LESSON 2 PREPARE AND COOK SEAFOOD DISHES

Overview
Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans. Seafood
includes fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of mollusks,
crustaceans, and echinoderms. A wide variety of fish and seafood are
available in the market from many different sources. There are so many
methods for cooking seafood, most of them are fast and easy, making them
the perfect choice for a quick and healthy meal. This lesson provides
information about fish and shellfish, ways on preparing and cooking fish,
along with some of the most popular seafood recipes, and presenting and
storing seafood.

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
B. Freshwater fish
 Cat fish
 Eel
 Tilapia

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

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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.

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 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.

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

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.

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5. Breaded, battered and other frozen prepared fish items are mostly
cooked from frozen state.

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.

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 5. CRABS
 Live crabs should be kept alive until cooked.
 Frozen crabmeat is very perishable when
thawed. It must be treated like any other
frozen fish.

Learning Outcome 3 Cook Seafood

Are you ready for cooking? Fasten your seatbelt and carry on.
 Principles of cooking fish and seafood dishes (dry heat and moist
heat cookery)
 Variety of shellfish and fish dishes

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.

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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.

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 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.

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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.

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 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.

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 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.

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Stop when you have an inch or two (25 to
50mm) of fillet released.

Change your grip on the fillet to a secure

grip on the tab of fish skin you created with
the first cut

Firmly hold the knife still and at a fixed

angle.

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.

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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

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 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

Open oysters and clams for waste minimization techniques and

environmental considerations in relation to seafood.

A. Opening Oyster

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.

4. Push knife into oyster and slice muscle

from top shell.

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 5. Open top shell.

6. Cut muscle from bottom cup. Turn the

meat over for most professional appearance.

B. Opening Clams

Scrub clams under cool running water using a

stiff kitchen brush.

Over a bowl, hold the clam firmly in your hand

and insert the clam knife between the top
shell and bottom shell. A towel can be used
to protect your hand. Work the knife around to
cut through the hinge muscle. The bowl will
catch the liquor from the clam.

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 Open the shell. Slide the knife between
the clam and the shell. Detach the
clam.

The clam is now ready to be cooked or

eaten raw.

Cleaning a Squid

Pull off the head Remove the ink sac.

Remove beak from tentacles

Cut Tentacles.
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 Pull out the tail tube and cartilage

Pull off the skin

Cut into rings

Splitting a Lobster

How to Cut Lobster in Lengthwise

1. Place the lobster on its back on a

tea towel to prevent slipping.

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 4. Turn the lobster around and

continue the cut through the

center of the head. Place the

A lobster split is not only an attractive style for presentation, but also
enables easy access to the delicious meat inside. Turn the lobster around
and continue the cut through the center of the head.

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 Guidelines for Baking Fish

1. Fat fish are best for baking because they are less likely to dry out.
2. Lean fish may be baked but care should be taken not to overcook it.
Basting with butter or oil helps prevent drying.
3. Baking temperature is 350°F to 400°F.
4. Served baked fish with a sauce or seasoned butter to enhance
moistness and improve palatability.

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 Guidelines for Broiling or Grilling Fish
1. Overcooking should be avoided in cooking fish.
2. Select appropriate fish for broiling or grilling.
3. Fat fish and lean fish should be coated with fat before broiling to
reduce drying.
4. Lean fish may be dredged in flour before dipping in oil or melted butter.
The flour helps form a flavorful browned crust.
5. To prevent splitting during cooking, score the skin with a sharp knife.
For small fillets, scoring may not be necessary.
6. Broil fish to order and serve immediately.
7. Broiled fish may be garnished lightly with paprika if more color is
desired.
8. Thick cuts should be turned once during broiling in order to cook
evenly. Thin pieces may be arranged on an oiled pan and broiled on
one side only. Lobster is also broiled without turning.

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Learning Outcome 4 Plate/Present Seafood Dishes
Part of serving any kind of food is presentation. You don‘t have to be a
trained chef to learn the basics of plating, which is the art of presenting food
in an attractive way. The following topics and activities will help you learn the
fundamentals of plating and perform it for better understanding.

Fundamental of Plating

1. Balance – select foods and garnishes that offer variety and contrast

 color – two or three colors on a plate

 shapes – variety of shapes
 textures – variety of textures
 flavors –

2. Portion size
 match portion sizes and plates – select plates large enough to hold
all the items without crowding
 balance the portion sizes of the items on the plate – don‘t let the
main item get lost with excessive garnish
 arrangement on the plate –

Guidelines to help plating attractive

1. Keep food off the rim of the plate.
2. Arrange the items for the convenience of the customer.
3. Keep space between items. Each item should have its own
identity.
4. Maintain unity. Create a center of attention and relate everything to
it
5. Make every component count.
6. Add gravy or sauce attractively.
7. Keep it simple.

3. Serve hot foods hot, on hot plates

Serve cold foods cold, on cold plates

Examples of Garnishes or Accompaniment for Plating

 Bouqetiere - bouquet of vegetables
 Jardinière - garden vegetables
 Clamart - peas
 Crecy - carrots
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  Doria - cucumbers (cooked in butter)
 Dubarry - cauliflower
 Fermiere - carrots, turnips, onions and celery cut into
uniformslices
 Forestiere - mushrooms
 Lyonnaise - onions
 Nicoise - tomatoes concasse cooked with garlic

Serving Baked Fish

 Serve baked fish with a sauce or

seasoned butter to enhance moistness
and improves palatability. Serving with
lemon also enhances the fish.
 For service, the fish is removed from the
dish, the liquid is strained, degreased,
reduced and finished by adding butter,
cream or veloute sauce.

Serving Broiled Lobster

Serve immediately with melted butter or
appropriate sauce and garnish.

Serving Sautéed and Pan Fried

 Remove the fish with spatula and place
on serving plate with presentation side
up.
 Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and
chopped parsley.
 Heat raw butter in the sauté pan until it
turns light brown. Pour over fish
immediately and serve at once.

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Serving Poached or Simmered Fish in
Court bouillon
Served poached fish with appropriate
sauce, such as hollandaise for hot fish
and a mayonnaise – based sauce for
cold fish. Mild vinaigrette go well with
both hot and cold poached fish.

Serving Poached Fish in Fumet and

Wine
 Reduce the cuision over high heat to
about ¼ of its volume.
 Add fish veloute and heavy
cream and bring to boil.
 Adjust seasoning with salt, white
pepper and lemon juice.
 Strain the sauce.
 Arrange the fish on plates for
service, coat with sauce and serve
immediately.

Glazing
Poached fish is sometimes glazed before
serving
1. Combine the finished sauce with
eggyolk, hollandaise sauce or
lightly whipped cream.
2. Coat the fish with the sauce and run
the plate under a broiler until the
sauce is golden brown.

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Learning Outcome 5 Store Seafood

Storing of Fish and Shellfish

1. 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.
a. Whole fish should be drawn (that is
viscera removed) as soon as possible
Fresh Fish
because the entrails deteriorate
quickly.
b. Cut fish (fillets, steaks, portions)
should be wrapped or left in original
moisture proof wrap.
2. Refrigerate at 30° to 34°F (-1° to 1°C...
3. Fish may be stored for 1 to 2 days. If it
must be kept longer, you must wrap and
freeze it immediately.
4. Check stored fish for freshness just before
you use it. Even if it was fresh when
received, it may not be fresh after few days
in storage.

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 Frozen Fish
1. Store at 0°F (-18°C. or colder.
2. Keep well wrapped to prevent freezer burn
3. Maximum storage time: Fat fish – 2
months; Lean fish – 6 months.
4. Rotate stock – first in, first out.

Shellfish
A. Oyster
1. Keep live oyster in a cold, wet place in the
cartons or sacks.
2. Store fresh shucked oysters in original
container in refrigerator at 30° to 34°F (-1°
to 1°C). They will keep up to 1 week.
3. Keep frozen oysters in freezer at 0°F (-
18°C. or colder, until ready for use.

Lobster and Shrimp 1. Store at 0°F (-18°C. or colder).

2. Fresh or thawed shrimp in shell are stored
on crushed ice, like whole fish.
3. Peeled shrimp lose soluble nutrients and
flavor when stored unwrapped on ice. They
should be wrapped before placing on ice or
covered and simply refrigerated.
4. Packed in moist seaweed or in moist,
heavy paper, kept in a cool place.

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