Fish ND

protein by high heat.

Fish is naturally tender. Toughness is the result not of connective tissue but of the toughening of the ___________________

Moist-heat cooking methods

are used not to create tenderness but to preserve moistness and provide variety.

flaking.

When fish is cooked, the flesh breaks apart into its natural separations. This is called ______________

0.5 to 20 percent

The fat content of fish ranges from _______________

Lean fish

are those that are low in fat. Examples: flounder, sole, cod, red snapper, bass, perch, halibut, pike.

Fat fish

are those that are high in fat. Examples: salmon, tuna, trout, butterfish, mackerel.

poaching

This method preserves moistness of lean fish.

anadromous.

Fish that live in salt water but spawn in fresh water are called ________________

catadromous

fish that live in fresh water but swim downstream to spawn in the ocean are called ________________

Flatfish

have lean, white flesh and a mild, delicate flavor. They are all very flat, oval in shape, with both eyes on one side of the head.

Flounder

White flesh; fine flakes; mild, sweet flavor.

Sole

Narrower, more elongated than flounder. Flesh similar to flounder, but firmer in texture. One of the most prized of all fish. Expensive.

Halibut

Looks like a giant flounder, with thicker flesh, delicate flavor. Cut into steaks and fillets.

Turbot

Large, broad flatfish. White, firm, delicate flesh.

Arctic Char

Similar to both salmon and trout, to which it is related. Flesh is similar to salmon but with less fat, although with more fat than trout.

Black Sea Bass

Small, black-skinned fish with firm, delicate, sweet white flesh.

Bluefish

Flavorful, oily flesh that is bluish when raw, and grayish when cooked. Abundant and inexpensive.

Chilean sea bass

White, oily flesh with large flakes, firm texture, and mild flavor.

Cod

white, delicately flavored flesh with large flakes. One of the most widely used food fish in North America.

Escolar

A firm, white, oily fish containing a fat that is not metabolized by the human body. Because of this fat, some people become ill when eating this fish. The fat seems to act like a laxative.

grouper

Many varieties with varying shape and skin color. Firm white fish, similar in texture and flavor to red snapper. Tough skin.

Haddock

Similar to cod, but generally smaller.

Herring

Small, full-flavored, oily fish.

kippers

Smoked herring are sometimes called __________

Jack

Smooth, shiny skin; firm, oily flesh; strong flavor. Some varieties are much stronger in flavor than others.

John Dory

Identified by the characteristic black spot ("St. Peter's thumbprint") on each side of the body behind the head. Firm, sweet, white flesh with fine flakes; broad, thin fillets.

Mackerel

Fat, firm flesh with rich flavor and slightly dark color.

Mahi Mahi

Firm, fine-textured, pinkish flesh with rich, sweet taste. Becomes very dry when overcooked, so best cooked with moist heat or with fat or served with a sauce.

Monkfish

Large, ugly fish, but only tail is used. White, very firm flesh with fine texture, somewhat like lobster. Rich flavor. Holds up well in soups and stews, but dries out easily if cooked dry without fat.

Ocean Perch

Varieties: Many. Red-skinned varieties (redfish) are especially popular and more expensive. Characteristics: Mild, somewhat bony.

Orange Roughy

A South Pacific fish increasingly available in some markets. Texture and flavor similar to red snapper.

Pompano

Small fish with rich, sweet-flavored flesh. Expensive. A variety of jack

Porgy

small, oval fish. Sweet and mild, but quite bony.

Red mullet

A member of the goatfish family. In addition to the Mediterranean variety discussed here, similar varieties are found in North American waters. Mediterranean fish resembling a small red snapper. Rich flavor, with a slight taste of shrimp or lobster. Always cooked with skin on, because much of the desired flavor comes from the skin.

Red Snapper

Firm, delicate, sweet white flesh with large flakes. Large, coarse bones. Skin is red. Highly prized, and popular in restaurants.

Salmon

Rich pink to red flesh, with somewhat meaty texture and flavor. One of the most prized of all fish. Much is canned or smoked.

Shad

Oily, rich flavor and many bones in several rows in each fillet. Its roe (egg sacs) is especially prized

Shark

Firm texture, similar to swordfish, but softer and a little moister and with finer grain; less expensive. Has cartilage skeleton, no bones. Usually cut into steaks.

Skate

May be sold whole, but often only the triangular wings are marketed. Skeleton is cartilage, not bone; tough skin, gray on top, white on bottom. Flesh consists of sweet, white, gelatinous strips of meat extending the width of the wings; two fillets per wing, one above and one below the cartilage.

Striped Bass

Firm, white, delicately flavored fish with large flakes.

Swordfish

Very large, fat fish with dense, meaty, not flaky, texture. High yield. Sold mostly as steaks. Expensive.

Tilefish

Firm, sweet, mild white flesh, pinkish when raw. Used mostly for steaks, but smaller ones can be filleted or poached whole.

Triggerfish

Tough-skinned fish with firm, meaty, white to gray-white flesh. Low yield because of large head.

Tuna

Meaty texture and appearance. Belly cuts much fattier than back ("loin"). Red-fleshed varieties often served raw as sashimi or sushi. When cooked, usually cut into steaks and grilled. Should not be cooked well done, or will be very dry.

Wahoo or ono

Firm flesh similar in texture to mackerel and tuna, to which it is related. Pale pink flesh turns white when cooked. The biology of this fish is not well known, and there are concerns about overfishing. It is a popular sport fish.

Weakfish

also called sea trout, Mild, light-gray flesh with soft texture.

Whiting

Fragile, white flesh with mild flavor. Fillets must be handled carefully or they will break up.

Catfish

Type: Fat to somewhat lean, depending on origin. Varieties: Bullhead is similar, but it is not the same species. Characteristics: Firm flesh with abundant flavor. Layer of fat directly under skin.

Eel

A long, slender, snakelike fish with a slippery skin.

perch

Mild-flavored, flaky white flesh with firm texture and fine grain.

Pike

Firm white flesh similar to perch but not as thick, and with many small bones.

Tilapia

Nearly always from aquafarms, because wild ____________often taste muddy. Firm, mild white flesh.

trout

Soft, fine-textured flesh with rich, delicate flavor. Color of flesh may be white, pink, or reddish.

whitefish

Flaky, white flesh with somewhat sweet flavor.

Drawn

Whole fish should be ___________ -- that is, viscera removed.

Shellfish

are distinguished from fin fish by their hard outer shells and their lack of backbone or internal skeleton.

Mollusks

are soft sea animals that fall into three main categories.

• Bivalves,

which have a pair of hinged shells (such as clams and oysters).

• Univalves,

which have a single shell (such as abalone and conch).

• Cephalopods

(such as octopus, squid, and cuttlefish).

Crustaceans

are animals with segmented shells and jointed legs.

Oysters

have rough, irregular shells. The bottom shell is slightly bowl-shaped. The top shell is flat.

Hard-shell clams or quahogs.

These go by different names, depending on size.

Littlenecks

are the smallest. They are the most tender for eating raw or for steaming.

Cherrystones

are medium-sized, and perhaps the most common. They can be eaten raw and are good for steaming, though tougher than littlenecks.

Chowders,

the largest, are also called quahogs in the Northeast. Rather tough, they are chopped for cooking in chowders or cut into strips for frying.

Soft-shell clams.

These are sometimes called longnecks because of the long tube that protrudes from between the shells

Cockles.

These are not actually clams. They are from a different family, even though they look like tiny clams that are usually no more than 1 in. (2.5 cm) across. They can be cooked like clams and are almost always served in the shell.

mussels

resemble small black or dark-blue clams. Their shells are not as heavy as clamshells. Their flesh is yellow to orange in color and firm but when cooked.

Scallops

are almost always sold shucked. The only part we usually eat is the adductors muscle, which closes the shell. If live __________ in the shell are available, leave the orange, crescent-shaped coral attached to the adductor muscle when shucking.

Cephalopods

are classified as mollusks, even though they have no external shell.

Squid

are usually referred to on menus by their Italian name, calamari. They are soft-bodied animals somewhat resembling octopus, but they have 10 tentacles, 2 of them longer than the others.

Octopus

(the name means "eight feet") range in size from less than an ounce to many pounds.

Lobsters

It has a large, flexible tail, four pairs of legs, and two large claws. Its shell is dark green or bluish green but turns red when cooked

The coral (roe or eggs),

which is dark green when raw and red when cooked,

the green tomalley (liver)

in the thorax or body portion are also eaten..

rock lobsters

also known as spiny lobsters or langoustes. They are warm-water relatives of northern lobsters but have no claws. Only the tails are marketed, sold as lobster tails.

Langoustines, or langostinos,

are smaller relatives of the rock lobster. These small shellfish are often marketed as rock shrimp.

Shrimp

are small crustaceans that look somewhat like tiny, clawless lobsters. Only the tail is marketed and eaten, as a rule

. Alaskan king crab.

Largest of the crabs, weighing 6 to 20 lb (2.7 to 9 kg). The meat can be removed in large chunks, making it especially attractive to serve in restaurants. It is expensive.

2. Alaskan snow crab.

Smaller than the king crab. Often used as a less expensive substitute.

3. Dungeness crab.

Another West Coast crab, weighing 11⁄2 to 4 lb (0.7 to 1.8 kg). The meat is very sweet.

4. Blue crab.

Small crab from the East Coast, weighing about 5 oz (150 g).

5. Soft-shell crab.

Actually a molting blue crab, harvested before the new shell has hardened

Stone crab.

Popular in the Southeast. Only the claws are eaten.

Crayfish or crawfish

(the preferred term in the southern United States) are freshwater relatives of the lobster.

Surimi

is a processed seafood product made by grinding lean, inexpensive white fish, combining it with flavorings, and forming it into various shapes.

à la meunière (mun yair).

A classic method for sautéing fish is called ______ In this preparation, the product is dredged in flour and sautéed in clarified butter or oil.

Deep-frying

is perhaps the most popular method of preparing fish in North America.

Tempura (TEM-poo-rah)

is not a native Japanese dish but rather originated with the deep-fried dishes Portuguese traders and missionaries introduced to Japan in the sixteenth century.

shallow poaching,

cooked in a small amount of liquid, usually fish fumet and/or wine, and served with a sauce made of the poaching liquid. This procedure is called _________

court bouillon.

Whole fish and thick steaks may be cooked completely submerged in a seasoned liquid called _____

submersion method.

The liquid is not used to make a sauce, and the fish may be served hot or cold. This procedure is called the ________

Court bouillon (koor bwee yohn)

may be defined as water containing seasonings, herbs, and usually an acid, used for cooking fish.

truite au bleu (blue trout)

is made by poaching trout that

are alive until cooking time.

shallow poaching

This method of preparation is best for lean, delicate white fish, such as sole, halibut, turbot, haddock, cod, pike, and perch.

cuisson

The fish is always served with a sauce made from the ________—that is, the poaching liquid.

glazed

Poached fish is sometimes ________before serving.

étuver (ay too vay)

is used for this kind of procedure, in which the item cooks slowly in very little liquid.