INTRODUCTION
Fish and seafood are very much of a food of the nineties, the epitome of modern cooking and eating styles – low in fat, high in protein, rich in minerals and vitamins, quick and easy to prepare and cook, versatile enough to be adapted to suit any occasion. Plus, many fish are cheaper than meat and better value for money.
Various cooking method of Fish
1 baking,
2 steaming
3 frying
4 grilling
5 broiling
6 stewing cooking.
When cooking fish, care must be taken not to overcook the fillet, steak, or whole fish, which results in dry, mushy and somewhat tasteless meat. A general rule is to cook a fish 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The 10 minute rule should not be used for deep frying or microwaving fish. The fish should be cooked until it has reached an internal temperature of at least 145ºF.
SEA FOOD
Fish and seafood are valuable in a balanced diet as they contain more natural goodness, weight and are high in good quality protein but low in calories. All fish are rich stores of essential vitamins and minerals; fatty fish such as herrings, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and salmon are particularly good sources of vitamins A & D. They are also very easy to digest. Oily fish is rich and a best source of omega 3 fatty acids and a good source of vitamins A and D. White fish such as cod, haddock, plaice and whiting are very low in fat. White fish contain some omega 3, but at much lower levels than oily fish. Fish such as whitebait, canned sardines, pilchards and salmon - where you also eat the bones - are also good sources of calcium and phosphorous, which help make our bones stronger. Shellfish contain similar nutrients to white fish and similar amounts of omega 3, though some types of shellfish contain more omega 3 than others. For example, crab and mussels are quite good sources of omega 3, but prawns contain hardly any. Shellfish are good sources of selenium, zinc, iodine and copper.
TYPES OF SEAFOOD
There are three basic categories of seafood: fin fish, shellfish and invertebrates. Each category can be further divided into various sub-categories.
1. Seafood
2. Fin Fish Shellfish Invertebrates
3. White fish Oily Fish Crustaceans Molluscs
Fin Fish
Fin fish are cold-blooded vertebrates with gills. Fin fish have skin and scales which cover the body. They move with the help of fins. True fish have an internal skeleton and a backbone. Most fish have a bony skeleton but some fish like sharks have a skeleton made up of pieces of cartilage (hard connective tissue). Fish can be divided into various sub-categories according to habitat, shape and flesh type.
White Fish
Fresh white fish has the following characteristics: firm flesh, clear and shiny eyes, red gills and a clean smell. There are two types of white fish: Round fish and Flat fish.
1) White Flat fish - have white flesh and are flat. Turbot, brill and halibut are very large flat fish, but are readily available from suppliers and popular in many fine restaurants. The cuts of flat fish are different to those of round fish. This category includes the following types of
Fish: plaice, Dover sole, lemon sole, turbot, brill, halibut, etc.
2) White Round fish - are round and are relatively common. Like flat fish, their flesh is white but the cuts are different.This category includes the following types of fish: cod, haddock, hake, huss, whiting, monkfish, etc.
Oily Fish
All oily fish are round and the flesh is darker than that of white fish. White fish contain oil, but only in their livers, whereas oily fish have oil throughout their bodies. This category includes the following fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines, anchovies, etc.
Shell Fish
Shellfish are aquatic invertebrates used as food. The main difference between fish and shellfish is their skeleton. Shellfish have an external skeleton or shell. There are two main categories of shellfish, crustaceans and molluscs.
Crustaceans
Crustaceans have multi- jointed shells. The shells of crustaceans do not grow with the fish, they shed each year with a new one forming to suit their new size. Examples of Crustaceans
are: Lobsters, Crawfish, Prawns and Crab.
Mollusc
Mollusc shellfish have shells but they are not multi-jointed. Some molluscs are eaten raw, such as oysters, but the remainder need very little in the way of cooking through. Too much cooking will affect their texture and taste. Examples of molluscs are: Mussels, Scallops, Oysters and Whelks.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are spineless marine animals with no outer shell. They include the squid and octopus family.
SELECTING FISH
(i) Fresh fish should be firm to the touch.
(ii) The eyes should be clear, full and shiny – almost glistening.
(iii) The gills should be red.
(iv) It should not, under any circumstances, smell ‘fishy’, but should have a clean, fresh smell.
(v) When buying crab, tap it gently to make sure it doesn’t contain water.
(vi) Mussels should not be bought if their shells don’t close when tapped. Discard any broken shells when cleaning.
PREPARATION OF FISH
The following procedure is commonly used for gutting, filleting, and skinning fish:
Cutting: (Butchery)
Lay the fish on its back and open it’s gills. The flaps and fins should come out gently. These need to be removed with a pair of scissors. Slice into the body of the fish at the bottom of its belly. Scoop out the middle – rather messy, but necessary! Finally, run under cold water until the water runs clear and the body cavity and outer is clean.
Filleting:
Cut down the length of the fish at the backbone from the head to the tail, keeping the knife as close to the backbone as possible. Cut down the width of the fish, starting from just behind the gills. Slice underneath the flesh lengthwise towards the tail, keeping as close to the bones as possible. Remove the fillet just before the tail. Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side.
Skinning:
1. Make a cut just behind the gills, but don’t cut its’ head off
2. completely.
3. Drop its’ head down, away from the body and scoop out its’ guts.
4. Wash the fish to clean out the body cavity.
5. Cut along the back bone keeping the knife as tight to the bone as
6. possible.
7. Spread the fish open like opening a book, flesh side down so that
8. Supporting bone structure. Remove the backbone. Most of the adjoining bones will come away at the same time if it is done carefully, however a pair of tweezers and small knife will help to pull away any small ‘pin’ bones.
FISH CUTS
The following table shows some of the fish cuts commonly used in restaurants.
Fillets The flesh is completely removed from the bone in long flat pieces. Round fish produce two fillets, flat fish produce four.
Paupiette Arolled and stuffed fillet, usually of a flat fish. The stuffing would generally be a fine fish farce.
Goujon/Goujonette Afish "finger" or baton approximately 80 x 10 x 10mm, a Goujonette is smaller and may be used as a garnish.
Supreme Aportioned piece of fish cut on the slant from the fillet of a large round or flat fish.
Darne Alsocalled a steak. This is a section across a round fish cut across the backbone approximately 25 mm thick. This cut is well suited to large dark fish such as Mackerel and Swordfish.
Troncon This is similar to the Darne. It is a section of a large flat fish such as Turbot or Brill after being split down the backbone, approximately 45 mm thick.
COOKING FISH
It is important to cook fin fish thoroughly, but not to overcook it. Proper cooking: develops the flavor, softens the small amount of connective tissue present in fish, and makes the protein easier to digest. Two cooking methods can toughen fin fish and destroy the natural moisture and flavor:
1. cooking at too high a temperature
2. Cooking for too long a time.
Cooking method of Fish
Grilling White fish should be brushed lightly with a little oil before grilling, but oily fish needs nothing added. Make sure the grill is hot before the fish is inserted. A squeeze of lemon and seasoning is all that’s needed Very simple and fresh way to cook fish. Turn the fish over once only. E.g. salmon steaks, grilled fish with lemon butter sauce etc.
Shallow Frying frying is the best way to fry fish. The fish must be marinated and coated with dusting. Oil should be hot enough to sizzle the fish immediately it is added. This will seal the fish. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the fish will taste oily and the coating will be mushy – yuck!
Deep Frying is usually done with battered fish. The batter is made from flour, milk, water and/or beer. The oil has to be hot enough for the fish to sizzle immediately it is added, or the same thing will occur as with shallow frying. E.g. fish n chips, fish pakoras, fish finger these appetizers can be prepared by this method.
Steaming is a very healthy option which uses a steamer that sits on top of a saucepan of boiling water. The resultant taste is fresh and clean. Spices and herbs can be used in the steamer to (flavour) infuse into the fish.
Poaching is a great way to gently cook tender and delicate fish. Many liquid flavours are used, the most popular one being white wine. Herbs and spices are often added, but care needs to be taken not to mask the taste of the fish with overpowering flavours.
Baking is a good way to cook fish as much of the flavour is retained. When cooked in parcels with herbs and a little wine, the flavours develop and enhance the taste of the fish. This type of baking fish is perfect for barbecuing.
Microwaving is easy and very quick; this method is usually done when the fish is poached in liquid. Milk works very well with salmon, as does white wine, cider or lemon juice. Be careful not to overdo the cooking time though, as the fish can quite easily become dry and overcooked.
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