On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 374
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the most evident of which is mucus, a
proteinaceoussubstancemuchlikeeggwhite.
The skin is often richer than the flesh,
averaging 5–10% fat. The thick dermis layer
of the skin is especially rich inconnective
tissue.It’sgenerallyaboutone-thirdcollagen
byweight,andthereforecancontributemuch
more thickening gelatin to stocks and stews
than the fish’s flesh (0.3–3% collagen) or
bones.Moistheatingwillturntheskinintoa
slickgelatinoussheet,whilefryingorgrilling
enoughtodesiccateitwillmakeitcrisp.
Scalesareanotherevidentformof
protectionforthefishskin.Theyaremadeup
ofthesamehard,toughcalcareousminerals
asteeth,andareremovedbyscrapingagainst
theirgrainwithaknifeblade.
Bones The main skeleton of a small or
moderate-sizefish,consistingofthebackbone
and attached rib cage, can often be separated
from the meat in one piece. However, there
areusuallyalsobonesprojectingintothefins,
and fish in the herring, salmon, and other
familieshavesmall“floating”or“pin”bones
unattached to the main skeleton, which help
stiffen some of the connective-tissue sheets
and direct the muscular forces along them.
Because fish bones are smaller, lighter, and
less mineralized with calcium than landanimal bones, and because their collagen is
less tough, they can be softened and even
dissolvedbyarelativelyshortperiodnearthe
boil (hence the high calcium content of
cannedsalmon).Fishskeletonsareeveneaten
on their own: in Catalonia, Japan, and India
they’redeep-frieduntilcrunchy.
FishInnardsTheinnardsoffishandshellfish
offer their own special pleasures. Fish eggs
aredescribedbelow(p.239).Manyfishlivers
are prized, including those of the goatfish
(“red mullet”), monkfish, mackerel, ray, and
cod, as is the comparable organ in
