Bops

Bops sea fish (otherwise its names are known as big-eyed boops or minke whales) belong to the order Perch-like. In appearance, bops is distinguished by an oval body flattened laterally and a uniformly convex head profile. The body of the fish covers rather fine scales, in the lateral line about 69-80 scales. On both sides of the fish jaws, teeth in the form of incisors are arranged in one continuous row. The bops has a long, undivided dorsal fin, on which there are both spiny and soft rays.

Regarding the color of the fish, it can be said that the back of the bops is greenish-olive or gray-blue, with its silver or golden sides characterized by the presence of 3-5 longitudinal golden stripes located just below the dark lateral line. A distinctive feature of bops is the black spots above the bases of the pectoral fins.

In addition, the scientific name of the fish boops, which can be translated as the eye of a bull, is due to rather large eyes of yellow color. The average size of the bops is up to 36 centimeters in length with a weight of up to 600 grams. Nevertheless, mainly in catches, the weight of the fish does not exceed 300 grams with a fish body length of 15-25 centimeters.

Bops is a fattening fish from the Aegean and Marble Seas basin, where it is quite widespread. However, on the Russian coast of the Black Bops Sea, you can find extremely rarely at a depth of two to five meters, as well as near ports and estuaries, where fish are actively engaged in the search for food at night.

Bops fish are of commercial importance in the Central East and Northeast Atlantic, and especially in the Mediterranean Sea. For food purposes, bops can be used, but most often this fish goes to the industrial production of feed flour. In fresh form, bops is sold in coastal areas.

In cooking, the recipes for preparing bops fish dishes are not particularly refined. You can cook bops in a similar way to sea bass, the meat of which is characterized by white color and low fat content.

It is worth saying that the most difficult thing in the preparation of this representative of the underwater kingdom is the cutting of fish, which is due to the presence of rather sharp fins in the bops, so you need to handle it with special caution. The calorie content of bops fish is relatively low - on average, the nutritional value of this fish is at 79 kcal per 100 grams.