You should use extra virgin olive oil to fry your fish

There are often concerns that the healthy value of fish can be negated by frying it. To make a healthy fried fish meal it is important to be careful about what type of oil the fish is fried in. The University of the Basque Country reports that the best option for frying fish is to use extra virgin olive oil. After being used for frying fish extra virgin olive oil was found to be rich in omega-3, omega-1 acyl groups, linoleic and saturated fats and poorer in oleic, which is the main acyl group in olive oil. The composition of the fat in the fish fillets was also changed during the frying process. The fish fillets became enriched by the acyl groups which are present in a higher concentrations in the frying oil than in the fillet. Another factor which has been found to considerably influence the fat absorption-desorption process during frying was found to be the fish species. The fat content of the gilthead seabream had decreased after frying while that of the European seabass was observed to be similar or higher with respect to the starting level. It has been shown in this study that frying technique, the type of oil which is used and the fish species have a significant influence on the changes that take place during the frying process. The proper selection of oil is of vital importance due to to its impact on the final composition of the fat found in the cooked fillet and the possible generation of possibly toxic compounds in the oil during the frying process. This all has a great impact on food safety and human health. This study has been published in the journal Food Research International. It seems best for your health to use extra virgin olive oil to fry fish.