Fish and Shellfish Chapter 15 Objectives List methods

Fish and Shellfish Chapter 15

Objectives • List methods for harvesting seafood • Explain the purpose of the green sheet • Summarize the many quality points that should be inspected when receiving seafood • Differentiate between shellfish and bonefish

Objectives (cont’d. ) • Define the term mollusks • Compare the differences between univalves and bivalves • Define the terms crustaceans and cephalopods • Distinguish among roundfish, flatfish, winged fish, and eels

Objectives (cont’d. ) • Identify the various market forms for shrimp and crab • List the various market forms for fish • Describe the proper method for icing fish for storage

Harvesting Seafood • Seafood harvesting methods – Foraging for them in their natural habitat – Raising them in pens, ponds, or tanks • Harvesting method has an impact on fish habitat and product • Some methods selectively capture certain species; others are nonselective

Fish Harvesting • Harvesting methods – Gillnetting – Handline – Harpooning – Purse seine – Hook and line – Trawling and trapping

Fish Harvesting (cont’d. ) 15. 2 a A purse seine loosely surrounds a school of fish 15. 2 b The seine net is “pursed” to capture the fish

Fish Harvesting (cont’d. ) • Fish aquaculture – Open-ocean cages or net pens • Used to hold large stocks of fish • Method can pollute surrounding waters and threaten wild stock with disease – Tanks, ponds, and raceways • Free-flowing water from rivers and streams are diverted into raceways • Pumps aerate water in ponds and tanks

Shellfish Harvesting • Harvesting methods – Diving – Dredging – Trapping and pots – Tongs and rakes 15. 5 Trapping fish in pots

Shellfish Harvesting (cont’d. ) • Shellfish aquaculture – Beach culture • Uses sand filled pens; minimal habitat impact – Suspended cable or bags • Uses suspended surface areas upon which filter-feeding shellfish grow • No impact on surrounding habitat or other species

Buying and Storing • Green sheet – Name for market news reports issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service • Lists weekly prices of fresh and frozen seafood • Similar reports include: – Boston blue sheet (fish blocks and fillets) – Seattle sheet (salmon)

Buying and Storing (cont’d. ) • Similar reports include: (cont’d. ) – New Orleans sheet (shrimp) – Los Angeles sheet (tuna) • Seafood grading is voluntary – Grades are A, B, and C • Food service establishments should inspect fresh fish upon arrival

Buying and Storing (cont’d. ) • Inspection factors – Smell – For whole fish: inspect eyes, gills, gut cavity, slime, skin, and temperature – For shellfish, ensure shells are closed • Tap an open shell to see if it closes (indicates product is still alive)

Packaging • Most common seafood packaging methods – Block frozen – Cello wraps – Individually quick frozen (IQF) – Layer packs – Shatterpack

Caviar • Sturgeon roe (eggs) • Major types of caviar – Beluga, osetra, and sevruga • Fish roe is harvested from fish while it is still alive – Then mixed with salt to keep eggs from clumping (malossol)

American Caviar • Types of caviar made from U. S. freshwater fish include: – American and lake sturgeon – Hackleback and white sturgeon – Paddlefish, salmon and whitefish roe – Trout, bowfin and lobster roe

Imported Caviar • Caspian Sea provides 90 percent of caviar available on the world market • Types – Beluga, sevruga, and osetra sturgeon – Tobico sushi, wasabi, and kaluga caviar

Fish • A vital food source for people worldwide • 20, 000 known species of fish • Identified in many ways – Freshwater or saltwater – Large or small – Oily or flaky – Thin or meaty

Roundfish • Most common types of fish – Populate salt and fresh waters • Common types of roundfish – Smallmouth and largemouth bass, carp, European pike perch, sauger, walleye, perch, trout, mullet, monkfish

Roundfish (cont’d. ) • Common types of roundfish (cont’d. ) – Sea bass, sardine, anchovy, herring, mackerel, swordfish, salmon, cod, haddock, smelt – Tuna • May be labeled white tuna (albacore) or light tuna (bluefin or yellowfin)

Flatfish • Named because eyes are on same side of the head • Types of flatfish – Plaice, flounder, halibut, sole, turbot

Winged Fish • Skate – Thin fish with long tail and fins that look like wings – Edible portions are the wings, the cheeks, and the liver – Boneless flesh is pinkish or off-white; resembles scallops

Eel • Has cylindrical body with small oval scales embedded in the skin • Popular in Japan • Cut into fillets, slices or pieces – Sold fresh, smoked, marinated, or in cans • Flesh is firm and fatty – Easy to debone; extremely perishable

Market Forms of Fish • • • Whole fish Drawn Dressed H&G Loin • Fillet – Thin, medium, and thick • Steak • Fish sticks and patties

Crustaceans • Shellfish with external skeletons and jointed legs • Thousands of species, but only a few are commercially viable – Crab, shrimp, lobster, crayfish

Crab 15. 9 Dungeness crab 15. 21 Snow crab legs and claws Source: Randy van Dam 2008

Shrimp • Various market forms of shrimp – Green head-on – Green headless – Peeled – PUD – P&D – Shell-on cooked

Lobster • Market forms of lobsters – Maine lobster (American or true lobster) – Spiny lobsters (Rock or Florida lobsters) • Should be kept alive until needed for cooking • Does not freeze well • Tails may be cold or warm water

Crayfish • Known as freshwater lobsters, crawdads and mudbugs – Most come from Louisiana – Available live or frozen whole • Meat may be kept frozen up to two months – Live crayfishes in refrigerator for 24 hours

Mollusks (Molluscs) • Types of mollusks – Bivalves • Clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops – Univalves • Conch and abalone – Cephalopods • Squid, octopus, and cuttlefish

Clams • Found in sand or mud close to shore – Harvested with hand tools • Species of hardshell clams – Southern quahog, Northern quahog • Littleneck, Cherrystone, and Chowder – Steamer clams • Sold live, fresh, or frozen

Oysters • Grow mainly in tidal mudflats • Shellfish sanitation program – Monitors oysters for contamination from viruses, bacteria, and “red tide” toxins • Popular standard types – Eastern oyster – European flat oyster

Oysters (cont’d. ) • Popular standard types (cont’d. ) – Kumamoto – Olympia – Pacific (Japanese) • Oysters have a fairly long shelf life – Up to two weeks – Should be consumed when fresh

Mussels • Subject to controls of Shellfish Sanitation Program • Cheap and plentiful • Sold by the bushel bag – Weighs about 45 lb. 15. 29 a Mussels Source: Randy van Dam 2008

Scallops • Muscle holding the two halves of the scallop shell together • Only available as chucked – Whole scallops cannot be opened without commercial equipment • Large quantities of frozen scallops are thawed and sold as fresh

Conch • Large sea snails – Bahamian or Caribbean – New-England type • Becomes more tender with extended cooking 15. 31 Conch shell and conch meat Source: Randy van Dam 2008

Abalone • One of the most expensive varieties of seafood – Prime target for cheaper substitutions – Giant squid or cuttlefish may be passed off as abalone • Sold cut into round steaks • Must be cooked briefly, or it toughens

Squid (Calamari) • Available in a variety of market forms – Fresh, frozen, dried, and canned – Fresh squid should be moist, but firm • With a faint seawater odor • Clean the squid prior to use – When sold fresh or thawed • Very long shelf life if handled with care

Octopus • Flesh is firm and flavorful – Small animals are best – Pound tough flesh of large octopus with a mallet – Flesh of certain species is poisonous • Usually cleaned and tenderized before it is sold

Cuttlefish • Common in Europe and Asia • Measures between six and ten inches • Choose fresh cuttlefish with moist, firm flesh that smells faintly of the sea – Also sold frozen or canned • White flesh is very firm; slippery skin is difficult to remove

Sea Urchin • Edible portion of the sea urchin is located under its mouth – Consists of five sexual organs known as the “coral” • Sold whole or ready to serve and extremely perishable – Look for firm spines and tightly closed mouth holes

Sea Cucumbers • Found on the sea floor worldwide • Considered a delicacy in Far East countries • Often purchased dried and rehydrated before use • Used in soups, stews, and braised dishes

Smoked Seafood • Process by which salted seafood are flavored in a drying oven – Dense smoke passes around and through the product • Good product made from good fish • Basic methods of smoking include hot and cold

Market Varieties of Smoked Seafood • Includes: – Bloaters, buckling, cod and haddock fillets, eels, finnan haddock, herrings, kippers, mackerel, oysters, pollock, sablefish, trout, whitefish – Smoked salmon: most popular; several varieties

Seafood Analogs • Substitutes for meat-based proteins – Burgers – Hams and loaves – Hot dogs – Sausages

Summary • There are various methods of seafood harvesting • Fish may be categorized as roundfish, flatfish, winged fish, eel, and shellfish • Visually inspect incoming fresh fish • Shellfish Sanitation Program monitors shellfish safety