What does muscle structure and cooking have to do with the texture of fish?
Rating: None Muscle structure is directly related to the environmental conditions associated with the location of fish. Ocean fish generally have a more firm texture than near shore or fresh water species. There are protein differences in these fish that related to habitat, diets, and environmental conditions that contribute to eating qualities like texture. A large tuna, for example, swims great distances at tremendous speed and strength. Therefore, the muscle structure and energy pathways that supply the muscle are highly developed to support these animals under the stresses of their environment. You know all fish differ from soft to firm in texture and that cooking can either increase or decrease texture, depending upon species. Cooking can accentuate these compositional differences. For instance, we tell consumers to cook fish fillets until it flakes easily from the backbone. What is actually happening when heat is applied to fish is that we are denaturing the connective tissues (e
