Sole

The sea tongue belongs to the order of flounders. Biological classification classifies it as a salt family, which was the reason for the international name of this fish – European salt.

The name of the inhabitant of subtropical and tropical waters fully corresponds to the main two characteristics of this subspecies of flounder. She really lives exclusively in the marine environment and at the same time resembles a long tongue in shape.

Features & Features

Most gourmets know what kind of fish sole is, as it is famous for its taste characteristics, despite its relatively modest dimensions. The average length barely reaches 30 centimeters.

According to external signs, the marine inhabitant is very similar to the flounder, as he received an identical body flattened on the sides. The only difference is the longer length. But the eyes are located in exactly the same way as that of a colleague, which served as the basis for the name of the zoological detachment.

The standard color varies from pale brown, with dark patches on top, to gradually lighter in the lower part of the carcass. The scales are very small protective plates that feel like armor.

A few centuries ago, sole was served only at the table of the nobility during the arrival of especially dear guests. Only professional chefs knew how to cook it properly, while retaining its original nutritional value. Now the delicacy has become more accessible, but still belongs to the category of especially delicious dishes.

On an industrial scale, it is exported from Vietnam, delivered either fresh-frozen or ready-made: smoked, salted, dried. Local producers have learned to make tasty canned food and other semi-finished products based on it. Such a processing method, with the right technological approach, preserves the original vitamin composition, allowing the fillet to be used for stews, first and second courses.

You can meet fish on the shelves of shops in the countries of the former USSR both in its entirety and already cut. But if you want not to mess with cutting, you should remember the significant drawback of this solution. Often, under the name of a delicacy, they sell a fillet of a cheaper analogue – pangasius. Recognizing a fake can be problematic even for experienced buyers.

Because of this, experts recommend not being greedy and purchasing whole copies, especially paying attention to several signs indicating the freshness of the product:

• scales should fit snugly to the body;
• gills should be bright red;
• too pronounced fishy smell indicates the likely addition of chemical components;
• the meat should be elastic.

To determine the latter, a standard test is carried out. Pressing on the carcass with your finger, you need to see how quickly the surface will take its original even shape. If it happened instantly, then everything is in order. A prompt reaction indicates that the product was not frozen-thawed several times again.

You can meet recipes mentioning this fish in many world cuisines. Experienced chefs know not only how to fry deliciousness with minimal loss of energy value, but also process it in other ways. It is believed that a true professional chooses the format of heat treatment based on the size of the catch delivered to the kitchen:

• small specimens are best savored after baking in the oven;
• medium options are considered ideal for cooking in a double boiler;
• large – can be fried, boiled in broth or made in foil.

Some adherents of a healthy lifestyle have adopted sole for their weekly menu. It is valued for its relatively low calorie content, because the meat is really lean. And gourmets give him preference because of the lack of small bones.

Italian cookbooks offer especially many step-by-step instructions. Here, the most popular delicacy based on this adherent of the tropical seas is cooking in Marsala white wine. Not without the obligatory supply of wine in the French tradition. Here they offer breaded fish along with dry vermouth.

The Spaniards are more fond of fillet in a pan, which is served with filling from:

• grated tomatoes;
• garlic;
• olive oil;
• almonds;
• Luke;
• chili pepper;
• sweet pepper.

And the British, saving time, generally just fry the main ingredient with butter and serve with french fries for satiety.

Fish is prohibited

Consumers from different countries appreciate the European salt for a more delicate taste than the classic flounder can offer. Also, meat contains many useful nutrients that have a beneficial effect on the work of the whole organism. But there is also the flip side of the coin.

In some European and North American countries, its sale and consumption is prohibited. Such categoricalness is explained by the fact that the fillet contains a large number of toxins, heavy metals, hormones and bacteria. There is only one reason for this – the place of the catch.

The Mekong is one of the most polluted bodies of water recognized in the world, where most of the fish are caught for export. Polluted liquids that come from the surrounding chemical plants, as well as sewage and mineral fertilizer residues from nearby fields are poured there without a twinge of conscience.

A separate problem is the special hormonal supplements that are fed to females to accelerate the growth of future offspring. They are imported from Asia, but no one has disclosed a detailed description of the contents of the packages with hormones to the general public.

If too often lean on such a dubious product, then you can face serious problems like:

• liver damage;
• hematopoietic diseases;
• other deviations in the work of internal organs.

To avoid a possible bouquet of diseases, you should ask the seller in advance where the goods were imported from. At the slightest doubt, you can require the provision of official accompanying documentation.

Replenishment of energy reserves

Since the world’s sole fishery is not 100% centered around the polluted Mekong, people still have a high chance of tasting treats from an ecologically friendly area. Moreover, the benefits of eating fresh fish impress even doctors, because one carcass is completely composed of easily digestible protein.

There are also essential amino acids that the human body is unable to produce on its own in sufficient quantities. About 20% of the total composition falls on proteins here, but fat is barely collected at 1,5%.

Three fatty acids have become a separate subject of admiration:

• arachidonic;
• linolenic;
• Linoleic.

Briefly, they are called vitamin F. But in addition to it, the composition is ready to please a number of other vitamins of groups B, D, A, E. Among the main trace elements are:

• iodine;
• manganese;
• copper;
• zinc;
• iron;
• fluorine;
• phosphorus.

In the course of numerous studies, scientists came to the conclusion that, in terms of amino acid content, the European salt has become almost the rightful owner of the so-called ideal protein. Thanks for this:

• tryptophan;
• lysine;
• methionine.

And due to taurine, a delicious lunch will give reliable prevention of hypertension. Acting as a pressure regulator, taurine simultaneously takes on the role of a blood sugar stabilizer.

Do not bypass food for all those who suffer from low acidity. With minimal processing, for example, a baked version, the food stimulates the appetite. This happens due to the ability of the components of the composition to provoke an abundant secretion of gastric juice.

Also, one should not be afraid that the fillet will cause the formation of cholesterol plaques. In its pure form, cholesterol in fish oil is barely 30 mg here. These elements, on the contrary, act as natural cleansers of blood vessels, removing accumulated toxins from the body. Together, this allows, with a cumulative effect, to count on powerful support for prevention:

• stroke;
• heart attack;
• sclerosis;
• psoriasis.

Recent studies have also shown that the vitamins of groups E and A contained here reduce the risk of cancer by several times. And the health of the thyroid gland will be taken care of by shock dosages of iodine.

Culinary battles

So that generally healthy fish does not go to harm, it is extremely important to control the cooking process at all stages. So it will turn out to get rid of excess fat and save the delicacy from adding unnecessary synthetic food additives to enhance the taste.

The chefs of fashionable restaurants insist that high-quality cooking of the sole should take place literally at lightning speed. This will preserve the delicate characteristic aroma and the desired structure of the meat.

It is equally important to be able to properly butcher a whole fish. To do this, follow the following plan:

• first get rid of the scales;
• at the base of the tail, make several incisions to tear off the tough skin by pulling from the end to the head;
• trim the tail fin;
• get rid of the head and hard parts of the remaining fins, if required by the recipe;
• remove gills and other entrails;
• the cleaning is completed with a cut along the ridge to separate the fillet with minimal loss to the fleshy part.

And do not rush to throw away the head and large bones. They make an excellent base for fish sauce or rich broth.

The easiest way to handle a fillet is to dip it in batter according to your own proprietary recipe. If you didn’t have to cook this before, then you can use the standard egg recipe, and serve the prepared one with heat and heat after sprinkling with chopped parsley and sprinkling with lemon juice. Stewed tomatoes and eggplant are the ideal side dish for them.

If you want something more refined, then you should look into the spice section of the supermarket. There you need to buy:

• marjoram;
• basil;
• nutmeg;
• dill;
• pepper.

But any spicy seasonings like garlic are best put aside. They are too strong for the subtle taste of salt.

Differences between the sea language and pangasius

Another factor in the success of a cooked dish behind the scenes is the ability to correctly recognize when a dishonest seller tries to sell a cheap analogue under the guise of a delicacy. In order not to overpay for pangasius, you need to look closely at the color of the fillet. The tropical inhabitant has white, almost transparent meat, while the pangasius has received a wider range of colors: from light pink to gray.

Moreover, if the offer turned out to be completely gray, this indicates a low quality of the proposed product. It should not be eaten even by those who are desperate to find the original marine language and agree to the “closest brother”.

Another clue is the thickness of the cut fillet. Usually, in a more refined version, it is very thin. Even the trick of some implementers, such as re-freezing the carcass with a huge ice layer, which is weighed along with the fillet, does not affect this parameter.

If the seller allows you to smell the future purchase, then the typical smell of river fish indicates pangasius. It also has a pronounced pinkish-brown stripe in the middle, running from the ridge. European salt will either not have it at all, or it will turn out to be almost imperceptible. The final difference covers the presence of a fatty layer on the sides, which is characteristic only of pangasius.

But even such preparatory measures do not always save you from the likelihood of running into a fake. Because of this, chefs are still advised to look for stores where fish is sold in bulk. This increases the chances of finding the right option, without the need for a long time to sniff and look for color differences.