Second Quarter

Basic Concepts in Food Fish Processing

What defines a fish?
Fish are vertebrates, animals with backbones.
Most are cold-blooded animals that live in either
❑ fresh water or
❑ sea water. They have fins and breathe using gills.
Many have scales.
How Many Types of Fish do we have?
❑There are almost 28,000 known extant species,
❑ of which almost 27,000 are bony fish,
❑with 970 sharks, rays, and chimeras and about
❑108 hagfish and lampreys.
What is the scientific name for fish?
❑ Osteichthyes-(aa·stee·ik·thee·eez) is the Latin name of the
bony fish class.

❑ Chondrichthyes-(kaan·drik·theez) is the Latin name of the

cartilaginous fish class.

❑ Acanthodei-(aˌkanˈthōdēˌī,) is the Latin name of the class of

extinct fishes that share features both with bony and
cartilaginous fishes.
 What is the Classification of Fish based on Habitat?
❑rocky shores,
❑ coral reefs, kelp forest,
❑ rivers and streams,
❑ lakes and ponds,
❑under sea ice,
❑the deep sea, and other environments of fresh, salt, and
brackish water. Some fish are pelagic or oceanic they live in
the open ocean.
 Which fish is the king of fish?
Salmon is called the king of fish. With its steely, silver
skin, as shiny as King Arthur's armor, it even looks the
part.
What Fish is most Expensive to Eat?
A bluefin tuna has been sold for three quarters of a
million dollars in Tokyo.
 Why Bluefin Tuna is so Expensive?
One factor that makes bluefin tuna so
expensive is the low of supply and demand, or as The
Atlantic cleverly describes it-"sushi omics." To put it
bluntly, there's only so much bluefin tuna in the ocean.
All three species of the bluefin are overfished and the
fish don't breed in captivity.
❑ Whole or round fish -
are sold just as they come from the water. They must be
scaled and eviscerated- or gutted before cooking. If the
head is left on, the fish must be gilled. The edible yield is
about 45 percent.
❑ Drawn fish-
have been eviscerated. They must be scaled and, if
the head is left on, must be gilled. The edible
portion is about 48 percent.
❑ Dressed fish -
are ready to cook, usually with head, tail and fins
removed. The edible portion is about 67 percent.
❑ Fillets -
are the sides of the fish cut away from the backbone
and are ready to cook. They are usually boneless,
with no waste.
❑ Steaks-
are ready-to-cook, cross-sectional slices of large
fish. The edible yield is about 86 percent.
❑ Sticks-
are uniform cuts from blocks of frozen fillets.
 Dressing a Round Fish
1.Place fish on a flat surface. With a fish scaler or
dull side of a knife, scrape off scales, moving from
tail to head.
2. Remove the head and pectoral fins by cutting
through the fish at a 45-degree angle just
behind the head.
3. Cut the entire length of the belly from head
to tail.
4. Remove viscera and all black membranes and
blood, particularly the blood streak running along
the backbone. Cut around pelvic fins and remove
them. Rinse fish well with attention to cavity under
cold, running water.
 Filleting a Round-Bodied Fish
1.Scale the fish. At the pectoral fin, just behind the head,
cut into flesh at a 45-degree angle toward the head until
your knife reaches the backbone.
2.Turn the knife and follow backbone to the tail,
keeping the knife against the backbone. Or, if you
prefer, reverse this and cut from the tail to the head.
Turn fish over and repeat on the other side.
3. Rinse the fillet well under cold, running
water.
 Filleting a Flat-Bodied Fish
1.Scale the fish. Cut down to the backbone at a
45-degree angle just behind the head.
2.Make a cut from nape to tail along each side of
the backbone. Slide knife along the backbone to
loosen the fillet. Turn fish over and repeat on the
other side.
3. You may leave fish as two fillets or cut each in
half lengthwise to make four fillets. Rinse well
under cold, running water.
 Second Quarter Activity # 1
Use Intermediate Pad (pass during onsite schedule)
A.)Answer the Following Questions:
1.Why do fish spoil easily?
2.What are the signs of food spoilage?
3.How long can fresh fish keep? Why?
4.How long can you Keep Cooked Fish in Refrigerator? Why?
5. What is the most important part of a fish?

B.)Give the market forms of fish

 Skinning a Fillet
With skin side down, hold tail of fillet. Slide knife
between skin and flesh. With the blade almost
horizontal, pull the skin taut as you draw the blade
toward the large end of the fillet.
 Fish Spoilage

What are the main causes of fish spoilage?

Fish Spoilage results from:
❑ Enzymatic autolysis-degrades the cell
components like proteins, fats and
thereby changes the flavor of fish.
Fish Spoilage results from:
❑Oxidation- fish oil oxidation occurs when the
omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish oil are
exposed to heat, oxygen, or light.
Fish Spoilage results from:
❑Microbial growth.
❑ Low temperature storage and chemical techniques for
controlling water activity, enzymatic, oxidative and
microbial spoilage are the most common in the
industry today.
 Why do fish spoil easily?
❖ Fish spoil quickly because they are creatures of the
water and therefore of the cold.
❖ Deep ocean water is only a few degrees above
freezing, and surface waters seldom exceed 70
degrees.
❖So, fish spoil faster than meats, and fatty fish from
cold waters spoil the fastest.
 What are the signs of food spoilage?
Signs of food spoilage may include an appearance
different from the food in its fresh form, such as a
change in color, a change in texture, an
unpleasant odor, or an undesirable taste. The item
may become softer than normal. If mold occurs, it
is often visible externally on the item.
 How long can fresh fish keep?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

recommends that you keep fresh fish, shrimp,
scallops, and squid for just one to two days in the
refrigerator.
 How long can you Keep Cooked Fish in
Refrigerator?
Your leftover fish should be safe to eat for an absolute
maximum of up to 3 days after it has been cooked.
The secret to leftover fish lasting up to 3 days after
being cooked, is the QUALITY.