Culinary secrets

Recipes

The Worldwide Gourmet

All about fish

Health

He could have been a sailor like his grandfather. He could have been a cook onboard a seagoing vessel, since he did his military service in the navy.

After learning sauces in the Auvergne and spending two years at Le Grand Véfour in Paris perfecting his skills with Raymond Oliver, the sea called to him once again and he opened his first bistro on the port of La Rochelle.

Over 25 years, he says, "I went to the auction every morning to find the fish of the day. As a consultant for the Hilton, I travelled the whole world, from Louisiana to Taipei, from Hong Kong to Scandinavia, and since there is more ocean than land, on every occasion I ended up in a port and was able to take advantage of what the sea had to offer. Around France alone there are 300 edible species and we eat only about 20 of them. From elver to whale, there's an entire world to discover. And with fish, it's a whole infinite universe - the range, the subtlety are amazing! With fish, you always have to be authentic: fish doesn't allow for mediocrity."

He will present an overview of all the riches that the ocean offers us, with an examination of seafood's respective dietetic properties. We'll become familiar with these products, learn how to buy them at the peak of freshness and discover light but delicious ways to prepare them.

In short, if you're looking for thin lines, let's go fishing!

Jacques Le Divellec will share his passion with us in a column on bringing the ocean to the table for a healthier diet. A monthly encounter you won't want to miss!

Table of Contents
(including several themes that will appear in the coming months)

Introduction
Fish, figure, fitness… Everyone is fishing for answers, grabbing hold of whatever looks like it may work - especially the least restrictive options. Nature, however, has given us a food whose dietetic virtues are unanimously praised by nutritionists: FISH.

Seafood products can be categorized in four groups

• fish
• mollusks
• crustaceans
• other products from the sea (animals, fish roe, aquatic plants, seaweed)

Table of food chemical composition

• lean fish
• semi-fatty fish
• fatty fish

Cooking methods

• baked/roasted
• poached
• steamed
• pan-cooked
• grilled

Features of the month
All about mollusks

Scallop
First I'll talk about scallops, since we are in prime scallop season. They can be purchased live from fishmongers from October until April.

Have a look at the "buying" and "preparing" sections, as well as some quick, easy recipes.