Chapter 20: Fish Flashcards
How are fish classified?
- Habitat:
a) Salt water
- sea
- e.g tuna, Sword ,Doroado
b) Fresh water
- dams, rivers
- e.g Carp, bass, trout
- Flesh:
a) White flesh
- 5% less fat
- e.g hake, kingklip,
haddock
b) Oily
- darker colour firm
flesh
- 5% more fat
e.g Tuna, salmon, marlin
- Shape
a) Round fish
- Rounded in shape
- 2 fillets (1per side)
- e.g Hake, kingklip, tuna
b) Flat
- Flat
- 4 fillets
- e.g Large halibut, flounder
- e.g Smaller Plaice, sole
Explain the acronym SASSI
Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative
Traffic light indication
Green
- Safe to eat
- Population numbers are
healthy
e.g Abalone, anchovie, hake
Orange
- Legal to sell
e.g Marlin, Monfish, Sole
Red
- Illegal to sell and buy
e.g Galjoen, sawfish, elf
When selecting fish, which tests should be applied?
- Should smell of the sea
- Eyes, bright and shiny
- Gills, bright and pinkish red
- Skin, shiny and bright
- Flesh, firm, plum, springy
and elastic - Scales, plentiful should not
come off during handling - Fillets and steaks, firm and
moist with no browning at
edges - Frozen fish, solidified,
uniform in color and free
from crystals
Explain signs of staleness
- Unpleasant ammonia
odour - Limp flesh retaining
imprints of fingers - Sunken eyes
- Gills, dulls and discoloured
Explain the guidelines of storing fish
- Temperature
- Packaging
- Labelling / date stamp
- Signs of freezer burn
- Defrosting
At what temp can be fish be stored?
0 -5 degrees for 1-3 days
What is the optimum storage temp for fish
0-1
Why should fish be stored in designated refrigerator?
- Prevent x contamination
- Tainting of flavor and aroma
on other food
How should fish be stored during the day
Covered and on ice
How should fish be frozen
-18 degrees
- 3 to 6 months
Explain a probe thermoneter
Used to check core temp
Why should fish be well wrapped and covered
- Prevent blood and liquid
leakage - Tainting of aroma and taste
Why should fish be stored in bottom of fridge
Prevent drip contamination
How can one prevent freezer burn and fish from drying out during storage
By vacuum packing
Which care should be taken during the sous vide of fish
Vacuum packed bags should not be punctured
Which date stamps / labelling should retail fish carry
- Use by
- Sell by
- Indicating cut
- Date of received
When does freezer burn occur
- Fish incorrectly wrapped or
packaged, left in freezer too
long.
What is freezer burn
- Meat dehydrates and
desiccates, meat is unusable
How should fish be defrosted
By thawing in refrigerator between 0-5
Some traditional cuts of fish are?
- Fillets ( Boneless)
- Flesh removed the bone - Supreme ( Boneless)
- Portion size cut from fillets - Goujon (Bone and skinless)
- Small strips of fillets e.f fish
finger
- Crumbed and deepfried - Loin (Boneless)
- Piece of fillet cut from
round - Loin steak (Boneless,
skinless)
- Slices of loin
- Cut from large round fish - Darne (Bone in)
- Known as steak / cutlets
- 25mm thick
- Steaks, slice of round fish
on the bone cut through
tailcut section
- Cutlets, slice of round fish -
on the bone cut through
middelcut section.
List 8 preparation methods of fish
- Prepare
- Washing
- Scaling
- Gutting
- Trimming
- Filleting
- Skinning
- Pin boning
How should fish be washed
- Briefly soak flesh to remove
scales - Wash under cold water
How do you scale fish
- Use deep sink or inside a
plastic bag - Firm blade or fish scaler
- Back of knife to prevent
damaging of skin - Hold tail and scrape scales
towards the head - Rinse fish
- pat down with paper towel
How do you gut fish
- Insert knife under tale and
cut towards the head - Fingers to scrape all insides
- Wash fish inside and
outside
How do you trim a fish
- Remove gills, fins, tail, eyes
and head
How do you fillet round fish
- 2 fillets
- Work from head to tail
- Make incision behind the
head - Cut from backbone
following the vertebrae over
rib down to the tail - Lift fillet as you remove it
- Trim excess belly fat
How do fillet flat fish
- 4 fillets
- Make incision from head to
tail - Make incision behind head
- Work from centre, keeping
knife pressed flat against
bone
How do you skin fish
- Dip fingers in salt for better
grip - Cut through flesh at the tail
Never through the skin - Hold at 45 degree angle
How do you pin bone
- Run fingers on the fillet and
remove any bones
What is the golden rule of cooking fish
- Skin side first
- Crisp up the skin well and
turn over to finish
What are considered as fish’s best friends
- Butter
- Fat, succulent and moist - Lemon
- Acidness balances richness of butter and oil
How does one cook oily fish
Seared on the outside in a hot pan
How does one one cook white flesh
- Cooked through
- Baked steaming method called en papillote
How does one cook whole fish
- Gutted and scored
- Rub in sal and herbs
- Scored fish speeds up
cooking time
How do you determine if fish are cooked
- Do not damage
appearance of fish - Fish gives in to touch
- Little or no resistance
when pushing in a skewer
into thickest part - Over cooked fish is opaque
- Overcooked fish breaks up
and are flaky - Overcooked fish becomes
dry
What is the four basic coatings for fish
- Flour coating
- Breadcrumb coating
- Batters
- Marinating
Which garnishes can be used with fish
- Lemon slices
- Lemon wedges
- Lemon and herb butter
- Garlic butter
- Butter curl
What are accompaniments for fish?
- Tartare sauce
- Hollandaise
- Buerre blanc
- Buerre noisette
- Buerre noir
- Tomato sauce
- Chips / french fries
