Beef, Poultry and Fish

I have grouped together beef, poultry and fish because they are all main dish items. In reality, one category should be Beef & Poultry, and another category should be Fish. This is because in the kosher world, Beef and Poultry need to be "kashered," or made kosher in a way that directly impacts the sodium level, while kosher fish doesn't need that process to be kosher.

What is Kosher Beef, Poultry and Fish?

Let's start with the basics. Before we can get to the actual process, we need to discuss what animals are considered kosher.

Beef

Only mammals that chew their cud and have split hoofs are kosher. Cow, goat, and sheep are among the most commonly eaten kosher animals. Less common animals that are kosher are: addax, antelope, bison, deer, gazelle, giraffe, and ibex.

Poultry

Poultry is different from beef in that there aren't specific traits that are specific to a kosher or non-kosher bird. Instead, the Bible lists out 24 forbidden species. In the United States, the only poultry accepted by mainstream kashrut organizations as kosher are chicken, turkey, duck and goose.

Fish

In order for fish to be kosher, they must have fins and scales. If the first two criteria are met, in addition, the scales on the fish must be capable of being removed without tearing the fish’s skin. All shellfish are prohibited.

What is the Kashering Process?

Beef & Poultry

There are very specific laws for how an animal is slaughtered according to the laws of Kashrut. They include using a special knife with a smooth edge, and slaughtering in such a way that the death is instantaneous (so that the animal doesn't suffer.) Only a trained "Shochet" is allowed to slaughter a kosher animal.

Once the animal is slaughtered, there are special laws regarding inspection of the animal, and cutting, so that the animal still adheres to the kashrut requirements.

The final process of "Kashering" beef or poultry involves removing the blood from the animal via either salting or broiling. Salting is a lot more common. Broiling is generally used for kashering of liver.

This is where the problems begin for us KosherLoSo folks!

When salting, the meat and poultry is first soaked in water, and then both sides of the meat and poultry are salted so that the entire surface is covered with a thin layer of salt. All loose inside sections of poultry must also be soaked and salted individually. After the salting, the meat and poultry is soaked, and then thoroughly washed to remove all of the applied salt.

So now we understand the issue with kosher poultry and beef. Basically, they are brined before they even get to us as the consumer. So their sodium content is automatically higher.

Fish

Once a kosher fish is identified by the criteria listed above, it requires no special preparation. However, as the fish scales must be visible to the consumer, filleted or ground fish should not be purchased unless properly supervised.

All of the above information is sourced from Kosher.com. For additional information or questions relating to the kashrut of beef, poultry or fish (or anything else!), please consult your local Rabbi.

Low Sodium Beef, Poultry and Fish

Most medical professionals tell us to maintain a heart healthy diet, which generally includes poultry and fish. Beef is less of an issue, since most of us are not supposed to be eating large amounts of red meat to begin with. So what can we eat that will give us the benefits of healthy protein, while also helping us to maintain our sodium levels?

Fish

Fish is the easiest one to deal with, because it is generally low in sodium. Given that fish is an omega-3 and is generally at the top of any list of super foods we should be eating, that is good news! The Seafood Health Facts web site has a listing of different types of fish and their sodium content (many of them non-kosher). I have used that list as well as the USDA's FoodCentral database to create the list below of kosher raw fish and their sodium amounts. Chabad has a great list of kosher fishes (as well as many caveats). None of the fishes below are smoked or seasoned in any way. Keep in mind that they are also not canned. (Check out our Canned Goods page for more on canned tuna fish, etc.)

Please note that the sodium amounts below are estimates, and that this is not a complete list of all kosher fishes.

Beef and Poultry

Beef and poultry are different "animals" than fish. As discussed above, they start out with the brining the process, before any other ingredients are added. In the case of beef and poultry the key to limiting your sodium amounts is to limit the amount of beef and poultry you eat in the first place. If you are eating beef or poultry (which most of us are at some point during the week!), limit the ingredients for marinades, sauces, spices, etc. that have sodium.

Something else to keep in mind with beef and poultry (and fish for that matter!) is that most vendors do not list out sodium amounts on their products. Because they are packaged individually in kosher stores, they almost never have nutrition information, making it even more difficult. In fact when I contacted multiple beef and poultry vendors, they had NO idea what the sodium amounts were in their product. But that is for another blog post 🙂 Bottom line:

1. Keep to what you know! If you know the basic amounts of sodium in a product, use those as your starter.
2. Stay away from ANY pickled or smoked meats.
3. Stay away from any deli meats. They are extremely high in sodium. (These items actually DO have nutrition labels, and they are frightening from a sodium perspective.)
4. Limit your poultry and beef consumption.
5. Use low or zero sodium ingredients when cooking beef and poultry.

Below are a few of the nutrition facts I was able to find for beef and poultry products. This is by no means all-inclusive.

Be sure to check out our Meat, Poultry and Fish recipes!