Delicious Seafood: Mussels

Meaty Mussels in Creamy Garlic & White Wine Sauce … Does it Get Any Better?

If you ha076 (2)ven’t yet tried mussels, what are you waiting for? They’re delicious!

Inexpensive, easy to cook, an impressive starter to any meal and simply scrumptious served in warm creamy garlic and white wine sauce with crusty buttered bread. If you don’t like creamy garlic sauce try spicy tomato sauce, add chorizo, bacon or anything of your choice. The beauty of mussels is their versatility. Put them in stews, soups, rissoto, spaghetti, curries – they look fantastic and taste even better.

Nutrition:

Mussels are high in protein, very low in fat and low in carbohydrate. They’re an excellent source of vitamins and important minerals, including B12 (helps maintain nerve fibres and red blood cells), Selenium (which helps support protein function) and Zinc (helps the immune system ward off invading bacteria and viruses). Mussels also contain Iodine (which is essential for the natural production of thyroid hormones that contribute to basic metabolism as well as helping the body to efficiently burn calories). Although not as much as oily fish, mussels are a good source of long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids (which help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, blood clots, and aid circulation).

When to buy mussels:

Typically mussels are at their best and have a higher meat content between September to April, hence the saying ‘You should only eat mussels when there is an R in the month’ although the current climate can have an effect on this. Buying your mussels from a fishmonger who usually has a rapid turnover ensures fresh mussels.

Cooking mussels:

Before cooking mussels check to ensure they are still alive; live mussels, when in the air, will shut tightly when disturbed. When mussels are open and unresponsive they are dead, and must be discarded. Mussel shells usually open when cooked, revealing the cooked soft edible parts. Don’t overcook mussels. Steam them until they open and pull away from the shell (usually about 4 minutes). Watch this light hearted but informative video by Chef Jean Pierre on a traditional favorite in the South of France, Mussels Provencal.

by Chef Jean Pierre


Mussels Provencal

Ingredients:

  1. Olive Oil
  2. Onion
  3. Tomato
  4. Tyme, Parsley
  5. Garlic
  6. Good Quality White Wine
  7. Add Cream for a Mussel Bisque

Send us your own mussel recipes with an image  if you’d like to share them with other seafood lovers.

Fundraising for the Fishermen’s Mission

All I Ever Wanted  (Author Christine Hardy) AVAILABLE NOW

This is not only one family’s struggle to make a living, and develop a family business, but has Sidmouth’s fishing community, history and traditions woven into it.

How this remarkable family survived and re-invented itself, is an inspiration to us all.

‘All I Ever Wanted’ is available through the Fishermen’s Mission eBay page for £12.00 and all proceeds go to the Fishermen’s Mission.

Christine Hardy first met Stan Bagwell and his family in 2002 as a customer at their fresh fish shop, Sidmouth Trawlers. She got to know Mary, Stan’s wife, his daughters Lynn and Kay and his grandsons Ryan and Kieran. But there was so much more she didn’t know.

When he wasn’t serving in the shop Stan often chatted with Christine, as he does with many locals and friends, reminiscing about his childhood, his life at sea and the fishing business. Christine said that someone should write it all down and eighteen months later they produced this book together.

Fundraising for the Fishermen’s Mission:

South West Fundraising representative from the Fishermen’s Mission charity visited Sidmouth Trawlers fresh fish shop just off the esplanade at Sidmouth on 25 August to receive a cheque for

Gina with Stan and Mary Bagwell and Christine Hardy at the Bagwell’s fresh fish shop
Gina with Stan and Mary Bagwell and Christine Hardy at the Bagwell’s fresh fish shop

£1736.00. The money represents sales of the 120 page book ‘All I Ever Wanted’, charting the life of Sidmouth Fisherman Stan Bagwell which was compiled by Christine Hardy and sold to raise much needed funds for the Mission.

‘All I Ever Wanted’ was launched on 1st May 2015 and 500 copies were sold in just two months. A reprint should raise up to £10,000 for the Mission which supports fishermen in times of need. Gina is pictured with Stan and Mary Bagwell and Christine Hardy at the Bagwell’s fresh fish shop, a business they began in the 1960’s when Stan persuaded Sidmouth Town Council to allow him to sell the fish he caught to local residents in a properly constructed shop.

Stan started fishing as a boy with his father Robert in the 1940’s and always wanted to buy a boat of his own and develop a successful business. The Bagwell’s lost their son at sea, Ian, also a fisherman, in 1998 which was the motivation for producing the book as the Fishermen’s Mission gave the family a huge amount of support at the time.

Book Synopsis: Stan Bagwell was out fishing with his father Bob as soon as he was able to climb into a boat. Born in 1938, his childhood memories tell of a Sidmouth long gone. His burning determination to earn a living at sea was thwarted by his mother who knew what a hard life it was. Aged 15, Stan started an apprenticeship with a local builder and bought his first boat. He was determined to succeed and was soon a familiar figure on Sidmouth Sea front, offering trips to visitors and selling the fish he, his father and younger brother Graham caught. He married his resourceful wife Mary and together they created Sidmouth Trawlers, which included two shops and four boats working from Sidmouth and a trawler, which fished from Brixham. When Stan and Mary’s son, Ian, got his Skippers licence and daughter Kay began working in their shop, the future of Sidmouth Trawlers seemed secure.

Faced with a double tragedy in 1998, it seemed for a while that there was no future. How this remarkable family survived and re-invented itself, is an inspiration to us all.

‘All I Ever Wanted’ is available through the Fishermen’s Mission eBay page for £12.00 and all proceeds go to the Fishermen’s Mission.

new logo for fishermens mission
Providing Emergency Support and Practical Care to Fishermen and their Families

If you’d like to learn more about The Fishermen’s Mission welfare and emergency work, visit The Fishermen’s Mission website: www.fishermensmission.org.uk

The Fishermen’s Mission takes care of the families of men lost at sea. They need your help if they are to continue to offer bereaved families the financial and emotional support they need.

The Fishermen’s Mission is a Registered Charity:

England & Wales No 232822 and Scotland No SC039088

Passionate About Fish

Sue and Duncan Lucas of Passionate About Fish

“We love fish.  It’s what we do, every single day.  Between us we have over 70 years experience in the seafood industry (we both started at a very young age!)

Our vision is simply to increase people’s appreciation of the wonderful seafood that is available to us all.  To show that it doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming, and that by learning how to handle good quality raw material, you need very little else to create a fantastic eating extravaganza!”

Duncan Lucas has worked in the seafood industry for over 35 years. His experience covers independent retailers and major supermarkets as well as primary and secondary processing of chilled and ready to eat seafood.

He is seriously accomplished in the art of fishmongery and is probably the most highly skilled fishmonger in the UK.  He holds many awards including the Guinness World Record for filleting halibut, and his impressive party piece is to ‘pocket’ a plaice in less that 60 seconds!

passionate7Sue Lucas has spent all her working life in the seafood industry and is so excited to be going back to her roots as a traditional fishmonger. Sue and Duncan are the proud owners of The Fish Shop Camberley, listed in Seafood Lovers Restaurant Guide, which opened in December 2014. www.passionateaboutfish.co.uk

Starting off in 1979 as a Saturday girl in her mum & dad’s shop – Fish & Game – in Camberley, Sue has continued to work in the seafood industry.  From an independent retailer to Product Developer in seafood manufacturing, she is responsible for developing some of the highest quality, award winning seafood products available through the UK’s leading supermarkets.

In 2010 pf2Sue started work with Sainsbury’s to deliver training to fish counter colleagues, and in 2012 was delighted to be offered the role as their Product Developer specialising in Seafood. She describes her role with Sainsbury’s as ‘the best job in the world’ but could not resist the pull of standing in a cold, wet fish shop every day!

Sue and Duncan attend Seafood Festivals, setting up magnificent displays like the ones below, and sharing their expertise with the public. They give demonstrations of how to fillet and prepare fish and shellfish (free of charge) simply because they are Passionate About Fish and want to to increase people’s appreciation of the wonderful seafood that is available to us all.

fish display2fish display3fish display1

Passionate About Fish have put together a selection of tutorial videos demonstrating their fishmonger skills to increase people’s appreciation of fish and to help people feel confident preparing fish themselves. Below is a tutorial by Duncan on How to To Fillet A Large Wild Bass. To see the entire collection of tutorial videos from Sue and Duncan click the Passionate About Fish Logo.

The Fish Shop, 110a Frimley Road, Camberley GU15 3ND
Click to View Tutorial Videos by Passionate About Fish

 

The Edible Brown Crab

Edible Brown Crab (cancer pagurus)

scrabstock brown crabA male crab is called (a cock) and the female crab (a hen). The brown crab is caught all around the UK coast. UK crab is prized all around the world and there’s a thriving crabbing industry out of most fishing ports, with boats from 10 meters to 60 meters plus. If you went to each port around the UK the fishermen would say they catch the best crab.  Brown crab takes on the flavour of its habitat where it is found in the waters around the UK. Some of the best tasting crab is the crab caught in tidal waters like the English Channel and around the islands of Scotland, and any other tidal location. Tidal waters carry more food and nutrients and are cleaner, which gives the crab a better taste.

B38The Taste

Two meats in the edible brown crab are found in both the hen crabs and cock crabs; the sweet delicate white meat which is found in the legs, claws and the purse, and the brown meat which is packed full of flavour and found in the shell.

The best way to tell a good crab is to ask your local fishmonger when it was caught and cooked; you have five days for freshness once the crab is cooked (even when picked).

B40If you pick up a live or cooked crab it should feel heavy for its size. If it feels light, there won’t be much meat inside. The reason for this is crab moults through its life cycle to grow (the male or ‘cock’ crab grows by 10mm per year, and the female or ‘hen’ crab grows by 5mm per year).

Cock crab can reach 5kg plus and hen crab could grow up to 3kg. When the crab moults the crab is soft so it takes a few months to harden up.  You can get a good crab all year round: the hen crab is good from August to February (September being the best month) and the cock crab is good mostly all year round, except July and August which aren’t so good.

Cooking and Preparing

crab potFor both the hen and the cock crab the cooking time per 1kg of weight, is 6 minutes when the water is boiling. Add a bit of sea salt to the water before placing the crab in the pot.

Before you cook the crab you can place it in a sink full of fresh water or put it in the freezer for half an hour to put the crab to sleep.

Neither method will kill the crab but it will slow his body down. A quick way of killing the crab is to put a knife in its mouth and twist it.

The reason behind slowing the crab or killing it before cooking is you don’t want the crab to shed all is legs and claws whilst boiling.  You want the whole crab to come out of the pot.

After 12 minutes or so put the crab on a try and let the residual heat finish off the cooking and you will have a perfectly cooked crab.

The Picking

You can pick the meat from a cooked crab without fear, it isn’t as hard as you think. All you need is a teaspoon and a rolling pin and two pots to put the white and brown meat in.  You can follow the steps in the picture guide. When you have picked the crab, enjoy.

crabstock5crab potcrab3crab4crab5crab6

crab7crab8crab9

crab10crab11crab12

B38B40B45

dressed crab9dressed crabcrabstockblackboard

Adrian Bartlett is the founder of the Crabstock Shellfish Festival. Adrian shares his knowledge and passion with the UK public and chefs to show how good UK Shellfish is to eat and how easy it is to pick a crab without fear.  The information in this blog is courtesy of Adrian Bartlett. 

The information in this blog is courtesy of Adrian Bartlett of Crabstock Festivals
The information in this blog is courtesy of Adrian Bartlett of Crabstock Festivals

The Crabstock team visits primary schools with kids from the age of five to eleven throughout the UK with live crabs and lobsters and videos of the industry.  Adrian thinks if we show children what we have and educate them, they should start to eat seafood without fears and this will support the industry in future years. 

crabstock logo

 

An Interview with Adrian Bartlett

crabstock9
“Crabstock is a lot of fun for all the family, but it’s also about teaching people about the health benefits of eating Great British Shellfish”

Adrian Bartlett is the founder of the Crabstock Shellfish Festival. Adrian started fishing in 1987. He started as a deckhand then worked his way up to skipper on crabbing boats or potters based in Kingswear, South Devon. Adrian has fished for edible brown crabs and native lobster all around the UK coast, but mainly built his crabbing career in the English Channel in the tidal waters North of Alderney (Channel Islands) on various boats and for various owners.

After working in the industry for 25 years and being passionate about the UK Seafish Industry, an opportunity arose where Adrian could share his knowledge and passion with the UK public and chefs to show how good UK Shellfish is to eat and how easy it is to pick a crab without fear.  Crabstock Shellfish Festival was born!

Adrian says: “Crabstock is a lot of fun for all the family, but it’s also about teaching people about the health benefits of eating Great British Shellfish as well as the social and economic importance of supporting the country’s fishing industry. I fully believe that our shellfish is the best in the world and that we should do all that we can to keep all our wonderful, nutritious, sustainable shellfish on the menu.

What does Adrian put the success of Crabstock down to? 

“Being inland we have a unique opportunity to show a new audience what’s being caught all around UK coasts. To our knowledge we are the Only Inland Seafood Festival showcasing all aspects of Shellfish and fish caught all around UK waters. We also work hard with the children by getting them to try shellfish for the very first time. The festival also works to get rid of all the silly myths about eating shellfish i.e. the dead man’s fingers. Plus it’s loads of fun for all the family through different activities.”

2015 is looking very prosperous for Adrian and the Crabstock team with three festivals being planned. Off the back of Crabstock Adrian gets invited to be involved with other seafood festival around the UK by showing how to pick a crab with a tea spoon and a rolling pin.

What does Adrian think the key health benefits of eating shellfish are? 

“It’s now widely accepted that oily fish, which is high in long-chain Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is good for you. It’s not just found in Herring and Mackerel, Crab, Oysters, and Hake – Brown Shrimps are also a good source. Seafood is an excellent source of protein and provides a wide range of vitamins and minerals. A good source to find out more about the benefits of eating seafood is: www.seafood.org

Why does Adrian feel it’s important that the UK fishing industry is supported and promoted? 

“We have such a brilliant array of fantastic shellfish and fish being caught daily, but with the majority being exported all over the world (which is good, but the UK public are missing out) we need to try to keep some back. This can only be achieved by educating the public on various ways to try fish and by encouraging them to see the health benefits of eating seafood, plus its very tasty which helps.”

What single thing would Adrian change for the fishing industry if he was Prime Minister?  

“This is difficult to answer. It’s difficult to stay none political being in the fishing industry. It would be great if Crabstock had the chance to put seafood education into schools.

crabstock10
These kids have never seen, let alone held live shellfish. Their eyes light up and the enthusiasm they show is amazing.

The Crabstock team has gone into primary schools with kids from the age of five to eleven throughout the UK in the past four years with live crabs and lobsters and videos of the industry. These kids have never seen, let alone held live shellfish. Their eyes light up and the enthusiasm they show is amazing. Then, when we get them to taste the seafood it’s even better. We think by showing the young what we have, they should start to eat seafood without fears and this will support the industry in future years.”

What is Adrian’s favourite seafood recipe? 

“Simple ‘Crab’, a nice fresh handpicked sandwich on wholemeal bread, brown meat acting as butter then the sweetest white meat as filling. But I do love all fresh shellfish and fish”

Can Adrian tell us  a fact about crab that we may not already know ?

“Dead man’s fingers are NOT poisonous. It’s a FACT. They just don’t taste good. What they are is the gills that keep the crab alive, and this is the same for all crabs and lobsters. This is the biggest thing Crabstock deals with at our festivals.

Crabstock is in the unique position of being inland and targeting a totally new audience with fantastic UK caught seafood.

Adrian Bartlett is one of the UK’s leading Crustacean Experts. You can find him all around the UK at food festivals and cookery schools, giving Crab Picking demonstrations and talks.

Crabstock is pleased to announce the 2015 Crabstock Shellfish Festival will be back on the 25th & 26th July 2015 at: The Obelisk Centre, Kingsthorpe, Northampton www.crabstockfestivals.co.uk

crabstock logoscrabstock brown crab

Supporting Our Fishermen

Providing Emergency Support and Practical Care to Fishermen and their Families

new logo for fishermens mission
Providing Emergency Support and Practical Care to Fishermen and their Families

 

The Fishermen’s Mission

The Fishermen’s Mission fights poverty and despair in our fishing communities by providing emergency and welfare support to fishermen and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Over 13,000 men and women work in the UK’s toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation: deep sea fishing. At sea, they face death and injury on a daily basis. On land, many face insecurity and debt. And life for the 50,000 retired fishermen and their dependants is no better, with debt, inadequate pensions and scant savings meaning no respite from hardship once the fishing’s over.

fishermens picturefishermen 2  fishermens3

Emergency
Fishing remains the most dangerous peacetime occupation in the United Kingdom. Every year boats are sunk and lives are lost. Day or night the fishermen’s mission respond to calls to help fishermen who have been rescued at sea, involved in an accident or taken ill while fishing. Often this means waiting at night for the boat to come in and staying with the fishermen in hospital until family arrives or he can be taken home. Sometimes, if the boat is lost, it means urgently finding warm, dry clothes, having a hot drink and providing the security of a warm bed for the night and help to deal with shock. The fishermen’s mission will always respond to a call for help from their fishermen. They are always there when they are needed most.

Sea Safety Inshore and deep sea commercial fishing remains the UK’s most dangerous peacetime occupation. Fishermen are 115 times more likely to suffer a fatal accident than the rest of the workforce.

Safe Fishing: One of the most important areas of the fishermen’s mission work in recent years has been to promote safe fishing to fishermen. Fishing is the most dangerous occupation. The sea can be frightening and unpredictable. In the past inflatable oilskins and lifejackets have been too cumbersome to wear while working. Newly designed Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) are specifically designed not to get in the way of fishing.

Young Irish fishermen, Sam Cully, received one of the new PFD’s. He says ‘The Fishermen’s Mission saved my life when they provided me with a PFD. A few weeks later my boat went down and I was on my own. I was in the water for some time before I was rescued. Without my PFD I would have died’.

Welfare
Compassionate Welfare: The Fishermen’s Mission is the only national charity that works solely with fishermen and their families. They understand fishing, the needs of fishermen and the up and downs of a fishing community. They know that many fishing families have lost one of their own to the sea. They understand their grief and their pain.

A widow writes ‘The Fishermen’s Mission was my lifeline. They stayed with me all the way. They arranged for financial support, helped me with forms and letters. They stayed with me for hours, listening to me talk, helping me through’.

If the worse happens it may mean supporting the family through the days, weeks, month and years ahead. Offering a shoulder to cry on, practical and financial help and a friendship built on trust that can last years.

Practical Support
The Fishermen’s Mission is able to offer the most immediate and practical of support to those who find themselves in need of their help. The Fishermen’s Mission can:

Provide immediate financial assistance to help with rent, food, heating and lighting bills. Keeping house and home together.

Respond to an emergency call for help, day or night, 365 days a year. Responding to injured, sick or shipwrecked fishermen. Call the Fishermen’s Mission and they will be there.

Offer emotional support during bereavement, family breakdown or emotional difficulties. The Fishermen’s Mission is a shoulder to cry on and a friend to trust.

Help to prevent poverty amongst retired fishermen and their families. Offering expert guidance through the benefit system and sourcing long term grants.

If you’d like to learn more about The Fishermen’s Mission welfare and emergency work, visit The Fishermen’s Mission website: www.fishermensmission.org.uk

The Fishermen’s Mission takes care of the families of men lost at sea. They need your help if they are to continue to offer bereaved families the financial and emotional support they need.

fishermen's donation logosea fishermens

The Fishermen’s Mission is a Registered Charity:

England & Wales No 232822 and Scotland No SC039088

Appreciating Our Fishermen

On a daily basis fishermen face the possibility of being swept overboard.

A small wave can be strong enough to wash a man overboard, and injury from cables and machinery onboard while they work in slippery, wet conditions is a common hazard.

The sea is a very dangerous place and a fisherman’s job is a dangerous occupation.  Fishermen endure all types of weather from hot sunshine to turbulent, life threatening storms, yet for most fishermen the passion of being at sea outweighs the danger.

Being a fisherman has been rated the most dangerous profession in America. In the UK there are 55 accidents for every 1,000 fishing boats.

Fishermen require a strong character and it helps to be physically fit. The work of a fisherman to put fish on our plates is extremely demanding and dangerous.

Health and safety and training organisations have been set up to ensure fishermen are adequately prepared for emergencies, maintain their vessels and have adequate safety equipment, and that the fishermen are aware of the issues that cause fatalities at sea.

According to the Fishermen’s Mission “over 13,000 men and women work in the UK’s toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation: deep sea fishing. At sea they face death and injury on a daily basis, and on land many face insecurity and debt. Life for the 50,000 retired fishermen and their dependents is no better, with debt, inadequate pensions and scant savings, meaning no respite from hardship once the fishing’s over”.

The Fishermen’s Mission fights poverty and despair in our fishing communities by providing emergency and welfare support to fishermen and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

The Fishermen’s Mission takes care of the families of men lost at sea.

If you would like to visit the Fishermen’s Mission website or to make a donation to The Fishermen’s Mission, click the following link: www.fishermensmission.org.uk

Take the time to savour your fish, and appreciate the fishermen who put their lives in danger to put fish on our plates.

Are You Eating Enough Fish?

iStock_000014934314XLargeFish and shellfish are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals; high in protein, low in fat and particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids.   Steamed, baked or grilled fish are healthier choices than fried fish.   When you fry fish, you lose a lot of the health benefits. Eating a wide variety of fish can help to maintain your health, and help to sustain a healthy population of fish in our oceans.

Oily fish: Oily fish, such as fresh tuna, salmon, pilchards, sardines, mackerel, carp and anchovies contain omega-3 fatty acids.   Shellfish, such as oysters, squid, mussels and crab also contain omega-3, as do some white fish (though not as much as oily fish).   Omega-3 may help prevent heart disease.   Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fatty acid believed to reduce inflammation throughout the body which can damage blood vessels and lead to heart disease.   A healthy diet should include at least two portions of fish a week.   It is healthy to eat up to four portions of oily fish a week (unless you are, or may become pregnant, then two portions a week is recommended).   White fish, such as Atlantic cod, haddock, plaice, pollack, coley and dover sole can be safely eaten as many times a week as you like.   The heart benefits of eating fish depend on how it is prepared.   Deep fried fish is low in omega-3.   Fish can be enjoyed steamed, grilled, lightly pan-fried, baked, barbequed, added to stir-fries, casseroles and soups whilst maintaining the benefits of omega-3.

Does fish make you smarter? Some scientists believe eating food rich in omega-3 can boost blood flow to the brain, improving the ability to perform during mental tasks.   It is believed omega-3 can improve reaction times, and reduce levels of tiredness after performing tough tasks.

Many vitamins, such as A, E, D and K are fat-soluble, and require fat to break them down.   This is one of the reasons fish oil plays such an important role in brain health and in the health of other organs, such as the heart.   Without enough healthy fat in one’s diet, not enough vitamin A, E, D and K get absorbed into the system.

Children and Fish: Oily fish is a good source of vitamin D for children.   It helps ensure a good supply of calcium in the blood and therefore healthy bones. Fish is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals and is low in saturated fat. Oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon and sardines contain omega 3 fatty acids. Children should eat at least two portions of fish a week.   Some scientists believe eating oily fish plays a part in reducing the likelihood of children developing asthma.   Other health benefits linked to eating fish are healthy brain tissue, healthy eyes, reduction of the risk of cancer, lower incidence of depression, and relieved symptoms of inflammatory disease.

Oily fish: The following oily fish may help to prevent heart disease and reduce inflammation throughout the body, help absorb vitamins and improve blood flow to the brain, improving concentration and reaction times.   A gauge of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) from the higher amount of approx. 1.5g per 3oz serving to the lower amount of approx. 200mg per 3oz is displayed under the fish name.

Wild King Salmon iStock_000015755232XXXLarge iStock_000015350850XXXLarge iStock_000009192661Large
Wild Salmon Sardines Mackerel Herring
High High High High
cooked mussels iStock_000018930756XXXLarge iStock_000016099091XXXLarge Clam
Mussels Crab Tuna Clams
Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate
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Anchovy White Fish Oysters Scallops
High High Moderate Moderate

Omega-3’s are considered essential fatty acids because the body needs them but cannot make them on its own.   We have to make sure we get enough in our diets.

Sustainable Seafood

iStock_000004056308LargeWhat is ‘Sustainable Seafood’?

Sustainable seafood is seafood that is caught or farmed by methods considering the long term well being of our oceans, permitting a particular species to maintain its population without having a negative impact on other species.

A sustainable fishery is one where the life history of the fish is understood, data is available on the size and health of the stock, and the fishing is regulated.

In all walks of life moderation is key.   Instead of continuing to eat the same kinds of fish, we can become adventurous and eat different types. This will help to take pressure off the fish we buy regularly.   Try Coley, Pouting, Pollock or Pollack as a Cod Substitute.   Substitute Plaice for Dab and Gurnard for Monkfish.   Rather than reaching for Prawns, try Mussels, Clams, Oysters, Cockles and Crab.

A list of seafood from well-managed, sustainable stocks or farms, resilient to fishing pressure, and in the MCS’s (Marine Conservation Society) opinion, the best seafood choice, can be viewed by visiting the fish on line website: www.fishonline.org

Atlantic Salmon (organic farmed), Atlantic Halibut (onshore farmed), Coley or Saithe (NE Arctic), Dab (otter trawl or seine net), Herring (MSC certified), Mussel Pouting or Bib Prawn – cold water, (NE Arctic) Prawn – King or Tiger (organic farmed), Rainbow Trout (organic/freshwater farmed), Sardine or Pilchard (MSC certified), and Skipjack Tuna are currently on the good fish guide’s sustainable fish list.

Fish such as Carp, Tilapia, and Barramundi are herbivores; they eat plants and do not require fishmeal.   In the UK these fish are farmed in enclosed ponds and have a low impact on the surrounding environment.

 

 

Nutritional Values of Fish

Grilled Mahi Mahi (or whitefish) with fresh vegetables.

Fish and Shellfish provide the body with many essential vitamins and nutrients including iodine, zinc, potassium and selenium. Iodine is important for the thyroid gland. Fish is low in saturated fat and high in omega-3.

Eating fish 2 to 3 times a week can help to protect the heart from disease and can lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Eating fish can also improve your circulation and therefore help to reduce the risk of thrombosis and other circulatory problems.

Fish is very low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and low in calories. Listed below are some of the main types of fish eaten and the amount of calories they provide per 100g.

Nutritional Values of Common Fish Types: per 100g
Fish Calories Fat(g) Carbs(g) Protein(g)
Anchovy (oil) 267 16.7 0 26.7
Atlantic Cod 105 0.9 0 22.8
Carp 127 6.0 0 18.0
Clams  148 2.0  5  26.0
Cockles  79  0.7  4.7  14.0
Crag  97  2.0  0  19.0
Crayfish  87  1.3  0  18.0
Cuttlefish  158  1.4  1.6  32.0
Eel  236  15.0  0  23.7
Haddock  112  0.9  0  24.2
Halibut  140  2.9  0  26.7
John Dory 100 2.0  0 20.5
King Prawns  80  0.9  0.1  17.9
Langoustines  77  0.3  0.1  18.5
Lobster  89  0.9  0  19.0
Mackerel  262  17.8  0  23.8
Monkfish  97  2.0  0  18.6
Mussels  172  4.5 7  24.0
Octopus  164  2.1  4.4  30.0
Oysters 68  2.0  4.0  7.0
Pollock  118  1.3  0  24.9
Prawns  65  0.4  0  15.4
Salmon  208  13.0  0  20.0
Sardines (oil)  208  11.0  0  25.0
Sole  118  1.2  0  24.7
Squid  175  7.0  8  18.0
Tuna  136  1.1  0  31.0
Whitebait  180  12.0 0  18.0
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