Milkfish
Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps
A moderately oily fish, and the raw, grilled and steamed versions differ mainly by water lost in cooking.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Heat sets the protein): Cooking denatures muscle protein and converts collagen to gelatine, which is what makes the flesh flake.
- Stomach (Rapid protein breakdown): Pepsin breaks the fish protein down quickly, helped by its low connective tissue content.
- Small intestine (Fat and amino acids absorbed): Bile emulsifies the fat so EPA and DHA can be absorbed alongside the amino acids.
- Tissues (Built into membranes): Omega-3 fats are incorporated into cell membranes; amino acids go to muscle repair.
Time to effect
- Weeks: Regular intake shifts membrane fatty acid composition over roughly four to eight weeks.
Allergens
Contains: Fish. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Pescatarian, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
147 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
13.6 kg CO2e and 3691 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Fish (farmed)" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 190
- Protein: 23.4g
- Carbohydrate: 0g
- of which sugars: 0g
- Fat: 10.7g
- of which saturated: 3.8g
- Fibre: 0g
- Sodium: 84mg
Food vs. supplement
A 100g fillet delivers roughly half the omega-3 of a standard fish oil capsule's claim, plus 23g of complete protein, selenium, iodine and vitamin D. Capsules replace one nutrient; the fillet replaces a meal.
Kitchen tip
Steam or grill without added fat and stop at the point the flesh just flakes. Buy deboned fillet unless you are prepared to deal with over 200 fine intermuscular bones.
Common myth
"Steamed fish is the healthy version and grilled is the fatty one." In reality: The difference between the grilled and steamed entries is mostly evaporated water, plus a little fat lost as drip under the grill. Neither adds fat when cooked as listed, and what you serve the fish with will change the meal far more than the cooking method does.
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