Fish cookery

FISH COOKERY

Fish is an aquatic vertebrate animal with fins for swimming and gills for breathing. It has scales and a set of paired & unpaired fins. It is available in lakes, sea, oceans, pond, river etc. Fresh water fishes are more tastier than the sea water fish. Fish and shell fish are commonly known as seafood. It gives attractive and colourful dishes. Fish is classified as a white soft meat which provide variety of dishes. It is very delicate to handle and needs to apply delicate cooking method with different flavours. It is highly perishable and so its cooking time is also so less. In France, it is also called as a Fruit de mer, means fruit of the sea. It can be eaten raw, cooked or pickled. Fishes are easily digestible which contains 5gm protein per ounce. It may be cooked by following cooking methods as- boiling, poaching, grilling, baking, frying etc. It contain high protein and some of them are rich in oils than magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus etc. The fat content in fish, helps to determine the method of preparation. High content of fat in fish is good for baking, grilling etc. Lean fish are best preferably for poaching, boiling or steaming. In French classical menu, it forms a separate menu named as Poisson. It plays a very important role in its taste and texture.

 Fishes are classified in 3 broad categories as –

1.       Round fish(White) – Found in Sea , ocean water.

These fishes are white, round and oily in nature and popular because of their nutritious value. They contain protein, vitamin A, B & D and omega3, fatty acid which helps to reduce the risk of clogged arteries, blood clots, strokes and even cancer. 

- Round fish swims in a vertical position and have eyes on both the sides of their heads.

-Sea water fish are salty in taste.

-Both the sides of the fish are of same colour.

-It yields two fillet.

-Round fish has oil in liver.

-These fishes are vary in size, from very small to very large as anchovy to shark fish.                    e.g – Herrings, mackerel, sardines, salmon, cod, haddock, turai, red snapper etc.

2.       Flat fish – Found in fresh water as river, lake, ponds.

These fishes are flat in nature .

- Its both the eyes are on one side.

- Belly of this fish is white in colour.

-It yields four fillet.

-It swims in horizontal position e.g – Pomfret, Sole, halibut, turbot, Malabar sole etc.

3.       Shell fish – The fish which has shell on body called as shellfish.

Shellfish may be divided into 3 categories , as –

a). Crustacean – Crab, crawfish, crayfish, lobster, prawns, shrimp etc.

b). Molluscs – Cockles, mussels, oysters, clam, scallops etc.

c). Cephalopods – Octopus, squids etc

COMPOSITION & STRUCTURE
The edible flesh of fish, like that of meat and poultry, consists of water, protein, fats, small amounts of vitamins and minerals. The differences are however more important than the similarities. Fish has very little connective tissue. Therefore:
1. Fish cooks very quickly.
2. Fish is naturally tender.

Purchase specification of a fish/Shellfish or How to choose a good quality fish :- Few points should be consider while purchasing a good fish, these are as follows :-

1.       The quality of a fish should be fresh. Flesh should be firm, and translucent.

2.       The smell should be fresh not pungent.

3.       Eyes should be bright not sunken.

4.       Gill should be dark red.

5.       No thumb impression should be left on the flesh, if pressed.

6.       The tail should be firm and flexible.

7.       Skin of fish should be shining and of good colour.

8.       In white fish, the flesh should be really white not yellow.

9.       Fish should be stored at 1degree Celsius or kept on a bed of crushed ice.

Pre-preparation of fish for cooking –

A)     Descaling and cleaning – Firstly, soak the fish in cold water for few minutes before descaling, it helps in removing scales more easily.

-: Removing the skin from the fish fillets – Use a fillet knife in separating the fish skin from the flesh. Hold the tail end of the fillet firmly with the tip of your finger than firmly hold the knife still and at a fixed angle and make a deep cut. Wriggle the skin from side to side while pulling backwards on the exposed bit of fish skin. Continue this motion through the fillet.

                

  B). Filleting – It is a neat removable of the flesh of the fish from its body to yield flesh. Cut   the flesh along the line of backbone.

 C). Skinning – Hold the tail end of the fish in the left hand than skin the flesh from tail to head with quick short sawing strokes of a sharp knife. Point the knife towards the skin so that no flesh should be wasted.

@ Cuts of fish :- Fish is generally separated into 2 categories as lean & fatty.  

1.       Fillet – Long flat cuts of fish, free from bone and skin or boneless cuts of fish of entire length from the whole fish. It is used for making several dishes as – barbecuing, grilling, poaching, boiling, baking etc.

2.       Paupiette – Fillet stuffed, rolled and tied with string and cooked. It is used for stuffing and making roulades. It is usually poached.

3.       Goujon – Stripes cut from fish fillet of 1cm*8cm. It is used as a deep fried dish or as a starter.

4.       Goujonettes – Smaller than the Goujon is called as Goujonettes. It can be used as a garnish.

5.       Steaks – Steak of round fish called as Darne and of flat fish called as Troncon.

                                        Steak

6.       Troncon – It is a thick piece of fish about 4-5cm thick, cuts from bone from a flat fish. It is used as a cutlet or in steak preparation.

7.       Darne – A cuts of fish from a round fish with the bone, thickness about 2-3cm. This cut is usually used in Indian curry preparation. It resembles as a steak.         Darne

8.       Mignon – Fillet of fish folded as a cornet.

9.       Plie – Fillet flattened and folded into two.

10.   Supreme – This cut is often referred as fillet.

Supreme

11.   Fish farce – Puree of fish.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   @ Cooking of fish – Most of the fish are edible and it consists of enormous source of nutrition and good food. The most nourishing fishes come from river eg – eels, salmon, trout etc. Fishes are aquatic animal. It has phosphorated compound and leaner fishes are more easily digestible and are excellent food for sedentary workers. It is cooked very easily and quickly even at low heat. These are naturally tender. It provides many attractive and satisfying dishes. It consists of high protein. While cooking, the scale should be properly removed. In sweet water, fishes, as lake, river  the percentage of fat and oil is varying from depth to depth. Few fishes as eel, mangur, singhi etc have a good percentage of iron and other mineral salt.

-The  method of cooking depends upon the characteristics of the fish, its texture, size, form and percentage of fat and its strength of flavour. Overcooking of fish should be avoided. Oily fish are best for baking and grilling and lean fish are good for steaming, poaching etc.

Few popular fish dishes are – Fish cutlet, macher jhol, amritsari fish,  fish finger, sole Colbert, fish goujon, fish mornay, fish meunier etc.

CUTS OF MEAT

Meat is muscle tissue. It is the flesh of domestic animals (cattle, hogs, lamb) and of wild game animals. Meat is a main food of our diet. It is important to understand meats thoroughly in order to cook them well and profitably.

BEEF CUT

 LAMB CUT

 PORK CUTS

Five main stages before cutting :

1)Antemortem Inspection :- Brought to slaughter house 24 hours in advance.

      b. Resting.

     c. Inspection for disease, injury, etc.

 2) Stunning : Three  methods:

      a) Captive bolt: large animals, attack by long metal rod.

      b) Electrical Stunning: Small animals, pass current through animal for at least 7 seconds, leaves               animal unconscious for 1 ½ minutes.

      c) CO2 stunning: Pigs, pass through tunnel of CO2.

 3) Bleeding : Make a small incision at the neck to cut the main blood vessel to remove as much blood            as possible as it is ideal medium for bacterial growth.

 

 4) Dressing : Remove hair from animals.

    Offal and viscera are removed and carcass is cleaned.

    Large animals cut into two parts from the spine

5) Slaughtering : 

     Hanging of whole body carcass and offal should be done in cooling room under 7C for resting period.

COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE AND BASIC QUALITY FACTORS

Muscle tissue consists of these major components : 

@ WATER (75% of muscle tissue)

With such a high percentage of water in meat, we can see why shrinkage can be a big problem in its cooking. Too much moisture loss means dry meat, loss of weight and loss of profit.

@ PROTEIN (20% of muscle tissue)

Protein is an important nutrient and the most abundant solid material in meat. Protein coagulates when it is heated. This means it becomes firmer and looses moisture. Coagulation is related to doneness. When protein has coagulated to the desired degree, the meat is said to be done. Too high heat toughens protein.

@ CARBOHYDRATE

Meat contains a very small amount of carbohydrate.

@ FAT (upto 5% of muscle tissue)

   A beef carcass can have as much as 30% fat. A certain amount of fat is desirable for 3 reasons. As they are :-

1) Juiciness

Marbling is fat that is deposited within the muscle tissue. The juiciness we enjoy in well-marbled beef is due more to fat than to moisture. Surface fat protects the meat (especially roasts) from drying out during cooking as well as in storage. Adding surface fats where they are lacking is called barding.

2 ) Tenderness

Marbling separates muscle fibers, making them easier to chew.

3)  Flavour

Fat is perhaps the main source of flavour in meat. A well-marbled steak tastes ‘beefier’ than the same cut of a lower grade.

@ COLOURING PIGMENTS

Colour of meat is mainly due to 2 pigments ie.. HAEMOGLOBIN AND MYOGLOBIN. Both contains iron.

 HAEMOGLOBIN : Present in blood and gives red colour to meat.

 MYOGLOBIN : Present in freshly cut meat , and on exposure to air gets oxidized into oxymyoglobin

STRUCTURE

@ Muscle fibers

Lean meat is composed of long, thin muscle fibers bound together in bundles. These determine the texture or grain of a piece of meat. Fine-grained meat is composed of small fibers bound in small bundles. Coarse textured meat has larger fibers. Feel the cut surface of a tenderloin steak, and compare its smooth texture to the rough surface of brisket or bottom round.

@ Connective tissue

Muscle fibers are bound together in a network of proteins called connective tissues. Each muscle fiber is also covered in a sheath of connective tissue. It is very important for the cook to understand connective tissue for one basic reason. Connective tissue is tough. To cook meats successfully you should know which meats are high in connective tissue and which are low, and, what are the best ways to make meats tender.

Meats are highest in connective tissue if;

a. They come from muscles that are more exercised. Muscles in the leg, for example, have more connective tissue than muscles in the back.

b. They come from older animals. Veal is tenderer than meat from a young steer, which in turn is tenderer than meat from an old bull or cow. Young animals have connective tissue but it becomes harder to break down as the animal ages. eats high in connective tissue can be made more tender by using proper cooking techniques. There are two kinds of connective tissue; Collagen, which is white in colour, and Elastin which is yellow.

Collagen

Moist heat turns collagen into gelatin and water. Moist heat at low temperatures for a longer time is most effective in creating a tender, juicy finished product. Meat in an acid mixture or adding an acid such as tomato or wine to the cooking liquid helps tenderize the collagen.

Enzymes are naturally present in meats. They break down the connective tissue and some other proteins as the meat ages. These enzymes are inactive at freezing temperatures, slow acting under refrigeration, active at room temperature and destroyed by heat above 140°F (60°C).

Tenderizers are enzymes such as papain (extracted from papaya) that are added to meats for fast cooking 

Elastin

Older animals have a higher proportion of elastin than younger animals. Cooking does not break down elastin. Tenderizing can only be accomplished by removing the elastin (cutting away the tendons) and by mechanically breaking up the fibers as in pounding or cubing the meat, grinding (hamburgers) or slicing the cooked meat thinly against the grain.

 MEAT AGEING

Green meat

Soon after slaughter, an animal’s muscles stiffen due to chemical changes in the flesh. This stiffness called rigor mortis gradually disappears. Softening takes place three to four days for beef, less time for smaller carcass like veal, lamb and pork. Enzymes in the flesh cause this softening.Green meat is tough and relatively flavourless. Since it takes several days for meats to reach the kitchen from the slaughterhouse.

Aged meat

Enzyme action continues in muscle tissue even after meat is no longer green. This tenderizes the meat even more and develops more flavour. Holding meats in coolers under controlled conditions to provide time for this natural tenderizing is called ageing.

Beef and lamb can be aged because high quality carcasses have enough fat cover to protect them from bacteria and from drying. Veal had no fat cover so it is not aged. Pork does not require ageing.

The three major types of ageing are described as follows;

1 Dry ageing: - Ageing does not mean just storing meat in the refrigerator. There is a difference between aged meat and old meat. Temperature must be carefully monitored. Airflow and humidity must be controlled because bacteria will grow on cut surfaces if there is too much moisture. Ultraviolet lights are sometimes used in ageing coolers to kill bacteria and mold

2 Fast ageing: To speed ageing meat can be held at a higher temperature and humidity for a shorter time. Ultraviolet lights to control bacteria are especially important in fast ageing. Most fast aged meat is sold in the retail market rather than to food service establishments.

3 Vacuum-pack ageing: The modern trend is to break down carcasses into smaller cuts and wrap them in are and moisture proof plastic bags. This is called Cryovac ageing. The wrapping protects the meat from bacteria and mold, and prevents weight loss due to drying. However Cryovac aged meats often lose more weight in cooking than dry aged meats. Cryovac meats must be refrigerated.

Ageing increases tenderness and flavour. An off taste is not characteristic of aged meat. If meats smell or tastes spoilt. Sometimes meats in Cryovac have a musty aroma when first opened but this disappears soon.

  

CURING OF MEAT

Major objective is preservation. It also affects the colour and flavour of the meat.

  Curing salt = 96% common salt + 4% nitrite or nitrate of sodium or potassium NaNO3 or KNO3

 Helps to preserve the colour of the meat.

 The prime object of ageing or ripening and use of tenderizers is to increase the tenderness of meat. The curing of meat has additional objectives. Curing brings about the modification of meat that effects preservation, flavour, colour and tenderness due to added curing agents.

Originally curing was practiced as a means of preservation before the days of refrigeration. The prime purpose of curing is to produce the unique flavoured meat products and a special purpose is to preserve the red colour of meat. Thus, cured beef (corned beef) and cured pork (ham) remain red on cooking while in the uncured condition they become brown.

The ingredients used for curing are common salt, sodium nitrate or nitrite, sugar and spices. (Curing salt is 96% common salt and 4% sodium nitrate or nitrite). Salt retards microbial growth and gives flavour to the meat. Nitrite fixes the red colour of myoglobin. Nitrite has also a beneficial effect on the flavour of cured meats and an inhibitory effect on clostridium botulism. Sugar helps to stabilize colour, counteract saltiness and also adds flavour. Spices are added mainly for flavour.

Curing has also some detrimental effects during storage. The pink colour of nitrite cured meat changes to brown, in the presence of oxygen. Thus cured meat should preferentially be packed in containers from which oxygen has been excluded (Curing salts enhance oxidation of lipid components and thus reduce shelf life; also there is some concern about the carcinogenic effect of nitrite, particularly when cured meat is heated to a high temperature).

THE BASIC CUTS

Meat cuts are based upon two factors;

1 The muscle and bone structure of the meat.

2 Uses and appropriate cooking methods of various parts of the animal.

Available forms: Carcasses, Partial Carcasses, Primal and Fabricated Cuts.

Beef, lamb, veal and pork may be purchased in some or all of these forms.

Carcasses

The carcass is the whole animal, minus entrails, head, feet and hide (except pork, which has only the entrails and head removed). Whole carcasses are rarely purchased by food service operators because of the skill and labour required in cutting, and because of the problem of total utilization.

Sides, quarters, foresaddles, hindsaddles

These represent the first step in breaking down the carcass. Again these larger cuts are no longer frequently used in food service. Fewer establishments are cutting their own meats.

1 Beef is first split through the backbone into sides. Sides are divided between ribs 12 and 13 into forequarter and hindquarter.

2 Veal and lamb are not split into sides but are divided between ribs12 and 13 into foresaddle and hindsaddle.

3 Pork carcasses are not divided in this way. They are cut directly into primal cuts.

Primal or wholesale cuts

These are the primary divisions of quarters, foresaddles, hindssaddles and carcasses. These cuts are still used to some extent in food service, because they are

a. Small enough to be manageable in many food service kitchens.

b. Still large enough to allow a variety of different cuts for different uses or needs.

c. Easier to utilize completely than quarters or halves.

COOKING OF MEATS

The heat of cooking affects tenderness in two ways.

1 It tenderizes connective tissue if moisture is present and cooking is slow.

2 It toughens proteins even meats low in connective tissue can become tough if cooked at excessively high heat for too long.

The principle of low-heat cooking.

1 High heat toughens and shrinks protein and results in excessive moisture loss. Therefore low heat cooking should be the general practice for most meat cooking methods.

2 Roasts cooked at low temperature have better yields than those roasted at high heat. That is they shrink less and lose less moisture.

3 Moist heat penetrates more quickly than dry heat. Meat should be simmered, never boiled.

              The meaning of the term “doneness” depends on whether the cooking method uses dry or moist heat.

@ Dry heat: Meat is done when the proteins have reached the desired degree of coagulation as indicated by internal temperature.

@ Moist heat: Meat is done when connective tissue have broken down enough for the meat to be palatable. Meat cooked by moist heat is always well done.

As meat cooks its pigments changes colour. These colour changes indicate degree of doneness.

Red meat changes from red to pink to grey or grey-brown.

Rare: browned surface

thin layer of cooked (grey) meat

red interior

Medium: thicker layer of grey

pink interior

Well done: gray throughout

Testing of doneness of the product

Determining doneness is one of the most difficult and critical aspects of meat cooking. Anyone can put a steak on the grill or a roast in the oven, but it takes experience and skill to take it off the fire at the right time. Colour change cannot be used by the cook to test doneness, as it would be necessary to cut the meat. Piercing the meat and examining the colour of the juices is no a reliable method.

Testing the interior of the meat with a thermometer is the most accurate method of testing of  doneness. The tip of the thermometer should be inserted into the center of the thickest part, not touching fat or bone.

STORAGE

The quality of the finished product depends not only on proper selection of meats but on proper storage as well. Fresh meat is highly perishable. 

1 Store at 32-36ºF (0-2ºC). Meat does freeze until 28ºF (-2ºC).

2 Fresh meats keep well for only 2-4 days. Ground meat keeps even less well because so much surface is exposed to bacteria. Cured and smoked products may keep upto a week.

3 Keep meats separate in walk-in and on working table to avoid cross contamination.

@ Barding: Adding pieces of  thin slices of fat, over meats with no natural fat cover, to protect them from drying while roasting.

@. Larding: Inserting strips of fat with a larding needle into meats low in marbling.

 

@ Searing and sealing

The purpose of searing meats at high temperatures is to create desirable flavour and colour by browning the meat’s surface. It was long believed that searing the surface of meat seals the pores keeping in the juices. This does not actually happen. Meat does not have pores, but is an open network of fibers. Roasts cooked from the start at low temperature retain more juices than roasts that are seared at high heat first.

Steaks, chops and cutlets cooked very quickly at high heat drives the juices away from the hot surface into the meat. This permits browning, because moisture would create steam and inhibit browning. 

@ Blanching and sealing

Dropping the meat into boiling water doesn’t seal it either. Many proteins dissolve in cold water. When heated these proteins coagulate and become scum or froth on the surface of the water. When meat is placed in boiling water some of the protein coagulates inside the meat and not as much is carried out with the lost moisture. Prolonged cooking will shrink meat as much as if started with boiling water than if started in cold water.

RIGOR MORTIS

Rigor Mortis is a condition that occurs in the body soon after death. This is characterized by muscle spasm and the stiffening of muscles and occurs not only in Human beings but also in animals.

We know that all living beings respire and there are two types of respiration, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic respiration takes place in the presence of Oxygen and the end product is Carbon Dioxide. This would take place normally and produces ATP (Adenosine Try Phosphate), which is a high chemical bond energy compound derived from Amino Acids and provide energy for body functions.

Anaerobic respiration takes place in the absence of oxygen and its end product is Ethyl Alcohol. In animals, the end product of anaerobic respiration is Lactic Acid which when accumulated in the carcass decreased the pH and stiffens the muscles.

In living animals, the myoglobin stores oxygen in the muscles. When the animal is slaughtered, the external source of oxygen is cut off and the tissues use the stored oxygen to continue aerobic respiration and subsequent ATP and Carbon Dioxide production. Within a few minutes, the store of oxygen is depleted and the tissues now opt for anaerobic respiration, which then results in the accumulation of Lactic Acid in the muscles. Hence the acidity of the cells increases and the pH decreases. This in turn causes the muscles to stiffen. This condition is known as Rigor Mortis. This condition is aided by the fact that the supply of ATP is cut off and hence there is no energy for the tissue to work. The Lactic Acid gradually breaks up into lactate and water and indicates the end of Rigor Mortis and the production of water. This is characterized by bloating of the carcass.