Seafood: list, types, photos

Most people of all edible inhabitants of the world's ocean are united in one category - "seafood". Their list, however, should not include fish and meat of marine mammals (seals, whales, walruses and other animals). Science these vertebrates inhabitants of the seas and oceans are separated into a separate group. But many producers of fish products and suppliers of semi-finished products from fisheries, as well as fisheries workers often call their products seafood due to the general area of origin.

Popular seafood

The most common categories of the most diverse inhabitants of the sea depths, suitable for food, are the following: bivalve mollusks, which include oysters, mussels and scallops; Cephalopods (octopus, sea cuttlefish and squid); Crustaceans (shrimps and crabs, lobsters or lobsters, krill, lobsters and crayfish); Echinoderms - trepangs, sea urchins, cucumber and holothuria; Seaweed (kelp and bubbly fucus, spirulina, sea salad or ulva, porphyry and litotamnia). Such an exotic exciting world for every European, like 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 cooked in restaurants of Asian cuisine all over the planet.

Advantages of products produced in the sea

The average calorie content of most seafood is 80-85 calories per 100 g of healthy food. The species and chemical composition of the inhabitants of the sea depths are directly related to their energy value. For example, shrimp meat is rich in minerals useful for human health: calcium and magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus and iron.

Carcases of squids or octopuses are megasources of B and C vitamins. In addition, 100 g of mussel meat contains only 3 g of fat, and in the carcasses of squid and shrimp this nutrient is even less, which has a positive effect on the caloric content of the diet for thinners, the basis of which is Fish and seafood. A list of their useful properties also includes the presence of fatty polyunsaturated acids of omega-3 and omega-6. These substances improve the work of the cardiovascular system, reduce the level of cholesterol, stabilize the hormonal background. In addition, products from the sea normalize digestion, stimulate metabolic processes in the body, reduce the risk of occurrence and development of cancers.

Other useful properties of seafood

Finding out what is relevant to seafood, the list of which includes a huge number of various living organisms, edible for humans, and also figuring out the whole world of animals, plants and algae, it is easy to determine how to supplement your diet with delicious and extremely beneficial delicacies. Meat of shrimp is an ideal product for people who want to lose weight. High protein content, absence of sugars and fats - these qualities of crustacean representatives help a person to eat 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 the leaders in the content of vitamin B6 and magnesium, elements that contribute to the prevention of depressive conditions. Mussels are the record holders for the presence in them of vitamin E, a female remedy that supports the beauty of the skin, hair and nails. This powerful antioxidant regulates the childbearing function, has rejuvenating properties. In addition to natural protein, seafood is a major supplier of iodine and iron in our body, improving the work of the brain. People who regularly consume seafood are less likely to be stressed and are resistant to depression. Nutritionists recommend for a full meal include in the diet two or three meals a week, containing seafood. A list of dietary, low calorie seafood allows a person to diversify the menu and at the same time saturate without adding weight.

Food products from "blue fields": processing

Seafood today is used not only in cooking: the chemical, textile, cosmetic and medical industries use them for the production of medical and anti-aging cosmetics, hair lotions, iodine-containing seasonings for food, ice cream and food ice, thickeners for toothpaste, For the production of pulp and paper, for the production of rubber, varnishes and textiles. Algae serve as a source of salt, which is used for preserving fish, and from them, a film is obtained protecting fresh and delicious seafood from rancidity and drying. From algae, scientists were able to get haemostatic drugs, and mineral wool from thallus has much better properties than cellulose, since absorbable dressings based on sodium alginate help to heal the edges of the wound without causing complications.

Edible inhabitants of the northern seas

Due to severe climatic conditions, the representatives of the water element of the North develop very slowly and reach enormous proportions. 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 squid, whose growth can reach 5 meters! Longevity of living organisms in cold Arctic waters is distinguished by northern seafood from their southern counterparts. For example, the mussels of the Barents Sea are able to exist for about 25 years (in Black, these mollusks live only about 6 years). In addition, in the Barents Sea, fish are extracted - haddock, cod, saika and capelin, and shrimp. In the total volume of catch, the share of catfish and sea flounder, saithe and flounder-ruff is quite large. In the White Sea they catch the same herring, Pechora and White Sea navaga. In the sixties of the last century, the Kamchatka crab was started to be bred in the Barents Sea , and from 2002 it was organized by its commercial fishing. Processed fish, crabs and shrimps are frozen in the sea, on the vessels of the company "Variant", the exclusive distributor of which is the company "Northern Seafood". After buying marine delicacies - shrimp or crabs - they need to be thawed a little in cold water or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and boil. Cooked crab meat is used as a snack or a self-serving dish, shrimp is cooked or fried, served with sauces, stuffed with vegetables or eggs, added to various salads, cooked with sandwiches, added to soups.

Food of the long-livers of Asia and the Mediterranean countries

The balanced composition of the seafood, their lightness and low caloric content have become the reason why the inhabitants of the coastal regions prefer seafood. Grocery list Japanese and Chinese, Greeks and Italians, French and Spanish, consists of sea ingredients for soups and salads, second courses and snacks. Algae, which contains many useful vitamins, minerals and amino acids (in addition, they sparingly act on the digestive tract); Crustaceans (shrimps, lobsters, lobsters, crabs and small crustaceans - krill, rich in dietary meat); Mollusks - cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid), bivalves, oysters, mussels and scallops, and gastropods, rapans - form the basis of the diet of most long-livers of the world. In China, crabs, shrimps and sea scallops are highly valued as a means of strengthening the vital forces of the body. The inhabitants of most countries of Asia and the Mediterranean consider the most exquisite delicacies of mollusks, cephalopods and crustaceans extracted on the blue waters. In France, gourmets often order sea snails, oysters and mussels, besides the usual shrimp, crab and lobster.

How to choose the seafood: the pros and cons

A significant advantage of many seafood is associated with their rapid preparation, which is important for cooks and ordinary housewives. Of the minuses can only be called one - seafood seldom get to us fresh, because they quickly deteriorate. But after the shock freezing, their nutritional value does not deteriorate at all, so an even thin layer of ice glaze on the seafood indicates their good quality. They can be sold alive only in coastal areas or not far from farms where they are grown in artificial conditions. Raw or boiled, and then frozen, can be seafood, a list Which consists of squid, trepang, scallop fillet, kelp and other seafood. In dried form in shops you can meet shrimp or trepang. Of the canned products extracted from the sea, the food industry produces crabs, squid, shrimp, scallop fillet, sea cabbage and other species. Salted and smoked seafood is often served as a snack for beer.

When size matters

Choosing giant royal prawns, popular among buyers who do not want to spend precious time cleaning small specimens from shells, requires special care. Many experts say that these artificially increased sizes of shrimps are associated with the use of growth stimulants and other harmful additives. Although for the accumulation of these dangerous substances in the human body you need to consume royal shrimp often and quite a long time.

Pay attention

To determine the freshness of shellfish, you need to knock on their shell. Live specimens of the leaf are immediately shut, while their contents should be clear, colorless, with a pleasant sea smell. Dirty-gray meat and open sashes are a sign of an unfit for consumption shellfish. Fresh seafood, list Crustaceans in which it occupies a large part, are distinguished by a hard shell and dense meat, which has a light healthy shine. The dry and opaque protein content of crabs, lobsters or shrimp means that the product is stale.

Sea kale in cooking and cosmetology

Popular seaweed can be found on supermarket shelves in fresh and dried, canned and pickled, and also in a salted form. Laminaria is one of the most important sources of iodine, which is perfectly absorbed by our body. Salad from sea kale is an excellent means of preventing thyroid diseases and in general, the entire endocrine system. In addition, the abundance of dietary fiber in laminaria and low caloric content makes it an indispensable product in the process of weight loss. In cosmetology, seaweed is used as a moisturizer, tightening the skin, fat burning and vitaminizing component of most home and professional products.