crustaceans, the hepatopancreas (p. 219). The
“tongues” of cod and carp are actually throat
muscles and associated connective tissue that
softens with long cooking. Fish heads can be
20% fatty material and are stuffed and slow-
cooked until the bones soften. And then there
are “sounds,” or swim bladders, balloons of
connective tissue that such fish as cod, carp,
catfish, and sturgeon fill with air to adjust
their buoyancy. In Asia, fish sounds are dried,
fried until they puff up, and slowly cooked in
a savory sauce.
Fish Muscle and its Delicate Texture
Fish have a more delicate texture than the
flesh of our land animals. The reasons for this
are the layered structure of fish muscle, and
the sparseness and weakness of fish
connective tissue.
Muscle Structure In land animals, individual