Fatty, Firm-textured Fish Category

It's best to get these salted rather than canned. Rinse the salt off before using. Unopened canned anchovies can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, they will keep for up to two days if you wrap them well and refrigerate them.

The flesh is firm and white and milder than our catfish. This Vietnamese catfish relative has a mild flavor and firm texture.

This is the favorite for sushi. It is the most expensive.

These haven't caught on much in the U.S., but they're highly prized in Europe and Japan for their rich, firm meat and terrific flavor. Freshness is crucial, so always buy live eels. Smaller eels are more tender. This category includes conger eel = conger = anago, which are tough saltwater eels that are sometimes available in fish markets in the spring and summer, elvers = angulas = baby eels, which are about an inch long and very expensive, and freshwater eel = unagi.

Elvers are juvenile eels. They are thin and about 2" long. Elvers are a delicacy especially in Spain and Asia. They are caught as they return to freshwater streams after being born in the mid-Atlantic.

In the United States, you're more likely to find these in an aquarium that in a supermarket, but Southeast Asians consider them a delicacy.

Unopened canned tuna can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it. Varieties include albacore, bluefin, blackfin, bonito, skipjack = aku, kawakawa, and the leaner yellowfin = bigeye = ahi.

Vesiga is the spinal cord of a European sturgeon. It is considered a delicacy in Russia. Coulibiac is a Russian dish that features vesiga.