Notothenia fish that live in the Southwest Atlantic, at depths from fifty meters to five hundred, feed mainly on crustacean plankton. The mass of its carcass is small (up to 52%), due to the large head, which makes up to 39% of the total weight of the fish. Such a reduced yield of notothenia in medium and large individuals can be explained by the relatively bulk mass of the viscera.
The percentage of fat in meat largely depends on the size of the fish itself; for example, in small individuals it ranges from 6.4 to 11.5, in medium from 10.0 to 12.3, and in large from 8.2 to 16.7. A lot of fat accumulates in the bones, up to about 22%.
Notothenia fish is a very nutritious product that is in no way inferior to meat, because it contains fats, proteins and essential amino acids. Nototenia is a fatty fish variety rich in unsaturated fatty acids that are beneficial to the human body.
Iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium - all these substances are also found in notothenia. And phosphorus, which is quite a lot in this fish, plays an important role in the development of the skeletal system (it is especially necessary for pregnant women, the elderly, children). The meat of nootenia contains copper, iodine and manganese, which are necessary for the normal metabolism of the human body. Fish is easier to digest and cooks faster than meat, because it has less connective tissue.
Notothenia fish is famous for the fact that its meat in cooked form is coarse-fiber, light, tasty, juicy. The broth from this fish is transparent, oily, has a pleasant smell and taste. The fried meat is tender, dense, juicy, tasty. From notothenia, you can cook balyk products, main dishes, fillets, as well as hot and cold smoked products. It is also used for the production of canned food, salted products. The head of this fish is great for making fish soup, and caviar goes to the ambassador.
How to cook notothenia?
Notation stewed with lemon and herbs
Prepare four slices of notothenia fillet, fifty grams of spinach, fifty grams of sorrel, thirty grams of dill, thirty grams of parsley, one lemon, green onion, vegetable oil, tomatoes, fresh lettuce.
Mix sorrel and spinach with herbs. Part of the greens cover the bottom of the stewpan, put the sliced notothenia on top, cover it with another part of the greens and lemon rings.
Now prepare the sauce: fry chopped green onions in oil, add slices of chopped tomatoes, chopped salad and salt. Boil the resulting mixture. Pour notothenia meat into the sauce and simmer in the oven until cooked. Serve the cold notation.
Asturian notothenia fish
To prepare a dish according to this recipe, prepare half a kilogram of notothenia, half a glass of white wine, one onion, 80 grams of butter, one teaspoon of grated chocolate (black), mushrooms (a handful), one tablespoon of flour, ground cloves, pepper, cinnamon, salt.
Put chopped onion in a greased frying pan and sauté it with flour. Pour in 400 ml of water, mix thoroughly. Add chocolate, wine, cloves, pepper, cinnamon and salt and put on a small fire. Place portioned fish in a bowl, fill with sauce and simmer over very low heat. Peel the mushrooms, finely chop, stew and ten minutes before serving, put in a bowl of fish. Serve with rice.
And now some interesting information: there is such a coelacanth fish, the life cycle of which is still unknown, but it is known that this species has been living on Earth for several hundred million years. Coelacanth is a unique fish that "saw" the dinosaurs. It refers to coelacanth fish that became extinct over sixty-five million years ago.
To date, coelacanth is found only in a few places, at a depth of more than two hundred meters. Its main enemies are large predators, including large sharks. Since the population of this fish is very small, its catch is strictly prohibited.