Yellow croaker is most nutritious when eaten in summer, don't miss the seasonal catch
Eating fish is also a matter of season. Professor Wang Cunxin, a fish expert at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggests that right now, fish nearing their spawning season, such as yellow croaker, are the top choice for summer. It is currently the spawning season for large yellow croaker, small yellow croaker, chub mackerel, Spanish mackerel, as well as salmon and turbot, so summer is the best time to eat these fish. Professor Wang explains that different fish have different spawning seasons, spread across different seasons. When fish are nearing their spawning season, they have accumulated a lot of fat and nutrients in their bodies, becoming plump and firm, so the flesh tastes the most delicious, with a sweet and fragrant sensation when eaten. This is because the content of glutamic acid, the substance responsible for the savory taste, has increased. After the spawning season, the fish becomes very thin, and its protein, fat and other nutrient content is not as good as before spawning.
He says that among the fish suitable for eating in summer, yellow croaker is rich in nutrients: the fresh flesh is high in protein as well as inorganic salts such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and iodine, and the flesh texture is soft, easy to digest and absorb. Because the flesh of yellow croaker comes apart in garlic-clove-like flakes and contains no small bones, it is most suitable for the elderly, children and those weakened by long illness. Apart from these marine fish in their spawning season, most freshwater fish can be eaten in summer.
Yang Li suggests that since people easily suffer from internal heat in summer, when it comes to cooking methods, one can choose more often to steam or make soups. In terms of ingredient selection, one might eat more cold-natured fish such as soft-shelled turtle and cuttlefish. Some people with deficient cold in the spleen and stomach fear cold foods; simply add a little scallion, ginger, chili or garlic when cooking. For warm-natured fish, one can pair them with some cold-natured foods and use less chili. For example, when cooking grass carp or catfish, one can add a little tofu, white radish, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and winter melon and stew them together. Eel can be stir-fried with cabbage stalks, and adding a little vinegar at the end can effectively dispel heat.