Fatty Fish - Omega-3 fatty acids

To continue from yesterday's post...

Fatty fish do not sound appealing, but they are the healtiest food from the sea and full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty fish have fats or oils distributed throughout their freah, rather than concentrated in the liver as in other fish.

Which are the oily fish?

Salmon, mackerel, herrings, sardines, pilchards, kippers, eels, whitebait, anchovies and sprats all qualify, whether they're tinned or fresh. Tuna counts only if it's fresh.

1. Salmon

Typically, salmon are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce.

Salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content.

2. Mackerel

Atlantic mackerel are sought after for food either cooked or as sashimi. It consists mostly of red meat and has a strong taste desirable to some consumers. Atlantic mackerel is extremely high in vitamin B12 and also very high in omega 3, containing nearly twice as much per unit weight as does salmon. Though, try to avoid king mackerel, which may have elevated mercury levels, as advised by FDA in USA.




3. Herrings

Herrings are oily fish, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans. Herrings have very high long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids contents and are a source of vitamin D.

The amount of herring that may be safely consumed, depends on the amount of pollutants, e.g. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and dioxins that may be present in the water.

4. Sardines, Pilchards

Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings. The terms sardine and pilchard are not precise, and some regions classified sardine as pilchard. Generally, smaller fish are called sardines; while larger, older fish are called pilchards.

Sardines and pilchards are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and as they are low in the food chain, they are very low in contaminants, e.g. mercury.

5. Kippers

A kipper is a whole herring, that has been split from tail to head, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold smoked.


6. Eels

Eels are elongated fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins.

Eels contain omega-3 fatty acids and are good source for protein, vitamins (B12) and minerals, e.g. iron.


7. Whitebait

Whitebait are young fish; in Europe the term applies to young herring, but in other parts of the world it is used for similar fish of other species.

Whitebait are tender and edible. The entire fish is eaten including head, fins and gut. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

8. Anchovies

Anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish and have some of the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids of all fish and seafood.

9. Sprats

Sprats are small marine food fish of northeast Atlantic waters that is eaten fresh or smoked and are often canned in oil as a sardine. Also called brisling.

Sprats are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins D and B12.


For more details on the world's healthiest foods, refer to :
The World's Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating