Group · Fish
Orange roughy
The orange roughy (known in French as empereur) is a deep-sea fish of the Atlantic and Pacific. Its longevity is extraordinary: it can live for more than a hundred and fifty years and only starts to breed at around twenty-five.
In terms of nutrition facts, skinless fillet, raw: 73.5 kcal per 100 g, with 15 g of protein and 1.5 g of fat, with 0.21 g of salt. The Ciqual table does not publish its micronutrient content for this entry.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 74 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 311 kJ |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Fat | 1,5 g |
Tips
Sustainability is the real issue. A species that takes twenty-five years to breed cannot withstand sustained fishing pressure. Orange roughy stocks have collapsed everywhere it has been fished industrially, and several fisheries have been closed.
Its longevity also raises a question about contaminants. A fish that lives for a century accumulates more than one that lives for three years. It is the same reasoning as for large predators.
73.5 kcal: this is a lean fish. But it has only 15 g of protein, which is below most of the white fish in this family.
Its firm white flesh is easy to cook. It does not fall apart and copes with the frying pan as well as the oven, unlike many deep-sea fish.
Alternatives exist, and they are better. Pouting, dab or whiting offer a comparable or better profile, with stocks in much better condition.