Is it better to eat big or small fish?

When buying fish, I often choose big-bellied fish because I think it will have more meat and be more nutritious than small-bellied fish. Is this true? (Phuong, 32 years old, Hanoi)

Reply:

Each type of fish has different nutritional content, whether it is a big-bellied fish or a small-bellied fish. Usually, experts will compare the amount of fish meat to evaluate the nutritional content. The more meat, the higher the nutritional content.

From a culinary perspective, a fish with a slim belly will taste better than a fish with a big belly, because a fish with a big belly is usually a female fish. If it has eggs, it will have less meat and will not taste good because the fish is thin. If the fish has no eggs but has a big belly, it may contain a lot of fat and organs in its belly.

In addition, the way of farming also affects the taste of the fish. Live and naturally raised fish will be different from industrially raised fish. With industrially raised fish, you should not eat the intestines because they are the digestive organs, which can easily contain heavy metals or parasites. The types of fish organs that can be used are liver, fat and fish eggs.

In particular, note to only use fish that has just been gutted and is still fresh. When preparing, it is necessary to cut open the fish's belly, regardless of whether the fish's belly is big or small, clean the inside, especially the black membrane that causes a fishy smell, which can contain many impurities that are harmful to health.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh
Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology

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