Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilene
I do eat the bones in salmon, I mash them... I also eat the sardine bones...
I used to pick the bones out of canned fish, even sardines (because my mom and grandma always did). I didn't even know they were edible, and thought it was weird that they weren't removed before canning.
Then I read an article in a woman's magazine about sources of calcium other than dairy, and it recommended eating canned fish bones, and I thought I'd give it a try (and have been eating them ever since).
Sardine bones I don't even really notice, salmon bones though I have to mash or they have a chalky texture I don't like. Mashed in they seem to disappear. Although I don't eat fried whole fish very often, when I do, I eat the crispy tails and fins, a habit I picked up from my dad and grandpa, (one mom and grandma scolded them for passing along to me). I also eat shrimp shells and tails, if they've been cooked so that they're brittile enough to chew).
You can also add whole raw eggs in the shells (wash them first) to soups while the soup is cooking to add calcium to the broth (you then fish out the eggs, rinse them and peel them to eat and use in any recipe that calls for boiled eggs.
I did this a couple weeks ago. I boiled eggs in chicken broth and added a bit of chicken bouillon powder to the water.
When I was done, I saved and froze the "broth" to use in soup.
I may be imagining things, but it seems that some of the flavor from the broth seeps into the eggs as well. They'd absorb more flavor if I made them like "tea eggs" (a chinese way to make flavored eggs).
There are several ways to make tea eggs, and there are many recipes online. Add tea leaves or tea bags, soy sauce and other seasonings (like five spice powder) to water. Add raw eggs and brig the liquid to a simmer. Simmer the eggs for about 20 minutes. Then you fish out the eggs (because you're going to return them to the broth). You tap the shells to crack them (with a spoon, or wrap them in a clean cloth and roll on the counter gently).
You return them to the broth, and reduce the heat just below simmer (the pot should still be a little steamy, but there's little to no bubbling), and leave on the stove for a couple hours (different recipes call for different steeping times, anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
The longer you simmer them, the more flavor they absorb. You can increase the flavor further by letting the eggs cool in the tea broth, and when the pot is cool you put the pot and the liquid into the fridge and let them sit overnight.
They're absolutely beautiful when peeled (you can do the same with beet juice, but I don't know if there's much if any flavor change). They look like eggs carved out of marble.
If you want them to peel nicely, you need to use eggs that are a little older. I bought eggs yesterday, and I bought an extra dozen to use for for boiled eggs in 10 days or so.