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Fish Glossary | Cooking Techniques | Recipes | News About Fish

International Experts recommend that pregnant and nursing women get at least 200 milligrams of omega 3-DHA everyday. Take a look at the chart, below, to see how much omega-3 DHAs you get per serving of some of the most popular or most recommended fish during pregnancy. All test well below U.S. and global standards for levels of mercury. Also, when planning your meals experts say that variety is the best way to go (so, for instance, in one week you might consume 3 ounces of tuna, 6 large shrimp, 3 ounces of salmon, and 6 large scallops, for a total of 12 ounces of fish in a single week.) Happy eating!

Seafood: The Nutrition Star
Most Popular Seafood (3 ounces)	Omega-3 DHA fats (milligrams)	Average mercury level below the FDA limit
1. Shrimp	122
2. Canned White Tuna	535
Canned Light Tuna	190
3. Salmon	1238
4. Pollock	383
5. Tilapia	111
6. Catfish	109
7. Crab	196
8. Cod	131
9. Clams	124
10. Scallops	169
11. Canned mackerel	667
12. Canned sardinesl	443

Fish Glossary

Canned Tuna

Canned tuna is an easy and versatile pre-cooked fish that is loved by people on the go as well as those who have time to savor their food. It comes in a variety of can and pouch sizes that make serving food for a crowd or individual portions easy. Tuna packed in water has a lighter, fresher taste while tuna packed in oil has a richer mouth-feel. In either case, drain the tuna thoroughly before adding it to recipes and use a fork to flake it to a consistency you like.

Catfish

Catfish is a mild, sweet-tasting fish with moderately firm flesh that can be purchased fresh from the market as a skinless fillet. In the South, it is popularly breaded in cornmeal and deep-fried, which produces a crispy fillet. You may reduce the portion size by cutting the fillet into strips to serve either as an appetizer or as a finger-food for kids.

Clams

Briny and sweet with a hint of seawater-taste, clams offer a tender chew to many recipes. They may be cooked and served whole if small, or chopped and served as a component of a dish if larger. Soft-shell clams may require a few rinses in cool, running water or a soak in seawater to rid them of sand, while hard-shell clams usually require little more than a brief rinse before they are ready to cook. Discard all clams that do not close when tapped on their shell or that have not opened after cooking-this means that the clam is dead and should not be eaten.

Cod

Cod is a delicate, sweet tasting fish that is usually available for purchase as a skinless fillet or, less often, as a seafood steak. Its mild flesh readily takes on the taste of added seasonings, so use them lightly to start.

Crab

The types of crab sold in the United States differ in size and appearance, but most have sweet, rich meat and are delicious when served in numerous preparations. Crab is commonly available for purchase alive; in pieces- refrigerated, canned, or frozen; and frozen whole. Each form has a different use and may be more readily available in certain regions than others.

Mackerel

Mackerel is a general name given to a fish group with about 50 species. The most common type in cans is jack mackerel, which can be used like canned salmon. Jack mackerel is quite firm and has a strong, but not overpowering flavor.

Pollock

The two varieties of Pollock, Alaskan and Atlantic, are similar enough so that either may be used in most recipes. Although there is a difference in texture- Alaskan Pollock tends to be less firm than Atlantic. This only really matters if grilling, in which case you may want to take advantage of the firmer, slightly oilier texture of the Atlantic because it holds up well to high heat.

Salmon

Salmon has a unique earthy flavor and silky, rich texture that lends itself to a variety of preparations and cooking methods. One of the simplest ways to use salmon involves no cooking of the fish itself. Smoked salmon is fully cooked and delicious served with fresh green salads, eaten with cream cheese and bagels, or prepared as an appetizer spread. For an easy variation on your favorite tuna recipes, try canned salmon (another popular no-cook product), or use a mixture of the two.

Sardines

Sardines are small silvery fish. They come fresh, which are best grilled with oil and kosher salt, and more often, canned in either oil or sauce. The canned variety have a heavier smokier mouth feel to them.

Scallops

The sweet and creamy scallop is one of the more popular mollusks sold in the United States-probably because it is such a versatile ingredient in so many dishes. Sea scallops may be cooked with great success using almost any cooking method. Bay scallops, however, are smaller and more delicate-they are best when quickly sautéed.

Shrimp

Shrimp are beloved for their mild, sweet flavor and firm, juicy texture. They are a versatile ingredient in almost any recipe-from appetizer to main dish-because they can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques. One of the simplest methods of cooking is simply to boil or steam shrimp. Serve them, once cooled, with a dipping sauce as an appetizer. Or, add them to a side salad for an easy lunchtime entrée. For added ease, purchase pre-cooked shrimp from your seafood counter or frozen seafood aisle.

Tilapia

Tilapia is a popular freshwater fish that is commonly farm-raised. It has a mild, slightly sweet taste. To lessen any slightly "muddy" flavors, soak the tilapia in buttermilk for an hour before cooking. When you are ready to cook the tilapia, simply rinse it and continue with the recipe.

Source: www.aboutseafood.com

Cooking Techniques

Baking

Baking surrounds food with even, dry heat and is an excellent method for cooking whole fish. Smaller, delicate pieces of fish do not respond as well to baking and require a coating of breadcrumbs, or a splash of broth or olive oil to keep them moist. Most varieties of shellfish tend to dry out as they cook in the oven unless a combination of cooking techniques-steaming while baking, or pan searing then baking-is used (see below for more details).

Broiling

Oven broiling adds a nutty, browned flavor and crisp texture to foods and is a quick and delicious way to cook many types of seafood. Fillets or steaks of finfish, large scallops or shrimp, and lobster tails are especially tasty when broiled.

Grilling

Grilling gives a smoky flavor and crisped texture to finfish and shellfish. It works best for meatier, firmer-fleshed finfish cut in to steaks or fillets with skin. However, flakier finfish, skinless fillets, and smaller shellfish (that would otherwise slip through the grill grates) can be grilled using a grill basket. Grill baskets are non-stick wire cages-with a top, bottom, and long removable handle-that hold food firmly in place so that it can easily be flipped or removed from the grill.

Marinating

Many fish and shellfish benefit from a quick soak in a marinade to boost flavor and help retain moisture. Even so, use care when choosing marinade ingredients and limit the seafood's time in the marinade so as not to overwhelm its natural flavor. Usually half an hour is enough time to add flavor to a delicate piece of seafood: less time is needed if you are using a strong acid in the marinade, such as lemon juice, which chemically "cooks" the food and alters its texture.

Microwaving

Microwave ovens work by shaking up the water and fat in food, which in turn, makes heat. Covering food with microwave-safe plastic wrap or putting it in a microwave-safe, covered casserole dish locks in steam. The combination of inside heating and outside steaming cooks items in less time than it would take otherwise.

Pan Searing

Pan searing is a technique that works well for cooking fish steaks and thicker, shorter fillets of fish. If the fish has skin, score it on the skin side with a few vertical slashes. This will help the fillet from curling because the skin will shrink as it cooks. Dry the fish thoroughly and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Poaching

Poaching is a moist heat method of cooking where food is submerged in a bath of flavorful liquid that's kept just below the boiling point (160 to 180 degrees). Seafood cooked using this technique will have a more consistent texture and milder flavor when compared with the same type that has been grilled, broiled, or baked.

Steaming

Steaming is a gentle, fat-free cooking method that keeps the natural moisture in foods. This method uses the steam from a simmering liquid (usually water, seafood broth, or wine) to transfer heat to, and cook, a food. It is an excellent choice for preparing delicate seafood because there is a safe distance between the food and heat source, which helps to protect against drying. And steaming, unlike poaching or boiling, keeps flavorful juices and nutrients inside the seafood, rather than letting them escape into the surrounding cooking liquid.

Thawing

Seafood is extremely perishable. Quickly freezing it at the height of freshness (usually when it's still on the boat or shortly thereafter) is a successful way to keep the flavor and texture. When purchasing frozen seafood, look for solidly frozen pieces with few ice crystals to ensure they have not thawed and re-frozen at some point before purchase. Keep the seafood frozen until you are ready to use it by storing it in the coldest section of your freezer, on a low shelf towards the back.

Source: www.aboutseafood.com

Recipes

Beany Sardiney Pate
Serves: 8; Technique: No Cook; Type: Appetizer

Ingredients

One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup walnut halves
One 3.75-ounce can skinless, boneless sardines, drained
1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions
Combine the beans, walnuts, sardines, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and a few pinches of pepper in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and creamy. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Source: www.aboutseafood.com




		Tuna Avocado Sub Serves: 2; Technique: No Cook; Type: Entree
Ingredients One 6-ounce can chunk light tuna, packed in water, drained and well flaked 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed 1/2 cup diced tomato 2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of 1 lime) 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 small whole wheat sub rolls 2 large lettuce leaves Instructions: Combine the tuna, avocado, tomato, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Divide the mixture evenly between the sub rolls, top with a lettuce leaf, slice in half, and serve. Source: Recipe by Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD Authors, The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers




		Salmon on a Bed of Leeks Serves: 2; Technique: Quick, Sauteed; Type: Entree
Ingredients 1 bunch leeks (3 to 4) 2 teaspoons butter or margarine 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth (Cooking Tip: Cooking with vermouth means no “fishy” smell in the house.) 2 6-8-ounce salmon fillets 2 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese salt and pepper to taste Instructions Trim green tops and root ends from leeks; slit vertically into quarters, leaving 1/3 inch intact at root end. Separate sections and wash under cold running water; drain well. In 10-inch sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until leeks are wilted. Stir in wine, arrange salmon on leeks, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over salmon, cover and cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until salmon is opaque around edges and firm, and cheese is melted. Transfer to warm dinner plate with broad spatula and serve immediately. Source: www.aboutseafood.com




		Better-for-You Baked Stuffed Shrimp Serves: 4; Technique: Baked
Ingredients 1 pound large raw shrimp (16-20 count), shelled and deveined 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 garlic clove, minced 16 whole wheat butter crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (about 2/3 cup) 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Instructions Lightly oil or coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a sharp knife slit shrimp deeply down back without cutting all the way through. Open the shrimp halves to form a butterfly shape and flatten gently with a mallet or rolling pin. Place shrimp on the prepared baking sheet and set aside. Heat the olive oil and butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add the crackers, walnuts, and lemon juice and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the crumbs evenly and place on top of the shrimp, pressing down gently. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the shrimp are cooked through, about 18 minutes. Source: Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD Authors, The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers

Baked Fish in Tomato Sauce
Serves: 4; Technique: Baked, quick; Type: Entree

Ingredients
1 lb. Fish fillet (cod or Pollock are ideal)
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp. white wine or vermouth
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 lemon

Instructions
Season the fish with salt and pepper and arrange in an oiled baking pan. Mix the tomato sauce and wine, add the oregano and spoon over the fillets.

Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 375°F oven 10 to 15 minutes, until the fillets are cooked through. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half over the fish. Slice the other half and serve with the fillets.

Source: www.aboutseafood.com

Mackerel Croquettes
Serves: 4; Type: Entree

Ingredients
1 15 oz can of mackerel
11/2-2cups left over mashed potatoes
Pepper to taste
Tbsp scallions, chopped (optional)
1 egg
3/4-1cup of Italian Bread crumbs
3-4 Tbsp oil (for frying)
Non stick fry pan

Instructions
Mix canned mackerel and potatoes together. Add some pepper. You can also add some scallions if you want (not necessary though). Form into patties and chill for 10 minutes in fridge so they don't fall apart. Dip in well beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs.

Fry until golden brown approximately 3 minutes, drizzle more oil if needed, and flip over until golden as well.

Remove from pan and serve.

Mackerel Loaf
Serves: 4; Type: Entree

Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can mackerel, drained
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup low-fat milk Dash of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled or fresh squeezed)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix lightly.
3. Coat the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray.
4. Pack mackerel mixture into the pan.
5. Bake 1 hour at 375 degrees in oven.
6. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: Adapted from www.RecipeZaar.com

News About Fish Public release date: 9-Sep-2008
Contact: David Cameron
david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0441
Harvard Medical School <http://hms.harvard.edu/>

Eating fish while pregnant, longer breastfeeding, lead to better infant development

BOSTON, Mass. (Sept. 9, 2008) – Both higher fish consumption and longer breastfeeding are linked to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Maternal fish consumption and longer breastfeeding were independently beneficial.

"These results, together with findings from other studies of women in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, provide additional evidence that moderate maternal fish intake during pregnancy does not harm child development and may on balance be beneficial," said Assistant Professor Emily Oken, lead author of the study.

The study, which appeared in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by researchers from the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and the Maternal Nutrition Group from the Department of Epidemiology at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. These findings provide further evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and compounds in breast milk are beneficial to infant development.

The study team looked at 25,446 children born to mothers participating in the Danish Birth Cohort, a study that includes pregnant women enrolled from 1997-2002. Mothers were interviewed about child development markers at 6 and 18 months postpartum and asked about their breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum. Prenatal diet, including amounts and types of fish consumed weekly, was assessed by a detailed food frequency questionnaire administered when they were six months pregnant.

During the interviews mothers were asked about specific physical and cognitive developmental milestones such as whether the child at six months could hold up his/her head, sit with a straight back, sit unsupported, respond to sound or voices, imitate sounds, or crawl. At 18 months, they were asked about more advanced milestones such as whether the child could climb stairs, remove his/her socks, drink from a cup, write or draw, use word-like sounds and put words together, and whether they could walk unassisted.

The children whose mothers ate the most fish during pregnancy were more likely to have better motor and cognitive skills. For example, among mothers who ate the least fish, 5.7% of their children had the lowest developmental scores at 18 months, compared with only 3.7% of children whose mothers had the highest fish intake. Compared with women who ate the least fish, women with the highest fish intake (about 60 grams - 2 ounces - per day on average) had children 25% more likely to have higher developmental scores at 6 months and almost 30% more likely to have higher scores at 18 months.

Longer duration of breastfeeding was also associated with better infant development, especially at 18 months. Breastmilk also contains omega-3 fatty acids. The benefit of fish consumption was similar among infants breastfed for shorter or longer durations.

Women in the U.S. have been advised to limit their fish intake to two servings a week because some fish contains high traces of mercury, which has demonstrated toxic effects. Information regarding mercury levels was not available in this population, but most women consumed cod, plaice, salmon, herring, and mackerel, fish types that tend to have low mercury content. In this study, consumption of three or more weekly servings of fish was associated with higher development scores, so in this case the nutrient benefits of prenatal fish appeared to outweigh toxicant harm.

"In previous work in a population of U.S. women, we similarly found that higher prenatal fish consumption was associated with an overall benefit for child cognitive development, but that higher mercury levels attenuated this benefit," says Dr. Oken. "Therefore, women should continue to eat fish - especially during pregnancy - but should choose fish types likely to be lower in mercury." Information on mercury levels in commonly consumed fish is available at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website ( http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html)

The Danish National Birth Cohort was financed by the Danish National Research Foundation, Danish Pharmaceutical Association, Ministry of Health, National Board of Health, Statens Serum Institut, BIOMED, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, Danish Heart Association, Danish Medical Research Council, and Sygekassernes Helsefond. This project was also supported by the Early Nutrition Programming Project. Dr. Oken was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (HD44807) and a fellowship from the American Scandinavian Foundation, Inger and Jens Bruun Foundation.

Full Citation:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 88, No. 3, 789-796, September 2008 "Associations of maternal fish intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding duration with attainment of developmental milestones in early childhood: a study from the Danish National Birth Cohort"

Emily Oken, Marie Louise Østerdal, Matthew W Gillman, Vibeke K Knudsen, Thorhallur I Halldorsson, Marin Strøm, David C Bellinger, Mijna Hadders-Algra, Kim Fleischer Michaelsen, and Sjurdur F Olsen