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The Reel Truth: Is Eating Fish Good for You? There's an Ocean of Opinions Out There

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 09:00 CST

By Gwen Schoen, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Mar. 1--New Dietary Guidelines published last year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that we eat more fish. Fish and shellfish, we were told, contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat and contain important omega-3 fatty acids. Americans responded by increasing their annual consumption to more than 16.6 pounds per person. But while many people will happily open a can of tuna, they shy away from cooking fresh fish at home. Are they baffled by the bones, or perhaps the delicate nature of some varieties? "People often think fish is difficult to prepare," said Darci Jayousi, who with her husband, Ed, owns Fins Market & Grill in Fair Oaks. "Or they may be intimidated by the types of fish they see in cases; they are unsure which one to choose." The National Fisheries Institute, a trade group in McLean, Va., says that shrimp is the most popular seafood overall. When we're at home, however, it's canned tuna that we eat most often. "When it comes to fresh fish, most of us would rather go to a restaurant than cook it at home," said Stacey Viera, spokesperson for NFI. Fresh vs. frozen Freshness is the key to good-quality fish, said Chuck Holman, account manager at Pacific Seafood in Sacramento. Pacific Seafood is a wholesale business that supplies fish to local grocery stores and restaurants. Holman suggested buying from a busy market that gets frequent deliveries. "The best indicator of freshness is the smell," he said. "Fish should not smell like fish, it should smell like fresh sea air. "If you are buying a whole fish, the eyes should be shiny. If they are dull, sunken or gray, that's not a good sign," Holman said. "The gills should be bright pink or red. The flesh should bounce back when touched and the scales should cling to the fish. It shouldn't feel slimy." When buying pieces, they should be moist, not dry. If the skin is on the piece, it should cling to the flesh. Browning around the edge might indicate that the fish has been washed in warm water, which is not a good sign. When you get fish home, store it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and plan to use it or freeze it within two days. Frozen fish is not necessarily a bad thing. "It depends on how it was processed," Holman said. "Some processors catch fish with the intent to freeze them, so they often freeze the catch while still at sea, so it is an excellent product." Avoid fish that looks as though it was frozen by the grocery store. The clues? Frozen fish should be solid and free of ice crystals and freezer burn, which indicates that it may have been thawed and refrozen. Serving tips Purchase about 5 to 8 ounces for each serving if you are buying fillets or steaks. When buying a whole fish, figure about 12 ounces per person to account for the waste after cleaning. In general, fillets have fewer bones than steaks, but that really depends on the type of fish you buy. Ed Jayousi says a good fish market will clean, cut and remove the bones. Here's a great trick to remove bones from a fillet: Pull the raw fillet over the edge of a bowl. As the fish drapes over the bowl's edge, the bones will poke out of the fillet and it will be easy to use needle-nose pliers to pluck them out. In spite of the hesitation many cooks feel about cooking fish, it's really a simple food to prepare. It's also quick, so it's great when you need to get dinner on the table in a hurry. Where most home cooks run into problems, Ed Jayousi said, is they overcook it. "You can always put it back on the heat and cook it some more if it's not done enough for your taste. But once it's overcooked, it will be ruined," he said. No matter which cooking method you use, the basic rule is to cook fish 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. "Basically, you cook it on one side until it begins to change color. Because of the moisture in the fish, it will continue to cook after it's turned over, so the second side takes about half as long as the first," he said. Fish is extremely versatile. It can be cooked by many methods and most of the time you can substitute varieties in any recipe. Any good fishmonger can be helpful in making suggestions. Firmer fish such as halibut, tuna, salmon and swordfish are great on the grill or broiled. More-delicate fish such as sole or trout are better suited to a more-gentle cooking method such as poaching or pan-frying. Ed Jayousi makes a simple baste of unsalted butter, black pepper, garlic chopped in oil and a sprinkle of dill weed. He uses that base for nearly all cooking methods. "My favorite cooking method is grilling," Jayousi said. "It's simple and uncomplicated and it really brings out the flavor of the fish. But you can also bake, saute, poach or steam fish. Just remember not to overcook it." Choosing your fish What should you cook? Because much of the fish available in local markets is farm-raised, many of the types are available year round. Darci Jayousi recommends trying something new. Her favorite is escolar, a sweet, buttery white fish from New Zealand. If you are looking for a fish that's mild in flavor, choose catfish, cod, Chilean sea bass, any of the flounders, orange roughy, red snapper, tilapia or trout. If you like a meatier fish and halibut is one of your favorites, here's something to look forward to: Wild halibut season is scheduled to open Sunday, so we should soon be seeing halibut steaks at local markets. Other meatier fish include mahi-mahi, salmon, shark, swordfish, tuna and sturgeon. When choosing fish, you should limit or eliminate consumption of those known to have a higher level of contaminants and mercury. Those would be fish from cold, deep waters and include king mackerel, shark, swordfish and tilefish. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration recommend women of childbearing age and young children should eat no more than 6 ounces of tuna steak or canned white albacore tuna per week because of mercury contamination. The FDA and the EPA recommend that people from these groups should not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. (For more information: www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/advice.html.) The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a brochure that lists the most environmentally friendly choices of fish and which fish you might want to avoid, based on how the population is recovering from overfishing. The guide also earmarks the types of fish that generally contain higher levels of mercury or other contaminants. The guide is at www.mbayaq.org or you can pick one up at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op in Sacramento or Elk Grove. Mahi-mahi with tomatillo dip Prep time: 45 minutes * Cook time: 20 minutes * Serves 4 Shrimp (prawns) or thinly sliced shark or swordfish can be used in place of the mahi-mahi. This recipe is from www.williams-sonoma.com. Ingredients For the tomatillo dip 3/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided 1 small white onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and quartered 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 cup chicken stock or broth 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley Coarse salt and pepper For the fish 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons hot-pepper sauce 1 tablespoon molasses 1 1/2 pound mahi-mahi fillets 4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes, or metal skewers Instructions Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Meanwhile, make the tomatillo dip: In a small, dry frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the pumpkin seeds until they pop and brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Pour onto a plate and set aside. In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatillos, jalapeno and cumin. Stir well, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the tomatillos are soft, about 5 minutes Transfer the tomatillo mixture to a blender or food processor and add the pumpkin seeds, stock, cilantro and parsley. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among individual dipping bowls.

In a large, non-aluminum bowl, whisk lime juice, hot-pepper sauce, molasses and remaining 1 tablespoon oil together. Cut fish into horizontal slices 3/4 inch thick and then into 2-by-4-inch pieces. Add fish pieces to marinade, turn to coat and let stand for 5 minutes. Thread fish onto skewers, dividing the fish evenly among them. Place skewers on grill over direct heat and cook, turning once, until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes total. Transfer skewers to a warmed platter or individual plates. Serve with the dipping sauce alongside. Per serving: 437 cal.; 39 g pro.; 16 g carb.; 25 g fat (4 sat., 11 monounsat., 10 polyunsat.); 125 mg chol.; 745 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 50 percent calories from fat. ------------ Fins Market & Grill Cajun recipe Prep time: 5 minutes * Cook time: 15 minutes * Serves 2 Ed Jayousi, the co-owner of Fins Market & Grill in Fair Oaks with his wife, Darci, created this recipe for Cajun fish, which is one of the most popular dishes at their restaurant. For more information on Fins: www.finsmarket.com. Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup beer Dash of black pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 dashes Tabasco (or to taste) Fresh garlic and parsley, chopped, to taste 1 pound fish fillets Instructions In a saucepan, melt butter. Add beer, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Tabasco, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add chopped garlic and parsley and fish. Simmer until fish is cooked thoroughly, about 10 minutes.

Per serving, using 3 garlic cloves and halibut: 334 cal.; 48 g pro.; 4 g carb.; 11 g fat (5 sat., 4 monounsat., 2 polyunsat.); 88 mg chol.; 130 mg sod.; 0 fiber; 2 g sugar; 31 percent calories from fat. ------------ Braised monkfish with bacon and tomatoes Prep time: 20 minutes * Cook time: 30 minutes * Serves 4 Monkfish has firm, white flesh attached to a central bone, and there are no rib bones with which to contend. If you can't find monkfish, you can substitute mahi-mahi or sand shark fillets. This recipe is from www.williams-sonoma.com. Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 thick slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled 1 3-to 4-pound monkfish on the bone; skin and dark membrane removed by the fishmonger Coarse salt and pepper 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, then coarsely chopped 1 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon chopped basil Instructions In a heavy flameproof casserole dish or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and garlic and saute until the bacon is fairly crisp and the garlic is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Push the bacon and garlic to the side and lay the monkfish in the dish. Sear until lightly browned on both sides, using tongs to turn the fish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and pile most of them and the bacon mixture on top of the monkfish. Add the white wine and basil and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the flesh starts to pull away from the backbone. Serve the fish on a warmed platter, surrounded and topped with the vegetables. Per serving, using 3 pounds of monkfish: 585 cal.; 54 g pro.; 9 g carb.; 31 g fat (10 sat., 15 monounsat., 6 polyunsat.); 108 mg chol.; 616 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 50 percent calories from fat. ------------ Halibut steaks with citrus, watercress and olives Prep time: 35 minutes * Cook time: 13 minutes * Serves 4 The molasses in the marinade helps the fish brown without overcooking it. This recipe works well with other fish steaks, such as striped bass, swordfish, tuna, shark and mahi-mahi. This recipe is from "Williams-Sonoma Fish" by Shirley King (Simon & Schuster, $16.95, 119 pages). Ingredients 3/4 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons light molasses 2 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger 4 halibut steaks, 6-8 ounces each

2 tablespoons canola oil Coarse salt and pepper 1 orange, cut into 8 wedges 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges 1 bunch watercress, stemmed 1/2 cup kalamata olives Instructions Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Combine wine, molasses and ginger in a bowl and whisk. Pour into a casserole or baking dish. Lay halibut in marinade, turn to coat and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes (but no longer). Drain the halibut, letting the marinade drip back into the dish; pat dry, brush with the oil and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve the marinade. Grill the steaks over direct heat until browned on the first side, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Using a wide metal spatula, turn the fish and cook until browned on the second side and opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, place the orange and lemon wedges directly on the grill and cook, turning once, until lightly browned on each side, about 2 minutes total. Transfer the fish and orange and lemon wedges to individual plates or a platter. In a small saucepan, boil the reserved marinade for 2 minutes. Pour over the halibut and garnish with the watercress and black olives. Per serving: 378 cal.; 36 g pro.; 15 g carb.; 15 g fat (2 sat., 9 monounsat., 4 poly-unsat.); 54 mg chol.; 694 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 38 percent calories from fat.

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