Sebastes Altus (Ocean Perch), belonging to the genus Sebastes and family Sebastidae, has other common names such as Pacific rockfish, Red bream, Rose fish, Red perch, Pacific ocean perch, and Rock Cod. It is widely found in North Pacific from Southern California (Pacific Rim, Northern Honshū, Japan, and the Bering Sea). It is plenty in Northern British Columbia, the Aleutian Islands, and the Gulf of Alaska. Pacific Ocean Perch has a compressed body and head which measures about 53 cm (21.2 inches) long.
It usually weighs about 4.5 lb. (2.05 kg). The body is deep red with brown, olive green, or black patches in the body. It has thick, strong, and gelatinous skin with pinkish flesh. The cooked Ocean perch has a delicate, mild, and sweet flavor. It lives from 100 to 200 years. In Alaska, the female fish lays up to 10000 to 300000 of eggs that hatch from April to May. The predators for Ocean Perch are Pacific halibut, sablefish, sperm whales, seabirds, other rockfish, lingcod, demersal fish, and salmon.
Nutritional value
Raw Ocean perch of 85 grams covers 70.61 g of moisture, 67 calories, 13.01 g of protein, 1.31 g of total lipid fat, and 1.02 g of ash. It also grants 1.27 µg of Vitamin B12, 24.3 µg of selenium, 1.244 g of lysine, 0.615 g of isoleucine, 0.16 g of tryptophan, 0.598 g of threonine, 211 mg of phosphorus, 0.63 g of valine, 1.053 g of leucine, 13.01 g of protein, 0.271 g of histidine, 244 mg of sodium and 55.2 mg of choline.
Health Benefits of Ocean Perch
Ocean perch is loaded with various amounts of nutrients, protein, and vitamins that provide enormous health benefits. It could be added to the diet in terms of soups, stews, and chowders by boiling or deep frying.
The health benefits provided by the consumption of Ocean perch are discussed below:
Formation of bones
Phosphorus is essential for bone and teeth health. Along with calcium, it helps to maintain strong bones. It also promotes gum health as well as tooth enamel. It also provides relief from loss of mineral density or bone loss such as osteoporosis. The study shows that phosphorus has a link with the maintenance of heart health and the prevention of cardiovascular ailments.
Digestive Health
Phosphorus helps to facilitate digestion. Niacin and riboflavin help to metabolize energy to the response systems. It also assists to clear constipation, indigestion, and diarrhea and promotes bowel movements. It also eliminates toxins from the body besides recycling from the kidneys.
Lowers fatigue
It treats health conditions such as numbness, muscle weakness, and fatigue. Experts recommend about 1200 mg of phosphorus for adults. An adequate amount of phosphorus cures sexual weakness, frigidity, loss of libido, impotence, and sperm motility.
How to Eat
- Usually, it is grilled, barbecued, poached, shallow fried, baked, and steamed.
- In the Asian style, it is a steamed whole.
- It is added to soups, stews, and chowders
- Other Facts They are slow-growing species.
Ocean Perch Facts
When the Pacific Ocean Perch becomes mature, its color becomes deep red with brown, olive green, and black patches on the upper part of the body. Those perch that live in deep water are dark red in color. The adult have also black patches on its skin. Young has silver to white below the lateral line. They are elongated more but the color of the fin is not dark.