The Best Way to Cook Healthy Fish

A majority of people prefer integrating fish into their daily meals, though not all of them are aware of the best way to cook it. The art of enhancing the food flavors and aroma, without compromising on its nutritional content is rather difficult. 

Do you love adding fish to your everyday meal? Do you wish to preserve the high nutritional content with keeping the food scrumptious? Well, then worry no more because we are with solutions.

In this blog, I’ll discuss the different ways of fish preparation and find the healthiest one. Continue to read and unlock the solution to the best way to cook healthy fish.  

Nutrition Value of Fish 

There are a lot of different fish types present in this world. However, there exist two primary types that are lean and fatty fish.

Both types differ from each other in terms of fat content. Lean fish has lesser fats than fatty fish. 

Some examples of it are cod and flounder. Whereas examples of fatty fish include salmon and tuna.  

Generally, both the fish types get considered healthy due to high good protein content. However, fatty fishes have some vital nutrients that a human body can not obtain from other sources.

These essential nutrients include Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. The Omega-3 fatty acids are special healthy fats required by both our mind and body.

 It helps in reducing brain deterioration due to age. Also, it prevents the development of heart diseases and cancer.

A human body gets vitamin D mostly from the sun. It is an essential vitamin that prevents heart diseases, dementia, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes.

A majority of people suffer from vitamin D deficiency, as sunlight is the primary source. However, consuming fatty fish can fulfill the requirement. 

4 Common Ways to Cook Fish 

In every region of the world, people cook fish differently. Perhaps, there are a hundred different ways to cook fish.

There can be a lot of methods that we do not even know. Some may be preserving the nutrition content of the food, while some maybe only adding flavor and aroma.

Nevertheless, there are some common cooking methods used all over the world. Let’s evaluate each one and determine their healthiness!

Grilling  

This particular method involves the application of dry heat to the fish from below at high temperatures. Broiling uses the same technique, but the heat gets applied from above.

Well, both these ways result in some delicious fish meals. However, the method also has a link to the formation of compounds called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs).

These compounds form naturally in our body, but consuming meat with these compounds may increase the amounts incredibly. Hence, resulting in the development of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.  

To avoid, do not consume charred fish and marinate it before grilling or broiling. These preventative measures may stop the formation of AGEs in fish.  

Frying 

Frying involves cooking of fish in hot fats, whether pan-frying or deep-frying. The fish gets submerged in heated oil and cooked.

Unlike other methods, this one adds a certain amount of fats to the fish and increases the calories. It may decrease the number of other nutrients as well, such as vitamin D.

However, the healthiness of the cooked fish by frying varies considerably with fish specie and the oil.

To avoid nutritional degradation, oils that are stable at high temperatures, such as Olive oil, must get used.    

Steaming

It involves the supplying of hot vaporized water to the fish. There are special equipment and pots for them.

 Steaming occurs at comparatively lower temperatures and does not add fats or calories to the fish. Instead, it preserves the nutritional content.

Another similar method is poaching, though it uses any liquid. You can cook a fish by poaching in water, stock, and even milk.

Although the nutrients do not change much in both the methods, cooking for more extended times may form cholesterol oxidation compounds. These are quite harmful to health.

Baking   

The baking method also involves dry heat, though it too requires an oven. According to studies, baking preserves the nutritional content of the fish. However, covering the fish with oil can alter its calories and fats. To avoid, use minimal heat-stable oils, such as olive oil.  

Which method is the best?  

After evaluation of the 4-common methods, it occurs to me that the fish species, the length of cooking, and the addition of other ingredients, such as oil, alters the nutritional content of the fish. So, regardless of the method, the consideration of the above-states factors may make your cooked fish healthy or unhealthy.

However, on a lighter note, the methods of baking and steaming appear to be more healthy than others. And, frying the fish, especially deep-frying, can certainly deteriorate its nutrition.