Understanding fish & seafood

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)
Chef Mehernosh Dhanda

2.  Definition
 Structure and composition of fish and shellfish
 Classification & identification of a variety of fish and
shellfish
 Processing fish
 Market forms
 Determining freshness of fish
 Purchasing terminology
 Cooking fish & seafood
 Other seafood categories
 Storage of fish & seafood
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

3.  Fish are aquatic
vertebrates with fins for
swimming and gills for
breathing
 Shellfish are aquatic
invertebrates with shells
or carapaces
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

4. Habitat Physical Shape Flesh type
Fresh water fish- found
in rivers, lakes, ponds
Salt water fish – found
in the ocean
Round fish
Flat fish
White fish
Oily fish
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

5.  Include fresh and
saltwater varieties
 Have fins and internal
bone structures
 Have eyes on both sides
of their heads
 Bodies are truly round,
oval, or compressed
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

6.  Found in deep ocean waters
 Have asymmetrical,
compressed bodies
 Swim in a horizontal position
 Have both eyes on top of
their heads
 Bottom dwellers
 Top of their bodies is dark
and the bottom is lighter in
color
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

7.  Spend their lives in fresh water
with a salinity of less than 0.05%
 41% species of fish are found in
fresh water
 Anadromous fish reproduce in
fresh water but spend adulthood in
salt water
E.g.: Salmon, Stout, Three-spined
Stickleback
 An eel reproduces in salt water
and lives in fresh water
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

8. Perch Tilapia
Salmon
Catfish
Carp
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

9.  Spend their entire lives in oceanic waters
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

10. Mackerel
Red Snapper
Ladyfish
Surmai
White
pomfret
Rawas
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

11.  Larger fish should be scaled, washed, trimmed and gutted before
cooking.Whereas, smaller fish can be just washed and scaled and left
whole
 Scale
 Trim
 Gut
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

12.  Use a scaling knife
 Or use the
unsharpened edge of a
knife
 Work from tail to head.
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

13. Using kitchen shears or scissors trim off all the fins around the fish
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

14.  Remove the gills by
cutting the throat
connection
 Run the knife on the
belly side from tail end
to head
 Remove all internal
viscera
 Wash under running
water
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

15.  Whole or round
 Drawn
 Dressed
 Pan-dressed
 Butterflied
 Fillet
 Steak
 Wheel or center-cut
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

23.  Smell
 No odor or the smell of the sea
 Eyes
 Clear and full
 Gills
 Intact and bright red
 Texture
 Flesh should be firm
 Fins and scales
 Moist and full
 Appearance
 Moist and glistening
 Movement
 Crustaceans purchased alive should show movement
 Oysters/clams should close their shells when tapped
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

24.  Fresh
 Never frozen- Directly used after being caught
 Chilled
 Fresh, held at 30°F to 34°F- Held till sent to local outlets
 Flash-frozen
 Quickly frozen onboard ship, within hours of being caught
 Fresh-frozen
 Frozen while fresh, but not quickly
 Frozen/ Blast frozen
 Subject to temperature below 0°F
 Glazed
 Dipped in water to form a protective shell of ice
 Fancy
 Code word for previously frozen
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

25.  All cooking methods can be used
 Seafood is inherently tender
 Should be cooked until just done
 Overcooking is the most common mistake
made in preparing seafood
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

26. Poaching:
Baking:
Grilling:
Stewing:
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

27.  Shallow Frying:
 Coat the fish with seasoned
flour or egg and crumbs and
fry as follows:-
Thin fillets = 4 minutes
Thicker fillets = 5-6 minutes
Cutlets, Steaks
or Whole fish = 10-15 minutes
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

28.  Deep Frying:
 Coat the fish with seasoned
flour, batter or egg and
crumbs
 Preheat the oil to 190C,
375F, and fry as follows:-
Thin fillets = 3 minutes
Thicker fillets = 4 minutes
Cutlets, Steaks = 5-8 minutes
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

29.  Braising:
 Sear in order to brown the
surface and enhance its flavor
 Add a small amount of fatty
oil
 Cook it covered at a very low
simmer until the fish is tender
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

30.  Translucent flesh becomes opaque
 Flesh becomes firm
 Flesh separates from the bone easily
 Flesh begins to flake
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

31.  Have small unsegmented bodies and no
internal skeleton
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

32.  Single shell
 Marine snails
▪ Abalone
▪ Conch
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)
Abalone
Conch

33.  Two bilateral shells
 Clams
 Oysters
 Scallops
 Mussels
 Cockles
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

34.  No exterior shell
 One single internal shell
called a pen
 Squid/Calamari
 Octopus
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

35.  Have a hard outer shell and jointed
appendages
 Found in both fresh and salt water
 They breathe through gills
 Crayfish
 Crab
 Lobster
 Shrimp
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

36.  King
 Dungeness
 Soft-shell
 Blue
 Stone
 Snow
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

39.  Temperature between 30°F and 34°F
 If shipped in ice, store in ice
 Do not allow seafood to become dry
 Scallops and fish fillets should not be in direct contact
with ice
 Live animals should be stored in saltwater tanks or in
boxes with seaweed
 Bivalves should be stored in net bags or boxes at high
humidity
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)

40.  Group 1: Prepare a chart on Salt water fishes
 Group 2: Prepare a chart on Fresh water fishes
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BAC 102 Culinary Foundation Level II (T)