PREPARATION OF FISH AND

SHELLFISH
Fish are defined as aquatic vertebrates
with fins and gills.
There are over 30,000 species of fish.
Fish and Seafood can be classified in
many ways here are some of the most
common:

1.White Fishes - fish whose flesh is mainly translucent/opaque and turns

white when cooked
2.Oily Fishes - Fish whose flesh has an oil content and is usually tinted with
pinks and browns
3.Shellfish
a. Mollusca
b. Crustacea
4. Red fish
 Session Objectives
-At the end of this session you should able to:
-Differentiate the two categories of fish products
-Know the problem in cooking fish
-Know the proper way of cooking fish and shellfish
-Know how to storage in a correct way fish and shellfish:
-Wrap fresh fish tightly in waxed paper or foil. Place in a tightly
covered container in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Use
within a day or two.
-For freezer storage, wrap in a vapor-proof material.
Store in the coldest part of the freezer.
-Frozen fish should be thawed in the refrigerator; once thawed,
they should be treated like fresh fish.
Fish products are divided into tow
categories:
Fin fish- fish that has fins and internal skeleton

Inland fish – those obtained from lakes, ponds, river and other inland bodies at
water.
Marine fish – those obtained from saltwater.
Fat fish – contains 5-20% of fat.
Lean fish – has less than 2% of fat.
Round fish – swim in vertical position and have eyes on both sides
of their heads.
Flat fish – has asymmetrical bodies, swim in horizontal position
and have both eyes on top of their heads. Flat fishes are bottom
dwellers; most are found in deep ocean waters around the
world.
 Mollusks
-are shellfish characterized by soft, unsegmented bodies with
no internal skeleton. Most have hard outer shells.
 Univalves – single-shelled mollusks.
Ex. Abalone, snails/escargols
 Bivalves – those with 2 shells
Ex. Clams, oyster, mussels
 Cephalopods – do not have a hard outer shell, rather, they
have single thin internal shell called a pen or cuttle bone.
Ex. Squid, octopus
 Crustaceans – have outer skeleton or shell and joined
appendages.
Ex. Lobster, crabs, shrimps
 Freshness :

 Smell – this is by far the easiest way to determine freshness. Fresh fish
should had slight sea smell or no odor at all. Any off-odors or ammonia
odors are as sign of aged or improperly handled fish.
 Eyes – the eyes should be clear and full. Sunken eyes mean that the fish is
drying and is probably not fresh.
 Gills – the gills should be intact and bright red. Brown gills are sign of age.
 Texture – generally, the flesh of fresh fish should be firm. Mushy flesh or
flesh it does not spring back when pressed with a finger is a sign of poor
quality/
 Fins and scales – fins and scales should be moist and full without excessive
drying on outer edges. Dry fins or scales are sign of age: damaged fins or
scales may a sign of mishandling.
 Appearance – fish cuts should be moist and glistening, without bruises or
dark spot. Edges should not be brown or dry.
 Movement – shellfish should be purchased live and other crustaceous
should be act. Clams, mussels and oyster that are partially opened should
snap shut with tapped with a finger. Ones that do not close are dead and
should not be us. Avoid mollusks with broken shells or heavy shells that
might be filled sand.

MARKET FORMS
LIVE – these are fishes that can be marketed alive because they live long after catch.
 WHOLE OR ROUND – as caught, intact.
 DRAWN – viscera (internal organs) is removed; most whole fish are purchased this way.
 DRESSED – viscera gills, fins and scales are removed.
 PAN-DRESSED – viscera and gills are removed; fish is scaled and fins and tail are trim.
The head is usually removed, although small fish may be pan-dressed with the head
attached. Pan-dressed fish are then pan-fried.
 BUTTERFLY – a pan-dressed fish, boned and opened flat like a book. The two sides
remain attached by the back or the belly fish.
 FILLET – the side of a fish removed intact, boneless or semi-boneless, with or without
skin.
 STEAK – cross-section slice, with a small section of backbone attached; usually prepare
from large round fish.
 STICKS – these are fillets or steaks cut further into portion of uniform width and length
like sticks hence the name.
 DEBONED – a fish with the inter-muscular bones removed.
 WHEEL OR CENTER CUT – used for swordfish or sharks, which are cut into large
boneless pieces from which steaks are the whole cut.
 FLAKED – fish meat separated from the whole fish.
 Principles of Cooking
 Unlike most meats and poultry, nearly all fish and shellfish are inherently
lends and should be cooked just until done. Indeed, overcooking is the
most common mistake made when preparing fish and shellfish. Some
recommends that all fish be cooked 10 minutes thickness. Although this
may be a good general policy, variables such as type and the form of the
fish and the exact cooking method used suggest that one or more. The
following methods of determining doneness are more appropriate for
professional food service operations:
 Translucent flesh becomes opaque – the raw flesh of most fish and
shellfish appear somewhat translucent. As the proteins coagulate during
cooking, the flesh become opaque
 Flesh becomes firm – the flesh of most fish and shellfish firms as it cooks.
Doneness can be tested by judging the resistance of the flesh when
pressed with a finger. Raw of undercooked fish or shellfish will be mushy
and soft. As it cooks, the flesh offers more resistance and spring back
quickly.
Principles of Cooking
 Flesh separates from the bones easily – the flesh of raw fish
remains firmly attached to the bones. As the fish cooks, the
flesh and bones separately easily.
 Flesh begins to flake – fish flesh consist of short muscle fibers
separated by the connective tissue. As the fish cooks, the
connective tissue breaks down and the group of muscle fibers
begins to flake, that is, separate from one another. Fish is done
where the flesh begins to flake. If the flesh easily, the fish will
be overdone and dry.
Remember, fish and shellfish are subject to carryover cooking.
Because they cook quickly and at low temperatures, it is better
to undercook fish and shellfish to allow carryover cooking or
residual heat to finish the cooking.
 Methods of Cooking

 Dry Heat Method

 Broiling
 Grilling
 Baking
 Sautéing
 Pan-frying

 Moist Heat Method

 Steaming
 Poaching
 Simmering
 Sous Vide
 COOKING LEAN FISH
Fish low in fat
Examples: sole, flounder, cod, red snapper, bass,
perch, halibut, pike
Dries out easily when overcooked
Usually served with sauce to enhance moistness and
richness
Well suited to poaching (moist-heat method)
Dry heat methods suitable include broiling or baking,
however, the fish is usually basted with butter or oil
May all so be fried or sautéed
COOKING FAT FISH
Fish high in fat
Examples: salmon, trout, butterfish, mackerel
The fat makes it possible to withstand more heat without
the fish becoming dry.
Poaching is suitable for fat fish
Suited for baking and broiling, helps eliminate excess oil
Frying is also suitable
Oysters
have rough, irregular shells
Extremely soft and delicate
Available all year round
Check for freshness: oyster in shell must be alive. The shell must be tightly closed
or close when jolted indicate live oysters. Discard dead oysters.
Overcooked oysters become shrink and dry
Clams
Hard shell and soft shell type
Must be alive in shell.
Becomes tough and rubbery when overcooked
Scallops
Queen scallops (also known as queenies) are small, sweet and affordable. King
scallops (Pecten maximus) are much larger. Live specimens labelled 'diver-caught'
are the best. Avoid scallops that are bright white in colour as they will have been
soaked in brine to make them swell and appear larger.
Cephalopods
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These
exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry ,
a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the
primitive molluscan foot. Fishermen sometimes call them inkfish, referring
to their common ability to squirt ink.
Means “head-foot”, the tentacles or legs are attached to the head
Squid (Italian: calamari)
Octopus- range in size from less than ounce to many pounds
Their cooking method is not only fried or stewed. With the sun shining,
grilled is an awesome option that is very simple to do!
Crustaceans
Includes lobsters, rock lobster or langoustes, shrimps and
crabs.
Live lobster is indicated by the movement of tail, claws and a tightly
curled tail.
Lobster meat becomes tough ,if are cooked at temperature that is
too high or cooked to long
Shrimps are sweet and soft .Cooked in a simple way ,can be a very
successful recipe.
Comes in many varieties
Shrimps served hot must be peeled and deveined
May be butterflies.
Becomes tough and rubbery when cooked at a temperature that is
too high.
May be simmered, deep fried, sautéed, broiled and baked
Most appreciated Crabs: Alaskan king crab, Alaskan snow crab,
Dungeness crab, Blue crab, soft-shell crab, stone crab