On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 368

Preparation Certain cooking processes transform the proteins and related molecules in meat and fish into highly reactive products that damage DNA and may thereby initiate the development of cancers (p 124) So the rule for cooking meat also holds for cooking fish: to minimize the creation of potential carcinogens, steam, braise, and poach fish rather than grilling, broiling, or frying it If you use high, dry heat, then consider applying a marinade, whose moisture, acidity, and other chemical qualities reduce carcinogen production Life in Water and the Special Nature of Fish As a home for living things, the earth’s waters are a world apart The house rules are very different than they are for our cattle and pigs and chickens The adaptations of fish and shellfish to life in water are the source of their distinctive qualities as foods The Paleness and Tenderness of Fish Flesh Fish owe their small, light bones, delicate connective tissue, and large, pale muscle masses to the fact that water is much denser than air Fish can attain a neutral buoyancy — can be almost weightless — simply by storing some lighter-than-water oils or gas in their bodies This means that they don’t need the heavy skeletons or the tough connective tissues that land animals have developed in order to support themselves against the force of gravity A Health Inconvenience: Waxy Fish There’s an unusual digestive consequence to eating the fish called escolar and walu (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum and Ruvettus pretiotus) They, and to a lesser extent the orange roughy, accumulate ... some lighter-than-water oils or gas in their bodies This means that they don’t need the heavy skeletons or the tough connective tissues that land animals have developed in order to support themselves against the force of gravity... A Health Inconvenience: Waxy Fish There’s an unusual digestive consequence to eating the fish called escolar and walu (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum and Ruvettus pretiotus) They, and to a lesser extent the. ..distinctive qualities as foods The Paleness and Tenderness of Fish Flesh Fish owe their small, light bones, delicate connective tissue, and large, pale muscle masses to the fact that water is much denser