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PREPARE AND COOK
SEAFOOD DISHES
THIRD QUARTER
TLE-10
Learning Outcome 1 Perform Mise’ En
Place
• You are about to learn the following from this lesson:
•  Tools and equipment needed
•  Types of seafood-shellfish, fin fish, others
•  Variety of fish-structure, body shape, market forms,
fat contents, water source, processed fish, others
•  Market forms of fish and fish products
•  Fish cuts
•  Composition and nutritive value of fish (scaling,
cutting of tails and fins, Eviscerating, cleansing,
canning)
Classifications of Seafood
• Fish products are divided into two categories
• 1. Fin fish – fish with fins and internal skeletons
• A. Saltwater fish –
•  Flatfish
•  Flounder
•  Sole
•  Round fish
•  Black sea bars
•  Bluefish
•  Cod
•  Grouper
Classifications of Seafood
• B. Freshwater fish
•  Cat fish
•  Eel
•  Tilapia
Classifications of Seafood
• 2. Shell fish – fish with external shells
but no internal bone structure. They
have hard outer shells.
• Two classifications of Shellfish
• A. Mollusks – are soft sea animals
•  Bivalves – they have a pair of hinged
shells (clams, oysters)
•  Univalves – they have a single shell
(abalone)
•  Cephalopods – (octopus, squid)
• B. Crustaceans – are animals with
segmented shells and jointed legs
(shrimps, crabs)
Parts of a Fish
• Composition and Structure:
• Fish consists of water, protein, fats and small amount of
minerals and vitamins.
• Fish has very little connective tissue. It means:
• 1. Fish cooks very quickly, even at low heat.
• 2. Fish is naturally tender. High heat will result to
toughening of protein.
• 3. Moist-heat methods are used not to create tenderness
but to preserve moistness and provide variety.
• 4. Cooked fish must be handled very carefully.
• 1. Fat Fish -- are those that are high in fat. (salmon, tuna,
trout, mackerel)
• 2. Lean Fish – are those that are low in fat. (sole, cod, red
snapper, bass)
Market Forms
• 1. Whole or round – completely intact, as
caught
2. Drawn – viscera removed
3. Dressed -- viscera, scales, head, tail and
fins
• removed
4. Steaks – cross-section slices, each
containing
• a section of backbone
5. Fillets – boneless side of fish, with or
without
• skin
6. Butterflied fillets – both sides of a fish still
• joined, but with bones removed
• 7. Sticks or tranches – cross-section slices
of fillets
Characteristics and Market forms of Shellfish
Shellfish
• Characteristics
• Mollusks
•  Oysters have rough, irregular shells.
•  Flesh of oyster is extremely soft and delicate and contains
high percentage of water.
•  Hard-shell clams – can be eaten raw
•  Soft-shell clams are called steamers. The usual way to cook
is to steam.
•  The shells of mussels are not as heavy as clamshells,
yellow to orange in color and firm but tender when cooked.
•  Scallops are creamy white in color and have a sweet flavor.
•  Squid is somewhat chewy and are cut up or either fried
quickly
• Crustaceans
•  The lobster shell is dark green or bluish
green but turns red when cooked.
•  Live lobster must be alive when cooked
Market Forms
• Mollusks
• 1. live in the shell
• 2. shucked – fresh or frozen
• 3. canned
• Crustaceans
• 1. live
• 2. cooked meat, fresh or frozen
Learning Outcome 2 Handle Seafood Dishes
• Checking freshness of fish
• Fin Fish
• 1. Fresh and mild odor
• 2. Eyes are clear, shiny and bulging
• 3. Red or pink gills
4. Texture of flesh is firm or elastic
5. Shiny scales, and tightly cling, on skin
Shellfish
• 1. Oysters, clams, mussels in the shell must
be alive. Tightly closed shells when jostled.
• 2. Live or shucked oysters must have a very
mild, sweet smell.
• 3. Discard any mussels that are very light in
weight or seem to be hollow.
• 4. Strong fishy odor or a brownish color is a
sign of age or spoilage.
• 5. Live lobster must be alive when cooked.
The
• meat will be firm and the tail springs back
when straightened.
• 6. Frozen shrimp should be solidly frozen
when received.
• 7. Glazed shrimp should be shiny with no
freezer burn.
• 8. All shrimps should smell fresh and
sweet. A strong fishy or iodine
• smell indicates age or spoilage.
• 9. Live crabs should be kept alive until cooked.
• 10. Frozen crabmeat should be treated like
any other frozen fish.
Handling and Storage of Fish
• Fresh Fish
• 1. Store on crushed ice. Use drip pans to allow for
• drainage of melted ice. Change ice daily. Cover
• container or store in separate box away from other foods.
• Whole fish should be drawn because entrails deteriorate
rapidly.
• Cut fish should be wrapped or left in original moisture-
proof wrap.
• 2. In refrigerated box at 30° to 34°F (-1° to 1°C.
• 3. Fresh fish may be stored for 1 to 2 days. If kept
• longer, wrap and freeze immediately.
• 4. Check store fish for freshness just before using
Fresh
Fish
Frozen Fish
1. Frozen products should be frozen, not
thawed when received.
• 2. Items should be well wrapped, with no
freezer burn.
• 3. Store at 0°F (-18°C. or colder.
• 4. Maximum storage time
• Fat fish -- 2 months
• Lean fish -- 6 months
• 5. Rotate stock – first in, first out
Frozen Fish
Thawing and Handling of frozen fish
• 1. Thaw in refrigerator, never at room temperature.
• If pressed for time, keep in original moisture-proof wrapper
and thaw under cold running water.
• 2. Small pieces like fillets and steaks can be
• cooked from frozen state to prevent excessive drip
• loss. Large fish should be thawed for even cooking.
• 3. Fillets that are to be breaded can be partially
• thawed.
• 4. Handle thawed fish as fresh fish. Do not
• refreeze.
• 5. Breaded, battered and other frozen prepared fish items are
mostly cooked from frozen state
Thawing and Handling of frozen fish
Shellfish
1. MUSSELS
• Keep refrigerated (32°F to 35°F/0° to 2°C).
and protect from light. Store in original
sack and keep sack damp.
2. SCALLOPS
•  Shucked scallops can be cooked without further
preparation.
•  Keep scallops covered and refrigerated (30°F to
34°F). Do not let them rest directly on ice or they will
lose flavor and become watery.
3. LOBSTERS
•  Live lobsters are either live or cup up before cooking. Live lobsters
are plunged head first into boiling water, then simmered for 5 – 6
minutes. If served hot, they are drained well and split in half, and
claws are cracked. Live lobsters can be kept in two ways
• 1. packed in moist seaweed, kept in a cool place
• 2. in saltwater Cooked lobster meat must be covered and refrigerated
at 30° to 34°F. It is very perishable and should be used in 1 – 2 days.
4. SHRIMPS
•  Kept frozen at 0°F (-18°C). or lower
•  Thaw in refrigerator
•  Peeled shrimp should be wrapped before placing on ice
•  Shrimp served hot must be peeled and deveined before
cooking
•  Shrimp to be served cold, must be peeled after cooking to
preserve flavor.
5. CRABS
•  Live crabs should be kept alive until cooked.
•  Frozen crabmeat is very perishable when
thawed. It must be treated like any other rozen
fish.
Learning Outcome 3 Cook Seafood
• Cooking Techniques for Fish and Shellfish
• Fish is very delicate and easily overcooked.
During cooking, test for doneness must be
observed.
• 1. The fish just separates into flakes
• 2. If bone is present, the flesh separates from
the bone, and the bone is no longer pink
• 3. The flesh becomes opaque (usually white)
• Lean fish
•  Lean fish has almost no fat, so it easily
becomes dry. It is best served with sauces
to enhance moistness and gives richness.
•  Poaching is the moist heat method
suited
•  Fish should be basted with butter or oil if
broiled or baked.
•  Lean fish maybe fried or sautéed to gain
palatability from added fat
Fat fish
•  The fat in fish, enables them to tolerate
more heat without becoming dry.
•  Fat fish can be cooked by poaching.
•  Fat fish are well suited to broiling and
baking. The dry heat methods eliminate
excessive oiliness.
•  Large fat fish like salmon, and mackerel
may be cooked in fat, but care should be
taken to avoid excessive greasiness.
Shellfish
•
•  Cook oyster just enough to heat
thoroughly to keep it juicy and plump.
•  Clams become tough and rubbery if
overcooked
•  Shrimps like other shellfish, become
tough and rubbery when cooked at
high temperature.
Scaling Whole Fish
• Once your work area and fish are ready,
you can begin the actual scaling
process. 1. Lay your fish flat on the
board or hold it steady in the water.
• 2. Hold the fish down firmly with your
hand near its head.
• 3. Begin to rake the scales from the tail
towards the head. They should start
coming off in clumps.
• 4. Be sure to remove the scales on both sides of the
fish, as well as scales near the fins, the collar and
the tail.
• 5. When you think you have gotten most of the
scales, rinse the fish off again with water. This will
wash away any loose scales and help you to identify
any remaining scales that need to be removed
Filleting Fish
• First, cut behind the head while angling the knife toward the front
of the fish. There is a lot of good flesh on the top side where the
fillet extends under the bony plate of the skull and angling the
knife will ensure you don't waste it. Cut down to the bone and
follow the line through to just behind the fins.
• Turn the fish and run the knife just clear of the fins with a slight
downward angle. When you feel the knife is down to the bone
reduce the angle and follow the bone until you come up against
the backbone
• Peel the fillet back and run the knife
over the backbone severing the small
lateral fish bones in the process. Stop
at this point.
Turn the fish over and repeat the
procedure.
• Repeat the second cut near the dorsal
fin with the knife angled slightly down.
Continue this along the length of the fish
• Reverse the direction of the filleting
knife and follow the bones by "feeling
them" with the fillet knife until the fish
backbone is reached
• Peel the fillet back and cut around the
backbone and through the small lateral
bones. Run the fillet knife right through
to the skin on the underside of the fish.
• Cut over the belly flap either through or
over the belly bones. It can be easily
cut through here with the razor sharp
filleting knife.
• Cut any remaining attached sinew or skin.
• Remove the first fillet
• Flip the fish back to the original side
and cut the bones around the gut cavity
• Release the rest of the fillet from the
backbone.
Skinning Fish
• When filleting or skinning fish keep the
skinning knife clean and wet, this lubricates
the blade and gives a much cleaner cut, more
control of the knife and far less drag on the
sides of the blade.
Firmly hold the knife still and at a fixed angle.
• Change your grip on the fillet to a
secure grip on the tab of fish skin you
created with the first cut
• Wriggle the skin from side to side while
pulling backwards on the tab of fish
skin
• Continue this motion through the fillet.
You can see that even though the skin in
the left hand is creased under the tension
it has no effect where the fillet knife is
separating the fish skin from the flesh.
• The fillet and skin are parted and no
fleshes have been wasted nor have left any
skin or scales on the fillet. If you scroll up
you will note the knife has not moved over
the last four fish skinning pictures.
Deboning Fish
• Gentle strokes of a knife angled towards
the gut cavity will reveal the position and
lay of the fine bones. Follow this line,
cutting completely through, to release the
top part of the fillet.
• The line of fine bones stops around two thirds
of the way down the fillet. At this point put the
knife on the other side of the line of bones and
run the knife up the fillet until the point is well
under the bones around the gut cavity.
Separate the two and reinsert the knife at
an angle suitable to cut the flesh from the
underside of the gut bones
Keep the knife following close to the
fish bones to recover as much flesh
as possible
• The fillet is now deboned and
the piece on the right of the
picture above is discarded or
washed and put aside with the
fish heads and back bones for
making fish stock
A. Opening Oyster
• Open oysters and clams for waste
minimization techniques and
environmental considerations in
relation to seafood
• Hold oyster cup side down and hinge pointed
towards you. 1. Insert oyster knife at hinge slowly
but firmly and push the knife between the shells. Use
a slight side to side rocking movement with your
knife as you push in.
• 2. Work tip of knife into the oyster (about
1/2 inch).
• 3. Twist knife handle to pop oyster open.
TLE-10 PREPARE AND COOK SEAFOOD DISHES.pptx