Seafood: list, types, photos

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Most people of all edible inhabitants of the world's oceans are combined into one category - "seafood". Their list, however, should not include fish and meat of marine mammals (seals, whales, walruses and other animals). By science, these vertebrate inhabitants of the seas and oceans are separated into a separate group. But many fish producers and suppliers of processed fish products, as well as fish workers, often refer to their products as seafood because of their common area of origin.

Popular types of seafood

The most common categories of a wide variety of inhabitants of the deep sea, suitable for food, are the following: bivalves, which include oysters, mussels and scallops; cephalopods (octopuses, cuttlefish and squid); crustaceans (shrimp and crabs, lobsters or lobsters, krill, lobsters and crayfish); echinoderms - trepangs, sea urchins,cucumaria and holothurians; seaweed (kelp and bubbly fucus, spirulina, sea lettuce or ulva, porphyra and lithotamnia). Such an exotic exciting world for every European as Japanese cooking uses seafood, the list of names of which contains the original names given in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Algae - nori, kombu, hijiki, wakame, kanten and umi budo - can be found in sushi and rolls prepared in Asian restaurants around the planet.

Advantages of offshore products

The average calorie level of most seafood is 80-85 kcal per 100 g of he althy food. The type and chemical composition of the inhabitants of the deep sea are directly related to their energy value. For example, shrimp meat is rich in minerals beneficial to human he alth: calcium and magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus and iron.

Squid or octopus carcasses are mega-sources of B and C vitamins. At the same time, 100 g of mussel meat contains only 3 g of fat, while squid and shrimp carcasses contain even less of this nutrient, which has a positive effect on the caloric content of the diet for losing weight, which is based on fish and seafood. The list of their beneficial properties also includes the presence of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These substances improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, lower cholesterol levels, and stabilize the hormonal background. In addition, products from the sea normalize digestion,stimulate metabolic processes in the body, reduce the risk of oncological diseases.

Other he alth benefits of seafood

By understanding what seafood is, the list of which includes a huge variety of living organisms that are edible to humans, as well as understanding the whole world of animals, plants and algae, it is easy to determine how to replenish your diet with delicious and extremely he althy delicacies. Shrimp meat is an ideal product for people who want to lose weight. A high protein content, lack of sugars and fats - these qualities of crustacean representatives help a person to enjoy them and at the same time reduce weight. In addition, this type of seafood contains the highest concentration of vitamin B12, which activates the synthesis of hemoglobin, which perfectly strengthens the nervous system. Sea snails are leaders in the content of vitamin B6 and magnesium, elements that contribute to the prevention of depression.

Mussels are champions in the presence of vitamin E, a feminine remedy that maintains the beauty of skin, hair and nails. This powerful antioxidant regulates the reproductive function, has rejuvenating properties. In addition to natural protein, seafood is a major supplier of iodine and iron to our body, which improve brain function. People who regularly consume seafood are less likely to experience stress and staunchly resist depression. Nutritionists recommend that for good nutrition, include two to three meals a week containing seafood in the diet. dietary list,low-calorie seafood allows a person to diversify the menu and at the same time be saturated without gaining weight.

Food from the Blue Fields: Processing

Seafood today is used not only in cooking: the chemical, textile, cosmetic and medical industries use them to produce therapeutic and anti-aging (rejuvenating) cosmetics, hair lotions, iodine-containing seasonings for food, for making ice cream and food ice, thickeners for toothpaste, for the production of cellulose and paper, for the production of rubber, varnishes and textiles. Seaweed is a source of s alt, which is used to preserve fish, and they are also used to make a film that protects fresh and tasty seafood from rancidity and drying out.

Scientists have been able to obtain hemostatic drugs from algae, and mineral wool from thalli has much better properties than cellulose, as absorbable dressings based on sodium alginate promote healing of wound edges without causing complications.

Edible inhabitants of the northern seas

Due to the harsh climatic conditions, representatives of the water element of the North develop very slowly and reach enormous sizes. The fauna of the Arctic Ocean is the supplier of the largest mussels, reaching from 10 to 20 centimeters in length, shrimps up to 30 cm in size, giant squids, whose growth can reach 5 meters! The longevity of living organisms in the cold Arctic waters distinguishes northern seafood from their southern onesbrothers. So, for example, mussels of the Barents Sea can exist for about 25 years (in the Black Sea, these mollusks live only about 6 years). In addition, fish are harvested in the Barents Sea - haddock, cod, polar cod and capelin, as well as shrimps.

In the total volume of the catch, the share of catfish and sea flounder, pollock and flounder-ruff is quite large. In the White Sea, the herring of the same name, Pechora and White Sea saffron cod are caught. In the sixties of the last century in the Barents Sea, they began to breed king crab, and since 2002 they have organized its commercial fishing. Processed fish, crabs and shrimp are frozen at sea on the vessels of the company "Variant", the exclusive distributor of which is the company "Northern Seafood". After buying seafood delicacies - shrimp or crabs - they need to be thawed a little in cold water or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and boiled. Cooked crab meat is used as a snack or an independent dish, shrimp - boiled or fried, served with sauces, stuffed with vegetables or eggs, added to various salads, prepared with them in sandwiches, added to soups.

Food for the centenarians of Asia and the Mediterranean

The balanced composition of seafood, their lightness and low calorie content have become the reason why coastal residents prefer seafood. The list of products of the Japanese and Chinese, Greeks and Italians, French and Spaniards consists of marine ingredients for soups and salads, second courses and snacks. Algae, which contains many usefulvitamins, minerals and amino acids (in addition, they are gentle on the digestive tract); crustaceans (shrimps, lobsters, lobsters (lobsters), crabs and small crustaceans - krill, rich in dietary meat); mollusks - cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid), bivalves, oysters, mussels and scallops, and gastropods, rapana - form the basis of the diet of most centenarians of the world.

In China, crabs, shrimp and scallops are highly valued as a means of strengthening the vitality of the body. Residents of most countries in Asia and the Mediterranean consider mollusks, cephalopods and crustaceans harvested in blue expanses of water to be the most exquisite delicacies. In France, gourmets often order sea snails, oysters and mussels, in addition to the usual shrimp, crabs and lobsters.

How to choose the right seafood: pros and cons

A significant advantage of many seafood is associated with their quick preparation, which is important for cooks and ordinary housewives. Of the minuses, only one can be named - seafood rarely comes to us fresh, as it quickly deteriorates. But after shock freezing, their nutritional value does not deteriorate at all, therefore, an even thin layer of ice glaze on seafood indicates their good quality. Live, they can only be sold in coastal areas or close to farms where they are grown in artificial conditions.

Raw or boiled and then frozen, there can be seafood, the list of which consists of squid,trepangs, scallop fillets, kelp and other seafood. In dried form, you can find shrimp or trepang in stores. The food industry produces crabs, squids, shrimps, sea scallop fillets, sea kale and other species from canned products obtained in the sea. S alted and smoked seafood is often served as an appetizer for beer.

When size matters

Special care is required when selecting giant king prawns, popular with buyers who do not want to spend precious time cleaning small specimens from their shells. Many experts say that these artificially enlarged shrimp are due to the use of growth stimulants and other harmful additives. Although for the accumulation of these dangerous substances in the human body, you need to eat king prawns often and for quite a long time.

Pay attention

To determine the freshness of clams, you need to knock on their shell. Living individuals of the sash will immediately slam shut, while their contents should be transparent, colorless with a pleasant sea smell. Dirty-gray meat and open wings are a sign of an unfit mollusk. Fresh seafood, in which the list of crustaceans occupies a significant part, is distinguished by a hard shell and dense meat with a slight he althy sheen. Dry and matte protein content of crab, lobster or shrimp means the product is not fresh.

Seaweed in cooking and cosmetology

Popular seaweed can be found on supermarket shelves infresh and dried, canned and pickled, as well as s alted. Laminaria is one of the most important sources of iodine, which is ideally absorbed by our body. Seaweed salad is an excellent means of preventing diseases of the thyroid gland and, in general, the entire endocrine system. In addition, the abundance of dietary fiber in kelp and low calorie content makes it an indispensable product in the process of weight loss. In cosmetology, seaweed is used as a moisturizing, skin tightening, fat burning and vitaminizing component of most home and professional products.