Generality
The bonito is a bony fish of salt water, which belongs to the group of blue fish.
It is a fishery product rich in omega 3; moreover, belonging to the 1st group of foods, it represents an "excellent source of high biological value proteins, certain vitamins and some mineral salts.
Nutritional Characteristics
Regarding the nutritional characteristics of bonito, it is not possible to find very accurate data; for the most part, its meat is compared to that of mackerel and lanzardo.
Bonito should provide more than 150 and less than 200kcal / 100g. The energy comes mainly from triglycerides, composed of an extraordinary quantity of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 group, respectively EPA and DHA (acid eicosapentaenoic and acid docosahexaenoic).
The proteins are of high biological value and, in addition to presenting the complete pool of amino acids essential for the human being, they contain considerable quantities of sulfur monomers.
Carbohydrates and fibers are absent, while cholesterol is not negligible.
Among the water-soluble vitamins, bonito should contain excellent quantities of various molecules belonging to group B, above all niacin (vit. PP), riboflavin (vit B2) e pyridoxine (vit B6). For the fat-soluble ones, however, we remember the admirable concentration of calciferol (vit D).
With regard to mineral salts, bonito boasts an excellent level of iodine, iron, potassium and phosphorus.
Bonito lends itself to any diet but, due to its high caloric value, it is not suitable for overweight; to be precise, contextualized in a low-calorie diet, it should be cooked without added fats. On the other hand, it is very suitable for the diet of those suffering from dyslipidemia (LDL hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia) and primary arterial hypertension, thanks to the richness in Omega 3.
It is "an excellent" source of iodine food, which is why it could be included among the foods that protect the body from malnutrition of this mineral salt (which negatively affects the thyroid gland). iron they also suggest it in the diet of those suffering from iron deficiency anemia.
From a hygienic point of view, bonito meat is subject to parasitic contamination from anisakis, an organism that lives in the intestinal lumen of the fish and that, after many hours from its death, tends to migrate towards the muscles. This can also infest man and cause various health problems. To avoid this hypothesis, it is sufficient to cook the food at least up to a temperature of 60 ° C, or chill it down to about -15 / 20 ° C ; the lower the temperature, the shorter the time required.
To verify that the bonito is properly preserved, just smell it; like all blue fish, this tends to undergo a very rapid rancidity of its polyunsaturated fat part, with a parallel release of methylamine And formaldehyde caused by the enzymatic and / or bacterial hydrolysis of certain amino acids. In other words, old bonito stinks very quickly. branches, firmness of the flesh, shine and hydration of the skin etc.
The bonito is also a fish that tends to accumulate mercury in its tissues; therefore, its consumption must comply with the criterion of two or at most three weekly portions in order to prevent any risk to human health.
Gastronomic Aspects
Bonito is a fish that lends itself to various types of cooking.
Boiled or steamed, with bay leaf and black pepper, it goes brilliantly with a spoonful of homemade mayonnaise.
Roast tends to become a bit stringy, which is why it is better to cook it on the grill (or in a foil) in slices about one centimeter thick and with very high heat for about a minute on each side; it is served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. olive.
In the pan it is processed with cherry tomatoes, oregano, basil, mint, thyme, chilli and other typical Mediterranean ingredients, sometimes with a little breadcrumbs, to make sauces for first courses.
Fried is always good, like most foods.
Some add a piece of it to the fish stew, but I think it is not a very suitable product for long cooking.
Bonito carpaccio is delicious, both in the classic version with oil and possibly a splash of lemon, and with soy sauce or balsamic vinegar or with slices of fresh fruit (strawberries, peaches, kiwi, melon, etc.).
Bonito is NOT suitable for the production of fish broth. On the other hand, it yields a lot in oil preservation (without anything or with aromas) and, on the contrary, it should be avoided to freeze it.
Morphology
Bonito is a more tapered fish than tuna but less elongated than mackerel. The head is pointed, the mouth is large and extends behind until it exceeds the eye; it is rich in numerous and sharp teeth, with which it easily cuts any prey. The body is extremely muscular. The caudal fin is rigid, sickle-shaped, not too large, provided with a thin peduncle characterized by two lateral keels.It has two contiguous dorsal fins and a fairly proportioned anal fin, two pectoral and two ventral fins not too developed.
Bonito: representation (above) and real photo (below). From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_bonito
From the anal and from the second dorsal to the caudal peduncle (above and below), the bonito has two rows of pinnules similar to those of tuna. The livery is darker on the back and light on the belly; the color is slightly variegated of dark blue on blue or gray background, which fades into silvery and then pearly white towards the belly; sometimes it also seems striped with white and gray.
It is characterized by the design of some dark transversal bars which, from the head towards the tail, start diagonally from the bottom upwards. The scales are very small.
The bonito reaches a maximum size included in the meter in length and about 10kg in weight.
Ecology
The bonito is a pelagic, gregarious, predatory and extremely voracious creature. It mainly colonizes the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, where it makes great movements to reproduce and hunt.
The bonito feeds mainly on small fish (such as anchovies, sardines, garfish, sardines, small mackerel, boghe, etc.) and gastropod molluscs (such as squid, cuttlefish, squid, etc.), which it chases by devouring up to to annihilate the entire bank without leaving a trace.
As anticipated, it moves mainly for food and reproductive needs; in general, the latter are met in the spring-summer period. Being a tireless swimmer, he moves relentlessly from one corner of the open sea to the other and more rarely approaches the coastal strip, an occasional occasion especially in the sloping shallow areas such as the middle and upper Italian Adriatic; in this circumstance the fishing season begins. , which seems different according to the specific location. However, it is not uncommon to come across large shoals of bonito near underwater walls, crevasses and depths of the seabed not too far from the shore, as long as the conformation and depth allow it (for example, in some points on the Italian Tyrrhenian side or on the Adriatic side of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania).
The professional fishing of bonito is quite incisive on the fish population of the species which, being gregarious, is easily decimated once identified in the typical “counter” formation.
NB. Unfortunately, due to its not excellent commercial potential (it does not freeze with great success, as ice compromises its organoleptic and taste characteristics), bonito is one of the fishery products most destined for the synthesis of fishmeal.
Atlantic bonito fishing
The bonito is a prey threatened by both professionals and amateurs.
In commercial fishing it is a victim of lines such as the longline, of gill nets such as the longline and obviously of the trawl.
In the amateur with rods, however, it is caught by means of artificial baits and lives by trolling, spinning, drifting and bolentino.
For freediving fishermen, however, the bonito is an occasional prey, unpredictable and therefore not too easy to undermine.
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