On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 374

the most evident of which is mucus, a proteinaceous substance much like egg white The skin is often richer than the flesh, averaging 5–10% fat The thick dermis layer of the skin is especially rich inconnective tissue It’s generally about one-third collagen by weight, and therefore can contribute much more thickening gelatin to stocks and stews than the fish’s flesh (0.3–3% collagen) or bones Moist heating will turn the skin into a slick gelatinous sheet, while frying or grilling enough to desiccate it will make it crisp Scales are another evident form of protection for the fish skin They are made up of the same hard, tough calcareous minerals as teeth, and are removed by scraping against their grain with a knife blade Bones The main skeleton of a small or moderate-size fish, consisting of the backbone and attached rib cage, can often be separated from the meat in one piece However, there are usually also bones projecting into the fins, and fish in the herring, salmon, and other families have small “floating” or “pin” bones unattached to the main skeleton, which help stiffen some of the connective-tissue sheets and direct the muscular forces along them Because fish bones are smaller, lighter, and less mineralized with calcium than landanimal bones, and because their collagen is less tough, they can be softened and even dissolved by a relatively short period near the boil (hence the high calcium content of canned salmon) Fish skeletons are even eaten on their own: in Catalonia, Japan, and India they’re deep-fried until crunchy Fish Innards The innards of fish and shellfish offer their own special pleasures Fish eggs are described below (p 239) Many fish livers are prized, including those of the goatfish (“red mullet”), monkfish, mackerel, ray, and cod, as is the comparable organ in ...are usually also bones projecting into the fins, and fish in the herring, salmon, and other families have small “floating” or “pin” bones unattached to the main skeleton, which help stiffen some of the connective-tissue... be softened and even dissolved by a relatively short period near the boil (hence the high calcium content of canned salmon) Fish skeletons are even eaten on their own: in Catalonia, Japan, and. .. sheets and direct the muscular forces along them Because fish bones are smaller, lighter, and less mineralized with calcium than landanimal bones, and because their collagen is less tough, they