Seafood is the flesh of fish, mollusks, and shellfish that is eaten as food. Seafood makes up a major part of people’s diet in countries where it is abundant, such as the island nations of Iceland, Japan, and the Maldives. In other countries, people eat seafood to add variety to their meals. Certain people also eat it to help reduce their intake of the fatty substance cholesterol.
Seafood is sold fresh, frozen, canned, smoked, pickled, or cured. Popular fresh or frozen seafood includes clams, cod, crab, pollock, salmon, sardines, shrimp, squid, and tuna. Many kinds of fish and shellfish are sold whole. Large fish are often cut up and sold as boneless fillets, or as cross-section pieces called steaks, which include bones. Fresh or frozen fish is often sold battered or breaded. Popular canned fish include salmon, sardines, and tuna. Another popular seafood item is surimi, minced fish that is processed into imitation crab, shrimp, and other shellfish for use in seafood salads.
Fish is often served baked, grilled, steamed, or fried. A piece of fish should be cooked 10 minutes for every inch (2.5 centimeters) of its thickness. Shellfish is often boiled or deep fried. A popular Japanese dish, sashimi, is carefully prepared using fresh raw fish.
Seafood contains many nutrients (nourishing substances) needed by the human body. Most seafood is high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and low in calories, cholesterol, and sodium. Many seafoods are a good source of vitamins B6 and B12 and also contain two other B vitamins known as niacin and riboflavin. Fish contain a special kind of fatty acid called omega-3, which many scientists believe can reduce a person’s risk for heart disease and other illnesses. Minerals provided by various types of seafood include calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc.
Species used for seafood may be captured by commercial fishing crews or by amateur fishing enthusiasts, or they may be raised by fish farmers in a process called aquaculture. Worldwide demand for seafood is constantly increasing, but stocks of many commercial fish species are declining. Aquaculture helps meet the demand. Major food fish taken by the fishing industry include anchovies, cod, hake, haddock, herring, mackerel, pollock, salmon, sardines, and tuna. Clams, crabs, mussels, octopus, oysters, scallops, shrimp, and squid are among the leading types of shellfish and mollusks taken by the fishing industry. Major kinds of fish, mollusks, and shellfish raised through aquaculture include amberjack, carp, catfish, clam, mussels, oysters, salmon, shrimp, tilapia, and trout.
See also Aquaculture ; Fishing industry ; Sushi .
