What is the Salema?

The Salema (also known as Sarpa Sarpa, Salema Porgy Cow Bream, or Goldline) is a saltwater fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the same family of the bream and perch.. It is the only species of the genus Sarpa. It can reach a maximum length of 50 cm and weighs 3 pounds and is characterized by a very strong teeth (used to scrape algae from the rocks, which are the main constituent of the Salema’s diet). It should be cooked in the oven or steamed such as sea bream or sea bass.

 

What are the nutritional properties?

100 grams of Salema provide about 104 Calories, broken down as follows:

  • 69% protein
  • 23% lipids,
  • 8% carbohydrates

 

In particular, 100 grams of Cow Bream contain:

  • 77.3 g of water
  • 18 g of protein
  • 2.7 g of lipids
  • 62 mg cholesterol
  • 2 g of available carbohydrates
  • 2 g of soluble sugars
  • 540 mg of potassium
  • 4.3 mg Iron
  • 28 mg calcium
  • 29 mg magnesium
  • 3.3 mg zinc
  • 0.6 mg of copper
  • traces of vitamin C

 

When should you not eat the Salema?

If allergic it is good to abstain from consuming this fish. There are no known interactions with drugs or other substances.

 

Seasonality of the Salema

It can be fished throughout the year, but since it is a herbivorous fish it is better to catch and purchase them in the spring, when the sea is cleaner: given its herbivorous diet often the meat of this fish has a strong smell of seaweed, a feature that in spring is mitigated by the increased cleanliness of the water.

 

Possible benefits and drawbacks of the Salema

Although the meat of this fish is almost devoid of vitamins and does not appear very valuable from the gastronomic point of view, its consumption is still healthy (the salema does not fall among the most common types of fish , and therefore is not found frozen), and with a low environmental impact (as the salema is a fish that is usually caught more by sport fishermen from those professional and so is unlikely in the sales channels of retail supermarket chains). The flavor of this fish is still delicate, and therefore easily adaptable to different recipes.