mackerel and herring remain in good condition on ice for only five days, cod and salmon for eight, trout for 15, carp and tilapia (a freshwater African native) for 20 days The Sensitivity and Fragility of Fish in the Pan Most fish pose a double challenge in the kitchen They are more easily overcooked to a dry fibrousness than ordinary meats And even when they’re perfectly done, their flesh is very fragile and tends to fall apart when moved from pan or grill to plate The sensitivity of fish to heat is related to their perishability: muscle fibers that are specialized to work well in the cold not only spoil at lower temperatures, they become cooked at lower temperatures The muscle proteins of ocean fish begin to unfold and coagulate at room temperature! Though overcooked fish gets dry, it never gets tough The fragility of cooked fish results from its relatively small amounts connectivetissue collagen, and from the low temperature at which that collagen is dissolved into gelatin The Unpredictability of Fish Quality The quality of many fish and shellfish can vary drastically from season to season This is because they live out life cycles that typically include one phase during which they grow and mature, accumulating energy reserves and reaching their peak of culinary quality, and a subsequent phase during which they expend those reserves to migrate and create masses of eggs or sperm for the next generation And most fish don’t store their reserves in layers of fat, as land animals do Instead they use the proteins of their muscle mass as their energy pack During migrations and spawning, they ... eggs or sperm for the next generation And most fish don’t store their reserves in layers of fat, as land animals do Instead they use the proteins of their muscle mass as their energy pack During migrations and spawning, they... The Unpredictability of Fish Quality The quality of many fish and shellfish can vary drastically from season to season This is because they live out life cycles that typically include one phase during which they grow and. .. include one phase during which they grow and mature, accumulating energy reserves and reaching their peak of culinary quality, and a subsequent phase during which they expend those reserves to migrate and create masses of eggs or sperm for the next generation