Oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon, trout and tuna are the easiest fish to barbecue and also the best to eat from a health point of view – so they win both ways!
They are so called because their oil is found throughout the fish, whereas in white fish it is only stored in the liver.
Fish is one of the best forms of protein in a healthy diet, which means that on the barbecue it's better for you than burgers or sausages.
Cold-water species such as sardines,
mackerel,
herring, salmon, tuna and
trout
contain fatty acids called omega-3s and are firmly linked to preventing heart disease and reducing the risk of a stroke.
However, it's claimed that they can also protect against a long list of other diseases and relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, Raynaud’s disease, migraines and possibly multiple sclerosis.
It's also been quoted as possible that they can help in the prevention of cancer, especially in blocking the development of colon cancer and the spread of breast cancer, but also lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
The rate of breast cancer is very low among Japanese women for instance. Could this be because they eat so much more fish than we do?
When I was a child I was told that eating fish would made me brainy – well, that didn’t work! However, although it won’t make you more intelligent than you already are, they say it can help get those lazy brain cells working to a greater capacity. In other words it helps us to concentrate better – so it might be just what our kids are looking for!
All in all, I don’t think we can argue against the fact that if we’re going to have a barbecue, one of the best things we can choose to eat is something fishy.
What to drink with it? I'd actually recommend
champagne!
Seriously, it's great. Think champagne and smoked salmon - salmon being the king of oily fish.
