FISH
Introduction
Fish is a very prized element in the world of Culinary Art and been acknowledged for its extraordinary features and nutrition. Seafood is the common term used to refer fish and shellfish.
Fish are aquatic vertebrates (with a backbone or spinal column), having fins and gills to aid them with swimming and breathing respectively. They are found mostly in sea or oceans but few are found in fresh water as well.
Shellfish are invertebrates (without a backbone or spinal column) but they have outer shells or cuticle (dead skin or outer layer of hair). They are found in both fresh and sea water.
The flesh of the fish is very delicate and hence should be dealt with extreme care and utmost delicateness. The cooking time of the fish is very less and subtle methods are applied for its cooking. The oxygen-carrying myoglobin is absent in fish flesh and hence they are white in colour. The fish with high fat contents are referred to as oily fish and one without fat contents or very less fat content are referred to as lean fish.
As fish are found only in water, it was only available in coastal areas; but nowadays the technologies of preservation and transportation have developed so well, that it is available everywhere with ease.
Fish is a revered commodity all across. In India, it is considered very auspicious during wedding and other functions and in Bengal it is referred as “vegetable of the sea”. Bengalis are very fond of eating fish and consume fish in almost every meal they have. Not only in India, but it is a distinct course in French classical menu called poisson.
Fish is packed with nutrition and is a rich source of protein, vitamin-B and mineral like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and iodine. Oily fish are a rich source of vitamins A and D. It is also a source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can‘t be produced in our body but needs to be provided from the diet. It is essential for the proper functioning and development of brains and retina.
Classification of Fish
The fish are classified on various bases like finfish and shellfish, freshwater fish and salt water fish, round-fish and flat fish; and lean fish and oily fish.
But the culinary aspect classifies fish on the basis of their structure and composition majorly into finfish and shellfish. Finfish is further classified into round fish and flat fish; and shellfish into mollusk and crustacean.
Finfish: Fish which have fins, gills and internal skeleton of bone and cartilage are referred to as finfish. It is further sub-divided into round fish and flatfish, based on their shape and skeletal design. Round fish swim in a vertical position and have a round, oval or compressed body; whereas flatfish swim horizontally and have an asymmetrical body.
Flatfish:
Sole: The flounder type of fish found in Pacific ocean are referred to as sole and the common varieties include English sole, rock sole, pacific sole, butter sole, sand sole, dover sole etc. The sole variety is indeed the most flavourful and finely textured fish of all flatfish. It is narrower and more elongated as compared to flounder fish. It is very expensive as well.
Halibut: It is a lean large fish and looks like a giant flounder. It has thick flesh with delicate flavours. The common varieties of it include Atlantic halibut, pacific halibut and Californian halibut. It is complemented well with sauce preparation.
Round fish:
Bass: It is a lean fish with very delicate flesh found in fresh water as well as salt water. It refers to a number of other fish varieties of same character like largemouth, smallmouth, redeye, blackeye, striped bass and black sea bass.
Cod: It is a lean fish with mild delicate flavour and flesh breaks into large flakes easily. As it flakes easily, grilling is not preferred for this fish. The cod family of fish includes pollock, haddock, whiting, atlantic cod, pacific cod etc. The smaller and younger cod is referred by term scrod.
Shellfish: Shellfish have a harder shell and they don’t have the backbone or internal skeleton. They are further classified as Mollusks and Crustaceans.
Mollusks are further sub-classified as:
Bivalves (or pelecypods): Those which have a pair of hinged shells or two shells.
Univalves (or gastropods): Those which have a single shell.
Cephalopods: Those which do not have a hard outer shell but they have a thin internal shell called pen or cuttlebone.
Crustaceans are arthropods shellfish with segmented shell and jointed appendages.
Mollusks:
Oyster: The two rough and irregular shells of the oyster are grayish in colour of which one is flat and the other one is raised. It has a huge culinary significance and is eaten raw in French classical cuisine. It is high in nutrients and is is rich in vitamins, minerals like calcium, iron, copper etc. It is also considered high, as it is also a good aphrodisiac. Two types of oysters are available in market, one that grows wild of its own and the other one that is cultivated by someone. There are hundreds of oyster varieties and two are highly regarded; Atlantic oyster and the Pacific oyster.
Octopus: Octopus is a cephalopod mollusk which has a distinct head and eight equal-sized tentacles that are attached to the head near the mouth. The flesh of octopus is firm, lean, flavourful and very hard; hence it needs to be tenderized by pounding with mallet. The long moist cooking method is usually preferred to bring the utmost taste out of the flesh. The skin is grey coloured when raw and it turns purple when cooked.
Crustaceans:
Lobster: It is probably the most valued and prized of all shellfish, in terms of culinary arts. Various types of it are available such as European lobster blue-black or purple in colour has the best flavour, American lobsters is green in colour with less flavour, langoustines are tiny lobsters, whereas slipper lobsters are known for being clawless etc. The lobster is classified on the basis of its weight as chicken lobster weighing just 450 gm, quarter lobster, jumbo lobster being the heaviest with about 1150 gm etc. The lobster yields just 25% of its weight. It must be purchased live and kept alive even just before cooking.It is very subtle and delicate in its taste, when cooked. The female lobster is heavier as compared to male lobster of same size and is much tastier as well. It is low in fat content but very rich in mineral and protein contents.
Prawn: Prawn is the most-sought after and popular of all shellfish. Prawns are very varied in its types as few are found in cold water such as pink shrimp, deep sea shrimp as well as in warm water such as Gulf prawns. The tiger prawn is the larger one and prawns which are smaller than 5 cm are called as shrimps. Prawns should never be overcooked, as it gets tough on overcooking. Prawns can be cooked by various cooking methods like poaching, grilling, sautéing, deep-frying or barbecuing.
List of Fish:
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Round fish |
Flatfish |
Mollusks |
Crustaceans |
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Arctic char, bass, bluefish, catfish, cod, escolar, eel, grouper, haddock, herring, jack, john dory, mackerel, mahi-mahi, monkfish, ocean perch, pike, red mullet, red snapper, salmon, sardine, shark, swordfish, triggerfish, trout, tuna, whiting, zander, etc. |
Flounder, sole, halibut, turbot, plaice, brill, megrim |
Bivalves |
Univalves |
Cephalopods |
Lobster, crab, crawfish, crayfish, prawns, shrimps, langoustine |
|
Clam, cockle, mussel, oyster, scallop, razor shell clam |
Abalone, conch, snail, whelk, winkle, sea urchin, limpet |
Octopus, squid, cuttlefish |
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Fish is a highly perishable commodity and hence the quality of fish is of utmost importance when buying and selecting fish. In order to purchase fish of fresh quality, following factors are kept in mind:
Smell
Fresh: It should have fresh, pleasant and delicate smell.
Not fresh: Unpleasantand foul smell.
Feel
Fresh: It should not feel dry on touching and when pressed a little, the flesh should spring back to its actual position.
Not fresh: It would feel dry and give a feel of slime.
Appearance
Fresh: It should be moist and with shiny skin.
Not fresh: It would appear dull, colorless and moist less.
Scales
Fresh: It should have strong and shiny scales attached to fish.
Not fresh: It would be loose and partially detached.
Skin
Fresh: It should be stretched tight and colorful.
Not fresh: It would be wrinkled and dry.
Eyes
Fresh: It should be clear and bulging eyes.
Not fresh: It would be flat, moisture less and sunken.
Fins and tails
Fresh: It should be firm and flexible.
Not fresh: It would be dry and easily breakable.
Gills
Fresh: It should be moist and deep red colored
Not fresh: It would be dry and grey colored.
Flesh
Fresh: It should be firm.
Not fresh: It would be soft and separating into flakes.
Storage of Fish &
Shellfish
· The best way of keeping fresh fish is to store it in refrigerator on crushed ice layer at a temperature of -1oC to 1oC.
The frozen fish should be stored at a temperature between -18oC to -20oC.
While keeping the whole fish in storage, it is better to remove the guts and wash it thoroughly.
Fish being a highly perishable commodity, if possible it should be consumed within 1 or 2 days after receiving, as it must have been kept in storage during transit period for long. The shelf life of fish from being caught is just 10 days.
· The ideal storage temperature for shellfish is between 2oC to 8oC.
Shellfish should be stored in its packaging until preparation, to avoid moisture loss. It should be ensured that the shellfish is moist in its packaging.
Mollusks should be stored in an ice container with the round side of shell facing down in order to collect and retain the natural juices in it.
The dead fish should be discarded immediately. Fish should remain alive in storage.
Cuts of Fish:
Following are the common cuts of fish:
Fillet: It is a cut of fish in which the flesh is completely removed from the bone in flat pieces from the whole fish. Round fish yields two fillets whereas flatfish yields four fillets. The whole fillet cut is further used to process other cuts of fish.
Delice: Actually it is not a cut, but it is simply a way of folding the fillet of usually a flat fish. Generally, it is stuffed with some filling and then folded. It is also referred as plie cut.
Darne: It is the steak cut in which the section of fish is cut across the bone. The darne cut is approximately 25 mm thick.
Supreme: It is a portioned cut at 45o angle out of fillet cut. It is the prime cut of fish which is always boneless and with skin removed.
Paupiette: It is a flattened fillet, usually of a flat fish, which is used for stuffing and rolling to make roulades.
Goujon: It is a “fish finger” cut or baton cut out of the large fillet. It has the dimension of 8cm x 0.5 cm x 1cm.
Goujonettes: It is the smaller version of goujon cut and has the dimension of 4cm x 1cm x1cm.
Plaited: It is a decorative cut with three large strips of fish and folded into pleats. In French, this cut is referred as en tresse.
Troncon: A cut similar to darne. The flat fish is split into two from the backbone and then the troncon cut, is obtained by cutting the darne cut from the split section.
Medallion: A medallion shaped cut portion from the large fillet. (Medallion shape is similar to medal or large coin shape).
Pave: A cut obtained from the fillet, but in the form of medium-sized rectangular block.
Butterflied: It is a fillet cut of round fish, which is further opened flat like a book or butterfly. The two sides remain attached by the back or belly skin.
Cooking Fish
The flesh of the fish is very delicate, succulent and subtle; and hence extreme care is exhibited while cooking fish.Fish is very versatile and cooks extremely well with all cooking methods. Following are the given cooking methods most suitable for fish cookery:
Poaching:Poaching is basically cooking any food in waterwith temperature between 70oC to 85oC, in gentle simmering mode. This is very well-suited to fish. The liquid in which fish is to be poached in monitored; and it should not be excess, as much of liquid will dilute the taste. The liquid is flavored with herbs and spices, which also should be used in limited proportions. This is the best cooking method for tender and delicate flesh fish.
Steaming: Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook food and in this the fish dominated with its subtle taste. This retains all the flavours and nutrients of the fish. In order to steam, the fish is slightly seasoned and kept in a buttered tray and then covered with buttered baking parchment.
Baking:This cooking method also retains flavour to the fullest. The baking can be done for whole, filleted or portioned fish. The direct baking may burn the fish hence, at certain places it is either covered with sea salt or fish is enclosed in a puff paste or filo paste. The small pieces of fish can be baked in buttered dish to achieve best results.
Grilling: Almost all fish are suitable for grilling. Before grilling, the fish needs to be seasoned and sprinkled with refined flour. Also, the griller needs to be pre-heated properly to get best results. The fish can be turned once and basted with oil at times for even cooking.
Stewing: This cooking method is not so common and is used only for preparing famous fish stew bouillabaisse in which a variety of fish and shellfish are cooked with vegetables, aromatic herbs and wine.
Shallow frying: The famous fish preparation “fish a’ la meuniere” is prepared by shallow frying fish passed with seasoned refined flour. The presentation side is first fried as the turning of fish might make the fish somewhat not presentable on other side due to browning of refined flour.The cooked fish is then served with nut-brown butter, lemon wedges and chopped parsley.
Deep frying:The fish pieces to be deep-fried has to be dipped in the batter prepared with either the seasoned flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs; or seasoned flour and batter; or seasoned four and beaten eggs. Such preparations are served with either the dip or some sauce.
Roasting: The roasting of fish is a very common cooking technique. This is done in an oven with temperature ranging between 150oC to 200oC. If the temperature is reduced the cooking time increases gradually. The roasting at slow temperature actually keeps the fish moist and succulent.
Good information gagandeep
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