The sole belongs to the order Flounder. Biological classification classifies it as a member of the soleya family, which was the reason for the international name of this fish - European soleya.

The name of the inhabitant of subtropical and tropical waters fully corresponds to the main two characteristics of this subspecies. It really lives exclusively in the marine environment and at the same time is shaped like a long tongue.

Characteristics and Features

Most gourmets know what kind of fish the sole is, as it is famous for its taste characteristics, despite its relatively modest dimensions. The average length barely reaches 30 centimeters.

In terms of external features, the marine inhabitant is very similar to a flounder, as it has a body identically flattened on the sides. The only difference is that it is longer. But the eyes are located exactly the same as those of their brother, which served as the basis for the name of the zoological order.

The standard color ranges from pale brown, with dark patches at the top, to gradually lighter at the bottom of the carcass. The scales are very small protective plates that feel like armor.

A few centuries ago, sole was served only at the table of the nobility during the arrival of especially dear guests. Only professional chefs knew how to cook it correctly while maintaining its original nutritional value. Now the delicacy has become more accessible, but still belongs to the category of especially exquisite dishes.

On an industrial scale, it is exported from Vietnam, delivered either fresh frozen or ready-made: smoked, salted, dried. Local producers have learned how to make delicious canned food and other semi-finished products based on it. This method of processing, with the right technological approach, preserves the original vitamin composition, allowing the fillet to be used for stews, first and second courses.

Find fish on store shelves around the world former USSR It is possible both in whole form and already cut. But if you want not to bother with cutting, you should remember the significant drawback of this solution. Often, under the name of a delicacy, fillets of a cheaper analogue are sold. Recognizing a fake can be problematic even for experienced buyers.

• the scales should fit snugly to the body;
• the gills should be bright red;
• a too pronounced fishy smell indicates the possible addition of chemical components;
• the meat should be elastic.

To determine the latter, it is carried out standard test. By pressing on the carcass with your finger, you need to see how quickly the surface takes on its original even shape. If it happened instantly, then everything is fine. A prompt response indicates that the product was not frozen and defrosted several times.

You can find recipes mentioning this fish in many world cuisines. Experienced chefs know not only how to fry delicious food with minimal loss of energy value, but also process it in other ways. It is believed that a true professional chooses the heat treatment format based on the size of the catch delivered to the kitchen:

• small specimens are best savored after baking in the oven;
• medium options are considered ideal for cooking in a double boiler;
• large ones - can be fried, boiled in broth or made in foil.

Some adherents healthy image life have adopted the sea tongue for their weekly menu. It is valued for its relatively low calorie content, because the meat is truly lean. And gourmets prefer it due to the absence of small seeds.

Italian cookbooks offer especially many step-by-step instructions. Here, the most popular delicacy based on this devotee of the tropical seas is cooked in white Marsala wine. There is also a mandatory submission in French traditions. They offer breaded fish along with dry vermouth.

The Spaniards prefer fillet in a frying pan, which is served with a filling of:

• ground;
• Luke;

And the British, saving time, generally simply fry the main ingredient and serve it with fries for satiety.

Fish is prohibited

Consumers from different countries European salt is valued for its more delicate taste than classic flounder can offer. Meat also contains many beneficial nutrients that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the entire body. But there is also another side to the coin.

In some European and North American countries, its sale and consumption is prohibited. This categoricalness is explained by the fact that the fillet contains big number toxins, heavy metals, hormones and bacteria. There is only one reason for this - the place of catch.

The Mekong, where most fish are caught for export, is one of the dirtiest recognized bodies of water in the world. Contaminated liquids that come from surrounding chemical plants, as well as sewage and residues of mineral fertilizers from nearby fields are poured there without a twinge of conscience.

A separate problem is caused by special hormonal supplements that are fed to females to accelerate the growth of future offspring. They are imported from Asia, but detailed description The contents of the packages with hormones were not disclosed to the general public.

If you rely on such a dubious product too often, you may encounter serious problems like:

• liver damage;
• hematopoietic diseases;
• other abnormalities in the functioning of internal organs.

To avoid a possible bunch of diseases, you should ask the seller in advance where the goods were imported from. If you have the slightest doubt, you can request the provision of official supporting documentation.

Replenishing energy reserves

Since the world's sole fishery is not 100% concentrated around the polluted Mekong, people still have a high chance of enjoying a treat from an environmentally friendly area. Moreover, the benefits of eating fresh fish impress even doctors, because one carcass consists entirely of easily digestible fish.

There are also irreplaceable ones here, which human body unable to produce sufficient quantities on its own. About 20% of the total composition falls on proteins here, but barely 1.5% is collected.

Three fatty acids became a separate subject of admiration:

• arachidonic;
• linolenic;

In the course of numerous studies, scientists have come to the conclusion that, in terms of amino acid content, the European salt has become almost the rightful owner of the so-called ideal protein. For this we have to thank:

And thanks to taurine, a delicious lunch will provide reliable prevention of hypertension. Acting as a blood pressure regulator, taurine simultaneously takes on the role of a blood sugar stabilizer.

Anyone who suffers from low acidity should not avoid this dish. With minimal processing, for example, a baked version, the dish helps stimulate the appetite. This happens due to the ability of the components of the composition to provoke abundant secretion of gastric juice.

Also, you should not be afraid that the fillet will cause the formation of cholesterol plaques. In its pure form there is barely 30 mg in here. These elements, on the contrary, act as natural cleansers of blood vessels, removing accumulated toxins from the body. All together, this allows, with a cumulative effect, to count on powerful support for prevention:

• stroke;
• heart attack;
• sclerosis;

Recent studies have also shown that the vitamins E and A contained here reduce the risk of cancer several times. And high dosages of iodine will take care of the health of the thyroid gland.

Culinary battles

To ensure that generally healthy fish does not become harmful, it is extremely important to control the cooking process at all stages. This way you can get rid of excess fat and protect the delicacy from adding unnecessary synthetic food additives to enhance the taste.

Chefs of fashionable restaurants insist that high-quality preparation of sole must happen literally at lightning speed. This will preserve the delicate characteristic aroma and desired structure of the meat.

It is equally important to be able to properly cut a whole fish. To do this, you should adhere to the following plan:

• first get rid of the scales;
• make several cuts at the base of the tail to remove the tough skin by pulling from the end towards the head;
• trim the tail fin;
• get rid of the head and hard parts of the remaining fins, if prescribed in the recipe;
• remove gills and other entrails;
• The cleaning is completed by making a cut along the ridge to separate the fillet with minimal loss to the fleshy part.

Moreover, there is no need to rush to throw away the head and large bones. They can serve as an excellent base for fish sauce or rich broth.

But it’s better to put any spicy seasonings like garlic aside. They are too strong for the subtle taste of the salt.

Differences between sole and pangasius

Another factor behind the success of a prepared dish is the ability to correctly recognize when a dishonest seller is trying to sell a cheap analogue under the guise of a delicacy. In order not to overpay for pangasius, you need to take a closer look at the color of the fillet. The tropical inhabitant has white, almost transparent meat, while pangasius has a wider range of colors: from light pink to gray.

Moreover, if the offer turned out to be completely gray, this indicates the low quality of the proposed product. It should not be eaten even by those who are desperate to find the original sole and settle for its “closest brother.”

Another clue is the thickness of the cut fillet. Usually the more sophisticated version has a very thin one. Even the tricks of some sellers, such as re-freezing the carcass with a huge layer of ice, which is weighed along with the fillet, do not affect this parameter.

If the seller allows you to smell the future purchase, then the typical smell of river fish indicates pangasius. It also has a distinct pinkish-brown stripe down the middle, extending from the ridge. The European salt will either not have it at all, or it will be practically invisible. The final difference involves the presence of a fatty layer on the sides, which is characteristic only of pangasius.

But even such preparatory measures do not always save you from the possibility of running into a fake. Because of this, chefs are advised to look for stores where fish are sold uncut. This increases the chances of finding the right option, without the need to sniff for a long time and look for color differences.

Russian speech allows for different interpretations of the word “language” - it is both an organ and the ability to verbally transmit information. Despite the silence of the inhabitants of the waters, which has become a household word, the question of whether fish have a language can be answered in the affirmative three times, and each “yes” will correspond to a separate concept from the life of these creatures.

The tongue as part of the fish's body

For most, this organ is present and is part of the digestive system, and often an assistant in catching future food and one of the many places on the fish’s body where taste buds are located. The size, shape and capabilities of this organ are different, as are the representatives of this group of animals themselves, which includes tens of thousands of species.

However, there are representatives deprived of such an evolutionary tool, but they too have adapted and found an opportunity to implement the functions of language in practice differently. For example, the mudskipper, which often hunts in air environment, transferred similar mechanisms from the water element.

In a situation typical for most fish, the tongue draws in water and food along with it. Coming to land, the fish takes water into its mouth and, seeing prey, spits out the liquid in parts, and then sucks it back along with the food. And in this case, it is not so important whether the fish have a tongue - photo and video observations have proven that even in the absence of this part of the body, the fish are not going to remain hungry.

The name given to the opportunist by scientists is Cymothoa exigua. IN English speech The expressive name tongue-eating louse is common, which literally means a tongue-eating louse.

Are fish capable of communication?

A separate question is whether fish have a language that serves as a means of mutual exchange of information. And here “silent” creatures are able to surprise the uninitiated. In addition to non-verbal means inherent in all living beings (in fish, these are color and its changes, body gestures, manner of movement, smells and gland secretions), they have a wide range of sound signals, clearly audible even to humans and very different for different species.

For example, the signals of a mullet are similar to the clicking of a horse, and the horse mackerel makes sounds characteristic of a dog. The trigla is recognized as the most talkative - it practically does not shut up, sometimes grumbling, sometimes croaking.

Research has shown that all fish speak differently. Different types and individuals differ in the degree of talkativeness, just like people. However, part of their “speech” is outside the frequency range perceived by the human ear. Basically, underwater inhabitants give each other signals about a threat, the presence of food in a particular place, and report their location and direction of travel.

What prevents fish from speaking in the traditional sense when they have a tongue in their mouth? Missing other important parts speech apparatus, namely, the larynx, pharynx. They also lack vocal cords and moving lips.

There are widespread myths about the lack of the ability to think and, of course, the inability to make sounds. This gave rise to the allegorical name “fish language” for the communication system of the deaf and dumb. Another comparison is due to the veiled content of statements - “fish tongue” is sometimes called thieves’ jargon.

Solefish - a fish named after the organ

The flounder-like fish, called Dover halibut, European sole and, of course, sole for its body shape, has become widely known and popular. A peculiarity of the fish is its upper lip, extended and hanging over the lower one, which gives the whole creature a resemblance to the protruding tongue of a mammal.

This creature, with its delicious, tender meat, is so sought after and subject to such merciless and barbaric capture that since 2014 Greenpeace has been forced to classify it as a species threatened with extinction.

The value of fish and seafood is undeniable. IN last years The trend towards eating fish dishes, in the preparation of which new varieties of the product are used, has spread. One of them is the sole fish. It is considered a delicacy and is used very rarely, therefore, many people know little about it and its features. Meanwhile, sole is a very healthy product that is worth adding to your diet. Therefore, you need to figure out what the sole is, what kind of fish it is, and why it is interesting to culinary specialists. Below is a photo to understand what a sole fish looks like, photo.

Solefish, what kind of fish? Another name, description and its features

This species belongs to the Soliaceae family, order – flounder-like. The second name is European sole. In my own way appearance it has a resemblance to the sole of a shoe, which led to the appearance of this name (sole - “outsole”, “sole” - lat.). In addition, soleya is very similar to flounder with its flattened body. Her eyes are also located on one side of her body.

Our fish are small in size. It almost never exceeds 30 cm in length. The color of the back is grayish-brown, with small dark spots. The abdomen is lighter - this is a feature of all fish living in bottom areas. Its body is covered with small scales, which makes it hard to the touch.

Important! The sole is endangered and has been included on the Greenpeace list since 2014.

The European solea lives in the seas of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, preferring shallow areas with water temperatures of 8-24 degrees. It feeds on small crustaceans, worms, and mollusks. He prefers to hunt at night. Above, we learned about sole fish, its other name.