Generality
The leccia (Lichia amia L.) is a sea fish that can be included in the so-called group of "blue fish"; it is a very voracious predator with pelagic habits, which reaches considerable dimensions.
Fresh or frozen, the leccia is suitable for portioning into slices. It resists freezing well (better than amberjack or bonito or "alletterato" and is an excellent ingredient for baked, baked, grilled, first courses and carpaccio (depending on the cut). leccia can be treated in the same way as those of tuna.
As with tuna and amberjack, the nutritional content of the leccia also varies as the size increases. The belly is the fattest cut, while the fillet is the leanest.
Even the leccia, like all large fish, is subject to the accumulation of pollutants; moreover, it is not exempt from parasitic infestation.
Nutritional Characteristics
As anticipated, the nutritional intake of leccia is rather heterogeneous based on the cut; therefore, in the absence of more precise data, an overall average is made. Unfortunately, sufficiently accurate information is not available in the literature and the only data available are of interest ( generically) various types of animals unified under the name of “yellow tail fish.” The group includes: amberjack, leccia, other trevally and so on.
From the data, it emerges that this food provides a medium-low amount of energy, with an energy prevalence attributable to proteins. Lipids are quite contained, while carbohydrates are absent.
Peptides have a good pool of essential amino acids and can be defined as having a high biological value. Fatty acids are also of good nutritional quality and unsaturated over saturated ones prevail; very importantly, also the quantity of polyunsaturates (among which the essentials of the omega 3 group) is higher than that of saturates (which instead are potentially atherogenic).
As far as the saline profile is concerned, the concentrations of potassium and phosphorus are discrete; with regard to vitamins, however, the levels of thiamine and niacin are quite good.
Nutritional Values Leccia
Leccia is a food that lends itself to any diet, including those for metabolic diseases. Moreover, thanks to the good dose of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 group, it can even be considered a desirable product in the diet against the "metabolic syndrome". More precisely, these molecules can benefit the health of those suffering from: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
It should be remembered that the large size of a fish is attributable to the increase in mercury levels in the tissues, which is why (despite the excellent nutritional content) it is not advisable to abuse this type of food.
Finally, for all lovers of raw fish, remember that even the leccia can host the larvae of anisakis. This parasitic organism that colonizes the intestine, if left alive after the death of the fish, can migrate from the digestive tract to the tissues within a few hours. It is possible to eliminate this risk by reducing the temperature of the poultice (at least -15 ° C and down to -40 ° C; the time required is inversely proportional to the cold). Obviously, the anisakis also dies by means of heat and 60 ° C for a few minutes.
Gastronomy
The leccia is suitable for different cooking according to the size and, possibly, according to the cut.
To taste it raw in tartare or carpaccio, the fillet of large specimens should be preferred but, for connoisseurs, the portion of the belly is absolutely essential. Excellent pairing with fresh tarragon, avocado and orange peel. Marinandola a good product is obtained, but the delicacy of the taste risks being compromised.
Bear in mind that leccia has an exponentially less intense flavor than that of bonito, alletterato, lanzardo, mackerel, amberjack and even bluefish.
Up to 2-3kg it can be roasted on the grill or on a gas grill, but from 2 to 5kg it expresses its full potential in a salt crust. In foil or in potato crust, specimens between 1.5 and 3kg are easily workable. Obviously, the most important variable is that of the type of equipment available.
The slices of leccia breaded (bread flavored with rocket, capers, mixed olives and dried tomatoes) and cooked in the oven or on the grill represent perhaps the univocally most appreciated recipe.
Diced and sandblasted with a pinch of breadcrumbs flavored with garlic and parsley, it brilliantly season some types of durum wheat pasta; this dish can also be enjoyed warm and with a grating of baked (unsalted) dry ricotta.
It has less meaning to use it as a beaten than stuffed pasta, which at the limit could be skipped with very light seasonings.
In the fish soup, the leccia plays the role of "volumizer"; it is necessary to pay close attention to the doses as it tends to be dominated by the other ingredients, such as bivalve molluscs, squid, tomato and chilli. Recall that compared to most fishery products it must be added last, as it tends to dissolve in cooking.
Finally, the leccia is also very suitable for simple and dietary cooking, such as steamed or boiled (perhaps at a low temperature). In mixed fry, a few pieces of leccia never hurts.
Last (or rather, first) a bruschetta with leccia sauce on Tuscan bread, seasoned with very little oregano, sea urchin eggs and raw oil, is a superfine appetizer.
Biology
The leccia is a fish that abundantly colonizes the whole Mediterranean basin and the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
As anticipated, it is a predatory trevally with pelagic habits; it prefers the coast but does not disdain the large shoals quite far from the breakwater. It feeds on gastropod molluscs (cuttlefish, octopus, baby octopus, squid and squid) and on fish, about which it is especially fond of some species (garfish, sardines, anchovies, sardines and small mackerel); nevertheless, it stabilizes with great density also near the river mouths and inside the ports (moderate or low salinity) where mullets abound.
The leccia is a not very brightly colored fish. It has a silver coat, darker on the back (gray - greenish) and almost white on the belly; a yellowish hue can be seen on the side. In the water, the tips of the fins are dark, almost black. The scales are very small, similar to those of the amberjack.
The proportions of the body of the leccia are in favor of the fins (especially the anal and second dorsal one), compared to the head which instead seems quite small.
The mouth of the leccia is remarkable and has an equally impressive opening. The teeth are developed just enough to prevent prey from slipping, which are generally swallowed very quickly.
The primary morphological characteristic of the leccia is the longitudinally narrow and high structure of the body, which, on the sagittal plane, evidently seems to have a rhomboid shape.
The leccia is fished professionally with different systems (gillnets, fixed lines, etc.), even if it is not an elite catch. As far as amateur fishing is concerned, however, it is considered an extremely coveted prey in terms of the size it reaches, its voracity and the combativeness that distinguish it. The favorite techniques with the rod are: spinning, trolling with the lure and trolling with the dead man. It is also frequently caught in spearfishing.
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