Le Poisson (fish)

Fish belongs to the kingdom Pisces. Fish are available in abundance and also
due to its high nutritional value; it is widely used in menus. Fish is widely
consumed worldwide & is an aquatic animal .The body comprises of proteins,
fat, water and traces of minerals and vitamins.
VERTIBRATES
They are those fish which have a definite skeleton structure and
they respire via gills. They have set of fins enabling body movement.
Fish have internal ears and no eyelids. They are divided into LEAN
FISH and FATTY FISH.

LEAN FISH (Flat fish)

They are those fish in which the body fat content is upto 1.5% and
most of the fat gets stored in the liver. They have very less amount of
scales & are mostly found in deep waters and are less colorful. Since
they are difficult to fish out they are more expensive than round fish
and they are flat fish variety. They stay at the bottom of the rivers or
ocean beds and thus are expensive.

NOTE – IN FLAT FISHES THE VITAMIN A AND D ARE STORED IN

LIVER.

FATTY FISH (Round fish)

Mostly round fish have the fat content is on the higher side upto 20%.
Scales are plentiful on the body & they are colorful as well. Most of
round fish are larger than flat fish. They stay at the top of the rivers or
ocean beds and thus are inexpensive.

NOTE – IN ROUND FISHES THE VITAMIN A AND D ARE STORED IN

FLESH.
#INVERTEBRATES

Invertebrates are those fish which do not possess any skeletal structure.
They are also known as shell fish .They may be divided into 3 categories:-

Molluscs :- The body is completely enclosed in the shell. The body grows
along with the shell there are spiral formations around the shell and one
spiral formation takes place annually from which the age of the fish can be
judged. There are two types of mollusc – univalve , bivalve.

--- Univalve is single shelled.

--- Bivalve is two shells joined together at one end which open & close via
the muscular extensions & contractions.

CRUSTACEANS
They are much more mobile than molluscs and they have visible tentacles,
eyes & feet. The shell does not grow along with the body which gets shed off
annually & a new one develops. As compared to shell fish most of the
crustaceans are alive on land also.

CEPHALOPODS
Also known as head, foot or formation of beards in squids .

# CHECKING FRESHNESS OF FISH

1. FIN FISH :- The eyes should be bright full and not sunken.
2. Fish should not have unpleasant odour i.e smell of ammonia which
gets provided inside the stomach & intestines via the bacterial
activities.
 3. The gills of the fish should deep pink or red & not brownish.
4. There should be no cuts , wounds or abrasions visible on the fish.
5. The fish should appear to be heavy in relation to the size, Lighter fish
denotes dehydration.
6. The scales should be plentiful if it is a scaly fish and firm.
7. The flesh should be firm and not come off the bone easily.
8. When pressed with a thumb , it should not leave an imprint.
9. The tail should be stiff and not loose.
10. The fish should be slippery due to a natural covering of mucous.

SHELL FISH

1. Ideally shellfish should be purchased alive.

2. The shells of the mollusc should be closed and not open.
3. There should be no foul smell emitting from the flesh.
4. The shells should not be damaged.
5. The color of crustaceans should be grayish green and not
orange.
6. The claws and legs of crustaceans should be well developed and
meaty.
7. The tail of crustaceans should be firm and should come back after
it has been stretched.
# Pre-preparation of fish for cooking

1. Washing in cold running water. If fish is frozen it needs to be

thawed.
2. Descaling using blunt edge of knife.
3. Remove fins & tail using knife / scissors.
4. Gutting :- This is done by inserting a knife via the anus & then
running the knife upwards slitting the belly open .Then all the
internal organs are taken out & the belly is thoroughly washed.

CLASSICAL CUTS OF FISH

1. DARNE :- A vertical cut of fish (a slice) via the bone of a round fish.

2. TRONCON : Vertical cut via the bone of a flat fish.

3. FILLET : Horizontal cut along the bone of both flat or round

fish. Round fish will yield two fillets and flat fish will give four

filets. Fillet is boneless i.e without bone.

4. SUPREME : It is small diagonal cuts obtained from a large fillet.

5. GOUJONS : Are finger sized strips obtained from the fillet.

6. GOUJONETTE : Are dices obtained from goujons mostly used

for garnishing.

7. PAUPIETTE : It is a thin stuffed rolled fillet of fish.

8. PAVE : Similar to supreme but it is rectangular in shape.

9. DELICE : Folded fillet of fish.

10. CRAVATE : It is a knotted fillet.

11. ENTRESSE : They are braided or plaited

12. CORNET- Fillet rolled and shaped in form of a cone.

# FRENCH EQUIVALENTS

ENGLISH FRENCH

1. Prawns / shrimps Crevettes

2. Scampi( Dublin bay prawns) Langoustine

3. Lobster Homard
4. Crayfish Ecrevisse
5. Crawfish Langouste
6. Crab Crabs
7. Scallops (bi-valve) Coquille de St. Jacques
8. Mussels Moules
9. Cockles (bivalve) Coque
10. Winkle Bigorneou
11. Clams Palourde
12. Oysters Huitre

# COOKING OF FISH

The fish comes under white meat and consist of small & thin muscle fibres
connected with connective tissues . Hence , fish should not be overcooked.
Overcooking may lead to breaking of the fish in the appearance of flakes known
as flaking of fish.

Not all methods of cooking fish are suitable.

The most suitable method for cooking fish is as follows :-

 1. POACHING : For poaching a special cooking liquor or liquid is made
known as court bouillon ( water + white wine + carrots + celery +
vinegar + parsley stalks + bay leaf + peppercorn + onions). The left
over liquid after the fish has been poached & removed is known as
fumet.
 Lean fish is preferable for poaching. Fumet can be used for
preparing soups and sauces. Examples of poached fish dishes
are :-
 Fish bonne Femme
 Fish Veronique ( garnish of
grapes) Fish Duglere

2. FRYING :- Lean fish is preferred for frying . All rules applicable for
frying should be followed :-

# DEEP FRYING
 Poisson Anglaise ( crumbled fried fish with tartare sauce)
 Fish Colbert (crumb fried fish with Colbert butter / Maitre d’ hotel
butter)
 Fish orly ( Batter fried fish served with tomato sauce).

# SHALLOW FRYING

 Fish Meuniere ( a style of shallow frying fish ) in which supreme of fish

or small fillets of fish are shallow fried in butter and fish is served with
the leftover brown butter poured over the fish.
BRAISED FISH
Applicable for both lean and fatty & mostly large fish is braised. And
braising is done in specialized thick braising pans.

BAKED FISH
Baking is done for large fatty fish since it does not dry up in the oven.

ROASTING & STEWING

Are least preferred method for cooking fish. Roasting mainly done in clay
ovens and lean fish is preferred. Example Tandoori pomfrets.

STEAMED FISH

Considered as a very healthy method for cooking fish & direct steaming is
involved. Mostly small fish or supreme cuts are taken for steaming.
NOTE: - Fish should not be boiled as it will break the fish very fast. Instead
of boiling either poach or steam it.