expected that an even smaller proportion of the data from those sources 

 would concern species used in the United States, 



The book by McCance and Widdowson reflects to a greater extent than 

 the Department of Agriculture Handbook a growing tendency to provide data 

 on cooked rather than raw fish. It lists 77 analyses of cooked fish dishes 

 and only 13 analyses of the raw flesh. The methods of cooking are the ones 

 in common use for the species concerned. Generally, they involve minimum 

 amounts of other ingredients. Steaming and frying seem to be the most 

 popular methods of preparation. Frying is usually preceded by a dip in 

 batter, crumbs, oatmeal, or flour, with carbohydrate, fat, and some protein 

 added in the process. 



Almost all earlier investigations on the composition of fish have been 

 carried out on -the raw flesh. These data have been valuable for interspecies 

 comparison and for study of changes in composition due to environmental factors, 

 but are of little direct value to the dietitian. It is desirable for uses in 

 nutrition to obtain inforroation directly with cooked fish and fish dishesp 

 since cooking causes important chajiges in composition, and cooked or prepared 

 dishes may include many other ingredients besides fish. Since fish are almost 

 never eaten raw in this country, only information on these cooked dishes will 

 be of direct value to dietitians and related groups. This report contains only 

 data on dishes containing fish or shellfish that have been cooked and are ready 

 to eat, 



SOURCE OF SAMPLES 



The number of species of commercially important fish is very large. Esti- 

 mates range from 120 to 200 species, depending on what is included in the tenn 

 "fish" and also on the definition of "commercial," Likewise, the nianber of 

 nutrient elements considered important is large, having increased greatly since 

 the days of Atwater, At the present time, a complete study of the nutritive 

 factors of even a single species of fish would be a major project, as it should 

 include the determination of the content of five or more mineral elements and 

 at least as many vitamins, as well as the usual proximate-analysis componentso 

 When the scope of an investigation is extended to cooked fish dishes, almost 

 infinite variety is introduced by cooking variables and recipe modifications. 

 With these facts in mind, the lack of information on nutrients in cooked fish 

 dishes is understandable, and the impossibility of complete coverage of the 

 field is obvious. 



All of the samples for analysis in this investigation have been the fish 

 dishes prepared by the staff of home economists of the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 test kitchen at College Park, This has resulted in what might appear to be odd 

 emphasis on certain species. The function of the staff of home economists is 

 to modify and improve old recipes and develop and test new recipes. Minor 

 functions include retesting of recipes developed in the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 test kitchens at Seattle, Wash,, and Ketchikan, Alaska, and conducting short 

 training programs for foreign exchange students. All of these functions have 

 contributed samples included herein, but the bulk of the samples were derived 

 from special test programs. The large groups of crab and shrimp recipes were 

 prepared while information was being compiled for special cookbooks on these 



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