PREPARING SEAFOOD DISHES
pen/cuttlebone, has ink sacks,
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO FISH
- Aquatic animals that have fins,
flesh and skeletons. May or may
not be covered in scales. Fresh or
salt water. Has very little amount of
connective tissues making it more
tender than meat
TYPES OF FISHES
- According to habitat
> freshwater: have finer bone
structure, mild and subtle taste,
goes well with old and aromatic
flavorings and spices
> saltwater: more fishy taste, larger
bones, lower sodium content in
flesh.
- Flesh fattiness
> lean/white fleshed: less than 5%
fat, wet or moist heat cooking
methods
> oily/dark fleshed: more than
10%fat, dry heat cooking methods
- According to body structure
> round bodied: backbone on the
upper edge of their bodies, cylinder
shape, flesh turn opaque and stays
moist when cooked properly
> flat bodied: backbone running
horizontally through the center,
flat/oval in shape, lean and delicate
flesh texture
TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF
SHELLFISH
- Seafood wt hard outer shell to
cover soft body that has no
backbone.
- Mollusks: hard shells, can be
uni/bivalves, unsegmented body
parts
- Crustaceans: tough exoskeleton,
segmented bodies with pair of
legs, turns red when cooked
- Cephalopods: internal shells:
beaks and well developed eyes
UNIT 2: SEAFOOD FABRICATION
HANDLING SEAFOOD SAFELY
- Can be brought fresh, frozen or
cooked. Can also be bought in
portion cuts
- Seafood in good quality
> pleasant smell of a fresh
cucumber
> flesh is firm and rich color
> live fish swimming actively in the
tank
> clear eyes slightly bulging
> gills are rich red color
> metallic shine and scales
attached firmly on the body
> shrimp, prawn, cray fish: firm
shells, grey in color and heads
intact
> cephalopods: clear eyes and
bright colored body
> oyster: shells are tightly closed,
felsh should be plump creamy in
color and pleasant smell
> mussel and clam: respond by
closing tighter when touched
- storing and freezing seafood
> separate from meat to avoid
cross contamination
> cover cut surfaces to avoid
drying
> keep cooler clean
> use meat within 2-4 days
> label and date meat and other
items
- Name, weight, date,
packed by, storage
instructions
- If from external supplier
add: contact #, processor,
best before
> FIFO
 > dont open vacuumed sealed if
not yet ready to use
> use reusable containers
> meat in air tight
- Thawing seafood
> inside the fridge
> under cold running water
> in a microwave except shellfish
> do not refreeze when already
thawed
> thawing hours depends on size
of meat
- Minimizing seafood wastage
> off cuts should be repurposed to
avoid wastage and profit loss
> bones, shells and small
trimmings: make stocks, bisque,
shellfish butter
> large trimming: diced for stews or
sliced for stir fry
> small trimmings: minced for
burger etc
> ink from ceph: use to flavor pasta
or rice dish
PREPARING FISH FOR COOKING
- Scaling and gutting a fish
> scale from tail to head, cut fins
and tails, remove gills and viscera,
rinse.
- Filleting a fish
Slanted cut toward the head deep
near bones, slice flesh off using
fillet knife, remove other bones
through slanted cut, remove skin
- Cutting portions of fish
> butterfly: a cut from one side all
the way to the other, usually done
to small-med sized round fish
> dressed: viscera, head and tail
are removed, may or may not be
scaled
> drawn: whole fish with innards
> steak: cut crosswise
perpendicular to the bone.
- Round fish steak: darne.
- Flatfish steak: troncons
- Deboned: wheel
> fillet steak: 2 inches crosswise
slices from between the head and
tail of fish
> fillet: both side of the fish are
scraped from the back bone. May
have skin on or off
- Tranche: cut of fish made in
a certain angle to increase
surface area, sashimi
- Goujonettes: strips of fosh
from fillet, trimmings pang
sigang na salmon
PREPARING SHELLFISH FOR
COOKING
- Cleaning and deveining a
shrimp/prawn
> press on tail to remove
unpleasant smell
- Getting crab meat
> discard gills, blanch to semi cook
for meat to still be kind of raw
when being pulled out
- Cleaning oyster, mussel and clams
> blanch to open bivalves
- Cleaning squid
> remove spine and pull tentacles
COOKING SEAFOOD DISHES
- Roasting & baking
> applying direct heat to the food
without added moisture
> great for thick cuts of fish, let
both sided brown without
overcooking inside
> has carry over cooking
> keep shell on or skin
> pre heat oven
> baked or roasted seafood can
get overcooked easily, that is why
they are wrapped with liquid and
seasoning to preserve flavor
> wrapping in foil, paper, puff
pastry, thick layer of salt helps too
> dishes: oyster rockefeller
- Broiling and grilling
> food is exposed directly to the
source of heat
> oil item before b or g
> do not add salt 15 secs before
broiling, salt adds flavor but dries
out of the meat when applied to
early
> avoid turning seafood a lot when
b or g
- Smoking seafood
> cooking food slowly in low fire,
used to be done for preservation
but now it is related to bbqing for
distinct flavor and tenderness
> salmon tuna mackerel, good for
b or g dishes
- Sauteing and searing
> sauteing: good for small cuts or
small fish, process of tossing items
in pan until desired doneness
> searing: methos of browning
surface of seafoodto trap juices
and achieve flavor from
caramelization, can be a prelim
procedure for some dishes
> dish: panseared salmon in basil
and cream sauce
- Frying seafood
> shallow/pan fry
> deep-fat fry
> fried seafood can be battered or
breaded adds crunch
> submerging meat in milk can
eliminate unpleasant taste smell of
sish
> meunier lapulapu in lemon butter
sauce & crab cake
- Braising and stewing seafood
> braise: slow cooking in a low
temp for a long time, items are
seared first
> stewing: submerging item
completely in liquid and simmer
until tender 2-4 hours
> when dong these pepare sauce
first and simmer seafood til done
- Poaching and steaming seafood
> poaching: submerge cook in
100c water
> steam: cooked by water vapor
> sous vide: cooked in vacuum
sealed packs in heated water
> steam lapu lapu paupiette with
leek lemon cream sauce
PLATING SEAFOOD DISHES
- Checking seafood doneness
> pull out fish dorsal fin it it comes
out easily
> eyes and felsh trunks opaque
> overcooked fish has solidified
white fluid between flesh and dry
bones
> pran crayfish lobster turns red
orange
> scallops meat from white to
opaque
> clams mussels open shell
- Plating seafood
> accompaniments should add
contrats while complimenting the
dish
> uniformity: same in color, sizes,
shapes and even utensils used in
service
> simplicity and stability: keep
simple and make sure it wont fall
upon serving, avoid over toppings
> Shape: various shapes and size
> Height: another dimeosn in
arrangement on the plate
> Interest: colors and texture
> Flavor and Taste: should be
equally desirable as the visual
presentation
> portion: same for the rest of each
serving
> safety and sanitation: clean,
safe, no cracks, no dents, no rust.
- Accompaniments of seafood
dishes
> braised stewed: tomato sauce,
velutey, pasta, veg, salad
> poach steam: bechamel, hol,
pasta, bake veg, salad