Friday 13 December 2013

Pollock & Basa: 2 Popular Seawater Fishes

There are many different kinds of fish recipes prepared in different countries across the world. Almost all Asian countries together constitute the largest producer and consumer of seafood in the world. Shrimp, Crab and Fish are the main seafood consumed around the world. Here in this post, we will discuss about two popular seawater fishes used to prepare many delicious fish dishes. Let’s get across.


1.Basa Fish
 
Its biological name is Pangasius bocourti. It’s a kind of catfish in the family Pangasiidae, kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, and class Actinopterygii. These fish are native to Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and Chao Phraya basin in Thailand. This fish has a lot of popularity in the International market. In UK, this species is mostly known as ‘river cobbler’.

These fish exhibit a stout and heavy body. This species grows up to 120 cm (47 in) in length. The rounded head is broader compared to its length with the blunt snout containing a white band on the muzzle. These fish depend on plants for food. The fish of this species deposit eggs at the onset of the flood season and the young fishes are first seen in the month of June. By mid-June these juveniles become about 5cm long. Here is the good article about Basa fish by seafood exporter Siam Canadian.


Environmental and Health Concerns
 
There are a no. of environmental organizations across the globe that have raised concerns about this species. There are also concerns raised about the feed quality, operating standards of farms and biological impact of using wild stock of this species. These concerns are raised by an organization Vancouver Aquarium. Another organization named as the Monterey Bay Aquarium does not red-flag these fish.

These fish have become fairly common in UK markets where you can find these fish in large supermarkets in both fresh and frozen forms. These fish are liked by UK people as a cheaper alternative of white fish which is traditionally popular there.

2.Pollock Fish
 
It’s biologically named as Pollachius pollachius (Pollack) or Pollachius virens (Saithe). So there are two recognized species in this particular genus. Biologically this species belongs to kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, order Gardiformes and family Gadidae.

Both the species can grow up to a maximum length of 3 ft 6 in (1.07m) and a maximum weight of 46 lb (21 kg). Every fish in both the species exhibits the common characteristic feature like a strongly defined, silvery line laterally spreading down both sides. The color above this silvery line is slightly greenish black. They are known as ‘whitefish’ with a white belly. These fish can be found in deep water up to 180m deep.

These fish including other species of this family are often plagued by parasites. The female parasite of cod worm (Lemaeocera branhialis), which is a copepod crustacean, affects the gills of the fish. It then generates fertilized eggs and develops wormlike bodies.

These fish are highly consumed as food in many American and European countries.

Sunday 24 November 2013

How to Cook Frozen Shrimp Without Losing The Taste

Fresh shrimps are the best. They are believed to contain much protein when they are fresh so fresh shrimps are higher in cost compared to frozen shrimps. When you go to the market or fish stall, you have got to pay some extra bucks for that fresh shrimp; but make sure that’s actually fresh shrimp before buying it.

The shrimps which are mostly available on the market are frozen. So it’s good to buy frozen shrimp in comparatively lesser rate, defrost them and cook carefully to retain its taste, flavor and protein & fat contents. Read on the entire post to know how to cook frosted shrimp so as to keep its taste and flavor intact.

Things you need:
 
To cook shrimp recipes you obviously need some utensils like a cooking pot, tongs and a sharp knife, the shrimp, cooking oil, water, ingredients, spices, salt and lemon juice depending on the dish’s requirement.

Preparation:
 
First off you need to defrost the shrimp. To do this take some water in a pot and put the shrimp in it for about 15 to 20 minutes and allow it to defrost.

After the shrimp gets defrosted, start peeling it. Start peeling the shell, skin and legs from the ventral side up to the ends. Take the tail of the shrimp off too. Put all the removed shell in a separate container and dispose it, unless it may spread the bad smell throughout your kitchen.

Now about the cooking – If your intention is to retain its taste and flavor, you’ve got to add lemon juice to it. Cut 2 to 3 fresh lemons to get 4-5 spoons of juice, and add the juice to the peeled shrimp. Aside from that, add some salt and turmeric powder, and mix the shrimp well to bring in the attractive yellowish color.

In majority of Asian shrimp dishes, you would find the dried and properly fried shrimp, unless you order shrimp sauce or salad items. Frozen shrimp is believed to be most delicious when it is fried with spices. So the onion, garlic and ginger pastes serve as the main ingredients for shrimp dishes, however, milk and curd are also used for more flavor.

If you desire to prepare the spicy shrimp or shrimp curry, take some oil in a pan and put it on the flame. As the oil is heated put the shrimp in the pan and fry it for about 10 minutes till it turns to reddish-brown. You can add the spices to it directly or can prepare the spices separately in another pan. While preparing the spices on the heat you could smell an attractive aroma out of it. Then add the fried shrimp to it and serve it in a plate. Well, this concludes the delicious Asian shrimp curry dish. Some curd and coriander leaves can also be added to the dish for some extra flavor. For more update information like our Face book Fan Page: Siam Canadian Group Limited