October 27, 2012 — Some of the best and healthiest parts of a fish never make it into the American diet. An e-book called "The Whole Fish — How Adventurous Eating of Seafood Can Make You Healthier, Sexier, and Help Save the Ocean" shows simple ways to use fish heads, skin and bones in appealing new ways.
"Omega 3s increase serotonin levels and they really do work as aphrodisiac," said author Maria Finn. "Plus fish adds healthy vitamins and minerals, so it actually does help increase your sexual desire and sensitivity."
Finn is a former Homer fisherman who said her whole fish philosophy stemmed from years of field work with Fish and Game.
"When I was on the Yukon Delta I worked with a lot of Yup'ik people at their fish camps. They showed me how to use the whole fish — the heads, the eggs and milt, the bones, and what they didn't use was pickled or fed to the dogs," she said.
Now Finn lives near San Francisco where using the whole animal is the trend in high-end restaurants.
Finn has seen salmon bellies featured as entrees, salmon roe as garnishes, tuna heart grated over pasta, and salmon bones ground with salt to provide calcium and Omega 3s. The e-book has recipes and also draws attention to sustainability issues and food webs.
Read the full story in the Anchorage Daily News