in land animals it is progressively reinforced with age Meat collagen is tough and must be cooked for some time near the boil to be dissolved into gelatin, but in most fish it dissolves at 120 or 130ºF/50–55ºC, at which point the muscle layers separate into distinct flakes Succulence from Gelatin and Fat Both gelatin and fat can contribute an impression of moistness to fish texture Fish with little collagen — trout, bass — seem drier when cooked than those with more — halibut, shark Because the motion for steady swimming comes mostly from the back end of the fish, the tail region contains more connective tissue than the head end, and seems more succulent Red muscle fibers are thinner than white fibers and require more connective tissue to join them with each other, so dark meat has a noticeably finer, more gelatinous texture The fat content of fish muscle runs a tremendous range, from 0.5% in cod and other white fish to 20% in well-fed herring and their relatives (p 184) Fat storage cells are found primarily in a distinct layer under the skin, and then in the visible sheets of connective tissue that separate the myotomes Within a given fish, the belly region is usually the fattiest, while muscle segments get progressively leaner toward the back and tail A center-cut salmon steak may have twice the fat content of a slice from the tail Fish anatomy Unlike the muscles of land animals (p 120), fish muscles are arranged in layers of short fibers, and organized and separated by sheets of connective tissue that ... progressively leaner toward the back and tail A center-cut salmon steak may have twice the fat content of a slice from the tail Fish anatomy Unlike the muscles of land animals (p 120), fish muscles are arranged in... primarily in a distinct layer under the skin, and then in the visible sheets of connective tissue that separate the myotomes Within a given fish, the belly region is usually the fattiest, while muscle segments get.. .The fat content of fish muscle runs a tremendous range, from 0.5% in cod and other white fish to 20% in well-fed herring and their relatives (p 184) Fat storage cells are found