nordic countries and associated territories. ... For cuisine, see Cuisine of the Mediterranean. ...

Fish products have been shown to contain varying amounts of heavy metals, particularly mercury and fat-soluble pollutants from water pollution. According the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern for most people^[6]. However, certain seafood contains sufficient mercury to harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. The FDA makes three recommendations for child-bearing women and young children: General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ...

• 1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
• 2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

• 3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions.^[6]

Parasites in fish are a natural occurrence and common. Though not a health concern in thoroughly cooked fish, parasites are a concern when consumers eat raw or lightly preserved fish such as sashimi, sushi, ceviche, and gravlax. The popularity of the such raw fish dishes makes it important for consumers to be aware of this risk. Raw fish should be frozen to an internal temperature of -20°C (-4°F) for at least 7 days to kill parasites. It is important to be aware that home freezers may not be cold enough to kill parasites.^[7][8] A parasite is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on the living tissue of a host organism and which causes harm to the host without immediately killing it. ... Assorted sashimi Sashimi (Japanese: ) is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafoods, thinly sliced into pieces about 2. ... This article is about Japanese cuisine. ... Peruvian ceviche with lobster and shrimp Ceviche (also spelled as cebiche, seviche or cevice) is a Peruvian Dish, a form of citrus marinated seafood salad that originated in the northern region of Peru. ... Look up Gravlax on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Gravlax (Swedish language), also known as Gravad laks (Danish language) and Gravlaks (Norwegian language), is a Scandinavian appetizer consisting of thin slices of salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill. ...

Traditionally, fish that live some or part of their lives in fresh water were considered unsuitable for sashimi due to the possibility of parasites (see Sashimi article). Parasitic infections from freshwater fish are a serious problem in some parts of the world, particularly Southeast Asia. Fish that spend part of their life cycle in brackish or freshwater, like salmon are a particular problem. A study in Seattle, Washington showed that 100% of wild salmon had roundworm larvae capable of infecting people. In the same study farm raised salmon did not have any roundworm larvae.^[9] For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... Assorted sashimi Sashimi (Japanese: ) is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafoods, thinly sliced into pieces about 2. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ... Seattle redirects here. ...

Fish as meat

Though fish is the flesh of an animal, making it meat, many people who choose not to eat meat may not necessarily abstain from eating fish. For example, various Christian fasts involve abstaining from meat. In Catholicism before Vatican II, meat was forbidden during Lent and on Fridays, but fish was permitted. In Eastern Orthodoxy, fish is permitted on some fast days when meat is forbidden, but stricter fast days exclude fish as well, though permitting invertebrate animals such as shrimp and oysters, which are considered "fish without blood." Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      As a... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... It has been suggested that Cuaresma be merged into this article or section. ... ... Invertebrate is an English word that describes any animal without a spinal column. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... For other uses, see Oyster (disambiguation). ...

Muslim halaal practice and Jewish kosher practice treat fish differently from other forms of animal flesh. Some Buddhists and Hindus (Brahmins of West Bengal state in India) abjure meat, but not fish. Many vegetarians in Western countries, including all vegans, regard fish as a form of meat, and do not consume it. There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Halaal (حلال, halāl, halal) is an Islamic Arabic term meaning permissible. In English it is most frequently used to refer to food that is permissible according to Islamic law. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... A statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tawang Gompa, India. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages)[1] is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Young Indian brahmachari Brahmin A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... A variety of vegetarian food ingredients Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products. ... This article is about the dietary lifestyle, Vegan can also mean relating to vega, especially the star Vega, as in astronomical references to the Vegan system, or Science Fiction references to aliens from that system. ...

Pesco-vegetarians will consume fish based solely upon the fact that the fish are not factory farmed as land animals are.^[10] Some eat fish with the justification that fish have less sophisticated nervous systems than land-dwelling creatures. Others may choose to consume only wild fish based upon the lack of confinement, while choosing to not consume fish that have been farmed. A Pesco-vegetarian is a vegetarian who consumes dairy products, eggs, and fish, but does not consume any other animal flesh. ... Hardy Meyers chicken operation near Petal, Mississippi. ... The Human Nervous System. ... Intensive, biosecure koi aquaculture facility in Israel Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. ...

Footnotes

References

• Aquamedia, "Consumption of Fishery Products" retrieved from http://www.feap.info/economics/Tradebalance_en.asp on 2007-09-17.
• The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, "Common Food Allergens" Retrieved from http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html on 2007-06-24.
• Tidwell, James H. and Allan, Geoff L., "Fish as food: aquaculture’s contribution Ecological and economic impacts and contributions of fish farming and capture fisheries", 2001-11-15, retrieved from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1084135 on 2007-09-17.
• University of Michigan Health System, "Fish & Seafood" retrieved from http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/clinical/pyramid/fish.htm on 2007-09-17.
• VegDining.com, "Frequently Asked Questions-Definitions" retrieved from http://www.ivu.org/faq/definitions.html on 2007-09-17.
• World Health Organization. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2000, 2000, retrieved from http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/3_foodconsumption/en/index5.html on 2007-11-17.

See also

• Fishstick
• Fish and chips
• Oily fish
• Phosphatidyleserine
• Seafood
• Seafood Watch
• Sushi
• Surimi

Fishsticks or fish fingers are a processed food made using a white fish such as cod which have been battered and/or breaded. ... Fish and chips in modern packaging Fish and chips or fish n chips, a popular take-away food with British origins, consists of deep-fried fish in batter or breadcrumbs with deep-fried potatoes. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Fish oil. ... Phosphatidyleserine is a nutrient found in fish, green leafy vegetables, soy and rice, and is essential for the normal functioning of the brain cell membrane. ... Spaghetti with seafood (Spaghetti allo scoglio). ... Seafood Watch is a program designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. ... This article is about Japanese cuisine. ... [[[[[[ == Foods made from surimi: artificial shrimp and crab legs Surimi (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally fish puree/slurry, Japanese: 擂り身, lit. ...

External links

• Fish Recipes over 600 fish recipes including tuna, salmon, cod, halibut and more.
• Science Daily Benefits Of Eating Fish Greatly Outweigh The Risks, New Study Says
• Science Daily Experts Say Consumers Can Eat Around Toxins In Fish
• Scientific American Soy and fish protect from cancer: study.
• Video Recipes of Fish

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Fish