Unit 11: Fish and Shellfish Identification and Fabrication

1. Unit 11: Fish and Shellfish Identification and Fabrication A chef must be able to purchase, store, prepare, and serve this very expensive and highly perishable commodity that guests will pay a premium for American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

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3. Market FormsHow Fish is Purchased • Fresh, salted, smoked, pickled, dried • Whole, filleted, steaked, shucked, butterflied, wheels, dressed, headed and gutted, sticks, individually quick frozen, block frozen, shatter pack, individual portions, sides • Shell on, shell off, cooked meat, and almost any way or specification that a foodservice establishment requires American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

4. Checking for Freshness • Received at 41°F (5°C) or less • Should have a clean, sweet smell • Good overall appearance, without sticky slime, cuts, or bruises • Tight scales • Flesh responds to light pressure • Clear and bulging eyes • Bright-colored gills • No belly burn American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

5. Storage • Held several days • Ideally purchased and used immediately • Why store it if you can get it daily? • Stored in self-draining pans in crushed or shaved ice, wrapped to prevent flavor loss from water • Hold at 29–32°F (1–0°C) • Pack cavity of whole fish with ice • Re-ice daily • Fillets should be stored in food-safe plastic (preferably stainless steel as it chills better), set into ice • Frozen fish should be kept frozen until ready for use • Frozen fish can be thawed overnight in the cooler on sheet pans or slacked out under cold running water American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

6. Matching Cooking Methods to Fish • Flavor, color, and texture are determined by the water the fish lives in • Fat content is the single most important factor in determining cooking method • Activity level determines flavor • High activity level, darker flesh, more pronounced flavor, good for grilling and broiling • Low activity level, lighter flesh, more delicate flavor, good for en papillote and shallow poaching • Medium activity level suitable for most cooking techniques American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

7. Types of Fish • Flat fish usually low activity level, have four fillets, two on top, two on the bottom, very delicate flavor (sole, turbot, halibut, flounder) • Round fish, two fillets, one on each side (salmon, trout, bass, cod, haddock) • Nonbony fish have cartilage rather than bones (shark, skate, ray, monkfish) • Freshwater fish have a tendency to be medium activity and can be cooked using any technique • Freshwater fish should not be used for any raw application American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

8. Shellfish • Market forms include, live, shucked, fresh, frozen bulk or IQF, cooked, portioned, value added, breaded, ready to cook • There are four distinct categories: • Univalves, single-shelled mollusks • Bivalves, two shells joined by a hinge • Crustaceans, jointed exterior shells • Cephalopods, mollusks with tentacles American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

9. Receiving and Storing • All shellfish received between 35° and 40°F (1 and 4°C) • Crustaceans received live should come packed in seaweed or paper; they should be active, not sleepy • Store immediately in a proper tank or in their shipping containers in perforated pans • No ice as this will kill them • Mollusks should be received packed the same way and left in their delivery packages in self-draining trays; ice will kill them also • Buy close to service, especially when you can get deliveries often American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

10. Shrimp • The most popular shellfish • Sized by count per pound • Colossal, 10 or less per pound • Jumbo, 11 to 15 per pound • Extra-large, 16 to 20 per pound • Large, 21 to 30 per pound • Medium, 31 to 35 per pound • Small, 36 to 45 per pound • Most commonly purchased previously frozen, frozen bulk, or frozen individually quick frozen • In the southern coastal areas of the U.S., fresh shrimp are very common and very delicious American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

11. Mollusks:Clams, Mussels, Oysters • Upon delivery, look for tightly closed shells • No fractures or crushing (discard) • Delivered in bag or sack • Should be accompanied with shellfish tag • To store, leave in the containers they arrive in, in self-draining pans • Do not ice directly, unless shucked American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

12. Fabrication • Practice is the operative word for this application • Flat fish will produce four fillets • Round fish will produce two fillets • Either way, you must choose a very sharp, flexible boning or filleting knife, and stay close to the bone • Slice laterally from gill plates along the backbone to tail in as few strokes as possible • Use very smooth strokes American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

13. Fabrication (continued) • Once this is accomplished and the filet is removed, repeat the action on the other side • Remove the belly fat and any pin bones • After both fillets are removed and skin is taken off if desired, slicing laterally across on the bias will produce nice portion cuts • Have a portion scale ready to weigh each piece accurately • Steaks are easier—just scale the fish and cut directly across the fish in 1-inch pieces American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

14. Filleting a Flat Fish • As just described, except there will be four fillets: two on top, two on bottom; both sets will be long and thin • The trim from flat fish is exceptionally good for fumet or fish stock • Skinning any fillet is done carefully with a long, flexible knife • Lay the fillet flat, laterally in front of you, cut into the tail between the skin and flesh very carefully • Grasp the end piece between thumb and fingers using a towel to help pinch and grip • Slice in delicate but fast motions the length of the fish, quickly and deftly in one shot • With very little practice, this is easily accomplished American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

15. Cuts from the Fillets • Paupiettes, sliced thinly and rolled, usually with a stuffing • These are best with shallow poaching techniques • Fillets from larger fish can be sliced into goujonette or a larger, tranche cut • These are strips, cut on the bias, across the fillet • Goujonette are excellent thinly sliced, cooked quickly, and placed on salads, while the bigger tranche cuts are one-portion items served on a dinner plate American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

16. Lobster • Usually live when purchased • Do not accept dead lobsters from the delivery person • Can be killed by plunging it in boiling water for 2 minutes before any preparation, then cooled • There are many ways to disjoint or split a lobster • Place the lobster stomach side down on a board with a sheet pan under the board American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

17. Lobster (continued) • Split the carapace (body) with a chef’s knife first, then the tail by turning the lobster and cutting in the same direction, unless you want the tail intact • When split, remove the sand vein from the body and tail, and the stone sack or stomach, which is just behind the head • Remove the tomalley (liver) and reserve, and the coral (eggs), which will turn bright red if cooked in a sauce or stuffing • Reserve the lobster for any application, or remove the meat and save the shells for lobster stock. Knuckle meat is best removed with shears • Note and caution: If you are splitting the lobster live, leave the bands on until the lobster is dead American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

18. Shrimp • Clean by removing the shell • With a paring knife, make a small slit down the back of the shrimp, remove the vein under running water • Shrimp is ready for sauté • If stuffing, remove the vein from the belly, being careful not to split the shrimp • For poaching, poached with the shell produces a more tender shrimp • Vein is removed after shelling and cooking • Store in ice water • Reserve the shells for bisque American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

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20. Cleaning Soft-Shelled Crabs • Peel the shell back and peel away the gill filament • Cut the head off behind the eyes, using shears • Force out the green bubble • Bend the tail flap back and the vein will come out automatically American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

21. Cleaning Mollusks • For oysters, insert the blade tip near the hinge, push and turn gently but steadily • Run the blade against the top shell to free the aductor mussel • For hard-shell clams the knife has one edge, place the hinge against the heel of you hand, place the edge of the knife on the seam of the clam and pull firmly but gently toward your hand; this should open the clam; move the knife to cut the aductor muscle American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.