Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fish is readily available relatively cheap source of food which is high in proteins, vitamins and
minerals. Its extremely perishable, so it must be cooked as quickly as possible after being caught
and must be kept cold until it is cooked .There are hundred of species of fish : sea fish from the
ocean and fresh water fish from lakes, rivers and streams.
CLASSIFICATION OF FISH
FISH
ROUND
ROUND
MOLLUSCS
CRUSTACEANS
FLAT
BIVALVES
UNIVALVES
BIVALVES
Round fish: These are the fish that have eyes on both sides of their body. They are found
swimming near the surface of the water. E.g. cod, hake, haddock, whiting, eel, mackerel,
salmon, trout.
Flat fish: These are the fish, which have eyes on the same side of their body. They are
found at great depths at the bottom of the sea.E.g. Halibut, lemon sole, plaice, sole,
turbot.
White fish: These are the fish that are low in fat content e.g. cod, hake, haddock,
whiting, halibut, lemon sole, turbot.
Oily fish: These are the fish that are high in their fat content. E.g. eel, mackerel, salmon
trout.
Fishes are also classified by their habitat:
River fish: More nourishing than seawater fish e.g. eel, lamprey, etc and are also
more flavourful.
Shellfish have a different classification all together. They are classified into
CEPHALOPODS
Octopus: octopus is firmly textured and has a marine flavour. It is generally sold fresh
and free of its ink and beak. They are used in number of dishes including chowders and
salads.
Squids:
It is one of the most widely available forms of seafood. They are suited to most of the
cooking methods but the most popular are fried rings served in spicy sauces or stuffed.
These bacteria grow at higher pH i.e. more than 7; around a temperature of 15-20 deg. C.
Parasitic infections also cause early spoilage.
The bacterial growth can be eliminated by proper control of pH and temperature.
Spoilage also occurs in the fish when lactic acid content in the fish gets reduced due to
struggle and stress before death. TMA (trimethilamin) oxide is an important compound of
marine fish. After death of the fish this compound is broken down due to oxidation and
causes bad smell.
The other reasons for the spoilage are as follows:
Enzymes in dead fish because of microbes and chemicals bring about changes.
Faulty method of catching and handling
Personal hygiene.
Signs of spoilage
• Fish is fresh when the eyes are bright and bulging with red gills.
• In case the eyes are sunk to the level of eye brim, it may be considered 24 to 48
hours old.
• In case the eyes are sunk deep inside, it may be considered 48 hours or beyond.
Fresh fish is ideal to procure . it depends upon the location, weather condition, high
standards of hygienically maintained shops with proper infrastructure, and temperature
control.
Following is the receiving standards for the receiving of the fish
Storage
It is most important to maintain freshness and prevent staleness in the fish. In deep sea
fishing operation, the aim is to catch maximum catch of edible fish in ideal condition.
Fish should not be subjected to more stress and stress after the catch.
Freshness depends upon temperature control, weather control and quantum of fish.
Immediately freezing at – 10 C is advisable while moving the seafood from deep-sea
location to coast.
It is advisable to store fish at temperature ranging from –23 to –29 deg. C to conserve
enzymes from destruction or keep fishes alive in tanks.
While receiving fish it should be checked whether the fish is being marketed below 3 deg
C or not.
Fishes like tuna are stored at temperature more than – 20 deg C
Shellfish is normally stored in tanks alive after catch, and then it is subjected to
processing.
Subjecting to temperature less than – 3deg C can enhance shelf life of certain fish
It can be stored for more than three to six months. It is the case with shellfishes also.
Fresh fish should be stored in a fish box containing ice or in a separate refrigerator or part
of a refrigerator used only for fish at a temperature of 1-2° C.
Preservation
Freezing of fish
Fresh fish (caught less than 4 hours beforehand): The whole fish should be gut, scaled,
then washed, dried with absorbent paper, wrap in foil or plastic film and freeze in a tray.
All fish and shellfish should be stored on sealed plastic bags, preferably vacuum-packed.
All frozen fish should be thawed in a refrigerator for several hours before use. Do not
thaw in water as it tends to damage the structure of the fish and does not taste as good.
The cooking tie for thawed fish will be a little longer than fresh fish. Once frozen fish has
been thawed it should not be in any conditions be refrozen as this could prove as a major
health hazard.
• Fillet ( Le filet ) : The side of a whole fish,obtained after the removal of central
bone.A round fish will yield two fillets and a flat fish will yield four fillets.
• Supreme ( Le supreme ) : A cut on the slant taken from the large fish fillet
• Thin strips ( Les goujons ) : Fillet of fish cut into thin strips approximately 6 cm.
long with ¼ inch . thickness .
• Tiny thin strips ( Les goujonettes ) : Fillet of of fish cut into very small strips as
per goujons but cut into smaller version.
• Marinade the fish with salt ,lime juice and water for at least 20 minutes for
reducing the strong smell of the fish..This is known as first marrination.
• Wash the fish thoroughly under running water ,drain well and keep them dry.
• Make the final marrination liqueur with salt.pepper powder,Dijon mustard,white
oil,white wine or white viniger and marinade the fish for another 20 minutes.
• Now process the fish as per the instructions given in the recipe.
Boiling
This method is suitable for whole fish such as salmon, turbot, trout and certain cuts of the
fish on the bone such as salmon, cod, turbot, halibut, brill etc. In either case the fish
should be completely immersed in the cooking liquid that can be water, water and milk,
fish stock (for white fish) or a court bouillon for oily fish.
Whole fish are covered with a cold liquid and brought to boil; cut fish are usually placed
in a simmering liquid.
Poaching
This is suitable for small whole fish, cuts or fillets. Barely cover the fish with fish stock,
cover with a buttered paper, and bring to boil and cook in the oven without allowing the
liquid to boil. The cooking liquor is usually used for the sauce, which masks the fish.
Steaming
Any fish that can be poached or boiled may also be cooked by steaming which has a
number of advantages.
¾ It is an easy method of cooking
¾ Cooking by stem can be rapid, thus conserving flavour, color and nutrients.
¾ It is particularly suitable for large-scale operations.
Fish to be steamed is prepared for cooking in the same way as per poaching. The sauce
can be prepared separately, but the liquor from the steamed fish should be strained off,
reduced and incorporated into the sauce.
Grilling
This method is suitable for small whole fish, cuts and fillets. The fish is passed through
seasoned flour, brushed with oil and grilled on both sides. When fish is grilled under the
salamander, grill bar marks may be made with a red- hot poker before cooking.
Grilling may also be done on a barbecue in which case the whole fish in cuts or in kebabs
may be marinated for a short time, then the marinade is used to baste the fish whilst
cooking. Whole fish can have sprigs of fresh herbs placed in the belly cavity and they can
also be wrapped in oiled foil and cooked on a barbecue.
Shallow frying
This method is suitable for small whole fish, cuts and fillets. The fish is passed through
seasoned flour, shallow fried on bit sides, and presentation side first in clarified fat in a
frying pan. When the fish is placed on a serving dish or plate and is masked with nut-
brown butter, lemon juice, slice of lemon and chopped parsley it is termed as meuniere.
Deep frying
This method is suitable for small whole fish, cuts and fillets. The fish can be coated by;
¾ Flour, egg and crumbed.
¾ Milk and flour
¾ Batter
The coating forms a surface to prevent penetration of the fat into the fish. Deep fried fish
is served with a quarter of lemon and / or suitable sauce and fried parsley.
Baking
Many fish, whole, portioned or filleted may be baked in a oven. In order to retain the
maximum moisture it is necessary to protect the fish from direct heat.
¾ Whole fish
¾ Completely cover in a thick coating of sea salt and bake.
¾ Wrap in pastry and bake
¾ Stuff with a duxelle based mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs, chopped onion, shallots or
garlic.
¾ Portions of fish
¾ Place in a buttered or oiled dish and bake slowly, basting frequently.
In all case a suitable sauce can be offered with the fish.
Roasting
Thick cuts of firm fish such as salmon, turbot, monkfish are suitable for roasting. The fish
is usually portioned, lightly covered with oil and roasted in an oven in the usual way.
Finely sliced vegetables and springs of herbs can be put in the roasting tray and the fish
when cooked can be removed from the tray and the pan deglazed with a suitable wine to
form the base for an accompanying sauce.
Smoking
It is the process thought to have developed from the age old method of preserving fish by
wind- drying.Anxious to hasten a process entirely at the mercy of the elements ,
prehistoric man may have hung fish on poles over wood smoke or peat smoke , thus
speeding up the dehydration process and preserving fish.
There are two ways of smoking fish and each one produces a completely different
result.’Hot smoking’ produces cooked , ready to eat fish.’cold smoking’ takes place at a
much lower temperature and it produces a smoky tasting fish which usually needs to be
cooked before it is eaten.