Navaga belongs to the category of marine fish that prefer cold waters for permanent residence. According to its biological affiliation, it belongs to the cod family, which automatically makes it a welcome guest on the festive and everyday table of Europeans.
There are two extensive subspecies whose habitats are already included in their names. The northern version prefers to live in the Pacific Ocean, the islands of the Gulf of Alaska, the American coast, the Bering Strait and in the neighborhood of Korea.
The Far Eastern brother, who is sometimes also called a vakhna, prefers even colder weather. This explains its habitat near the Arctic Siberian coasts, from the Bering Sea to the northern regions of Alaska in the American waters.
The locals know well how to prepare such a delicacy with minimal loss of nutritional qualities. There is also active private fishing in winter and summer. And if professional equipment is used for industrial scales, then ordinary people prefer standard gear. Spinners are in particular demand, as usually navaga is not particularly whimsical to bait.
Otherness
What industrial production, what individual fishing to catch this type of fish provides for hunting in the coastal zone. It is not found in the open sea, preferring to lie on the bottom near the shore. In the spring, when the water becomes much warmer, it can move deeper into the ocean space, but only due to a predilection for a cold environment.
As soon as the autumn cooling starts, the shoals return back to replenish the energy reserves wasted during the heat. Such fish is especially tasty and healthy, because it offers many vitamins and minerals in abundance in its composition.
The main diet of navaga is worms, caviar, crustaceans and other small fish, if there is absolutely nothing to eat. The period of puberty of an individual begins after the age of three, and the feeding period takes the entire summer season. Upon returning with cold weather, some specimens even enter river estuaries or lakes.
Spawning sites are usually selected areas where there are intense tidal currents somewhere on the ground with pebbles or rocky-sandy ground. Despite the fact that some females are able to lay about two hundred thousand eggs, the larvae often become the prey of other predators. The surviving young prefer to experience their first months after birth closer to the jellyfish so that no one else touches them.
Industrial fishing is based on the attraction of trawls, nets and nets, but due to the abundance of fish stocks, the inhabitants do not suffer from this. They go out for “water hunting” in the interval from the beginning of freeze-up to February.
According to statistics, most of the catch falls on individuals whose sizes vary within a radius of 24 cm to 34 cm. At the same time, the Far Eastern species has more numerous populations, which is why it is harvested more. But even today’s significant indicators fade against the background of those that were characteristic of the fishery ten years ago. Environmentalists blame anthropogenic factors for everything, including water pollution, which provokes the death of eggs.
Gourmets note that in terms of taste characteristics, saffron cod wins in relation to other representatives of cod. Northern individuals have more tender meat and good juiciness in relation to the Far Eastern counterparts. Due to the fact that the carcass contains practically no small bones, its preparation is easy even for beginners in the kitchen.
But if we compare the “colleagues” in the family, then the Far Eastern fish, although it has tougher meat, can boast of minimal fat content. With it, it will turn out to have a tasty and satisfying lunch for those who keep themselves in shape and adhere to the principles of dietary nutrition. Given all of the above, fried goodies will be the best option in order to reveal the full flavor potential of the delicacy.
If you want to appreciate the layering of the carcass, then the baked version along with herbs is better.
Even a child will like it, as many doctors insist on including it in the diet of weekly baby food. And dieters will like stewed or steamed navaga without spices, salt and other additives that are designed to improve the taste and add calories to the dish.
Energy value
Dietary fillet does not even contain 4% fat, but it has a huge army of vitamins in stock. We are talking about vitamins of groups D, C, E, PP, B, K.
Among the main components in terms of microelements, phosphorus and calcium are distinguished. They are designed to ensure that the bone skeleton is in good shape, to act as a reliable shield against the development of osteoprosis in the elderly. And for a growing organism, such a tandem will serve as an important building material. Moreover, it is not necessary for picky teenagers to give boiled navaga. You can look for a tastier alternative in a slow cooker along with vegetables. So it will turn out to diversify the menu and influence the temperatures in a gentle mode.
Among other useful trace elements, there is a significant proportion of iodine, potassium, sodium, iron, sulfur, and fluorine. Separately, it is worth highlighting the high content of selenium, which, when the main ingredient is processed in the oven, remains almost unchanged. It has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system, and is also the basis for the formation of stable immunity.
Also, the properties of this inhabitant of cold waters cover:
- stabilization of vision due to the presence of vitamin A here;
- normalization of the thyroid system, which was made possible thanks to vitamin D;
- prevention of childhood rickets;
- the action of antioxidants that act as brakes when starting the aging mechanism.
Do not discount folic acid, which guarantees the formation of red cells in the blood, which is suitable for those who have a hereditary predisposition to blood-forming problems. For the same reason, it is suitable for pregnant women.
In world cookbooks, there are recipes for only individual parts of saffron cod. So, fish liver is a storehouse of unsaturated fatty acids, which are listed as participants in metabolism. With antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties, they play the role of first violin during fat synthesis.
The benefits of regularly adding a marine predator to the main menu will open up opportunities for the consumer to replenish the reserves of Omega-3 fatty acids.
This means that the fillet has a positive effect on the work of the heart muscle, reducing the possible risks of ischemia by almost a third. Together with these they:
- align the heart rhythm;
- reduce pressure;
- protect against cardiovascular disease.
And thanks to iodine, a person can forget about the difficulties with the functioning of the thyroid gland. In the course of research, it has been observed that the healing effect of fish in foil, or with any other gentle cooking format, captures the improvement in joint diseases. Especially valuable supplement will seem to those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis on a chronic basis.
Dishes are served even to those whose nervous system is shattered, or to patients suffering from various mental health disorders: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia.
Also, the anti-inflammatory properties inherent in fish act as a guarantor of protection against ultraviolet burns, while reducing the risks of developing oncology of the skin. In addition to this type of cancer, the marine dweller is the prevention of several more types of oncology.
Like the development of neoplasms in:
- liver;
- kidneys;
- large intestine;
- mammary glands;
- prostate.
To achieve this effect, it is enough to cook it in a pan or in any other convenient way at least twice a week. After a while, eaters will forget about what migraines and jumps in blood pressure are.
Having figured out what kind of fish is navaga, many begin to be interested in those who are forbidden to eat it. The marine predator is of particular concern to pregnant women, whose diet has to be revised after the good news of replenishment. But you should not worry here, since all the same fatty acids will contribute to the healthy laying of the brain and vision of the future descendant. The component is responsible for the formation of the central nervous system and at the same time it accounts for about a third of the total weight of the fetal brain.
Docasahexaenoic acid, which is abbreviated as DHA, accumulates in the baby from the third trimester of gestation and the first few weeks of life after birth.
This means that women should not refuse navaga during lactation either, you just need to know how to fry with a minimum addition of oil.
The only warning here is perhaps an allergic reaction or individual intolerance. But usually, expectant mothers always try during pregnancy only those varieties of fish that they are sure of. If navaga has already been tested in a safer period, then it makes no sense to refuse it.
Culinary use
If we put aside the possibility of running into a stale product, then the harm from this representative of the cod family is practically reduced to zero. The consumer will simply have to leave the original low calorie content almost untouched and learn how to cook with the ingredients of a healthy kitchen.
But before that, you first need to choose a suitable specimen, which can be called a carcass with not yet clouded eyes and pink gills. Usually they are sold fresh-frozen, but this does not mean that the fillets should be completely thawed before cooking. With such a development of events, cutting it neatly into equal cubes will not work. Therefore, it is better to wait until a semi-thawed state, when frost remains on the surface.
If the Far Eastern version was purchased, then the skin is first completely removed from it, even if they are going to cook under the marinade. But usually busy housewives are not ready to spend another half an hour or an hour creating a fragrant filling.
Instead of marinade, they prefer frying with vegetable oil and pork fat in identical proportions. To give a crispy crust, it is recommended to prepare a breading or a simple batter in advance.
Considering side dishes, you need to pay attention to the national cuisine in general and the possibility of growing certain vegetables in the countries of the catch. So, the Slavs love to serve potatoes or vegetable fry to it. But each hostess has her own set of spices. For some, black pepper and salt are enough. And lovers of culinary delights follow a more difficult path, choosing filling with citrus juice, green dill or seeds.
If you want to enjoy a hearty fish soup, then you need to try to find the northern variety, which is sometimes also called the White Sea. It is suitable for a classic fish soup with several broths, as well as a quick soup.
It is also added to covered pies or savory pies, which are better to bake rather than fry. Adherents of traditionalism use ceramic pots for cooking, baking coarsely diced fish along with potatoes, mushrooms, homemade sour cream and bay leaves with peppercorns.
Nutritionists, on the other hand, insist that it is better to wrap the carcass in foil or stew with herbs. And when there is an opportunity, large pieces are sent for grilling, getting the original kebab in its own juice. Only now you shouldn’t marinate it first, it’s better to just limit yourself to salting with coarse salt.
And navaga caviar has long passed into the rank of delicacies. The most popular method of its preparation are pancakes. For them, you need to take separated caviar bags and grind with a small amount of flour, and then send them to fry. Gourmets say that it turns out just fine, if you do not overdo it with frying oil.