LESSON 1: PREPARING FISH AND SEAFOOD

DISHES

A. Seafood: Definition, Types, and Characteristics

Seafoods refer to aquatic animals used as food.
They include the marine animals from the sea and
those found in other bodies of water or areas near
them.

Types of seafoods include the following:

1. Vertebrates of fishes – these are generally classified

as:
1. Round fish that lives near the sea. Examples: cod,
haddock, and whiting.
2. Flat fish which include sole and plaice.

3. Pelagic fish or ocean fish which are caught in

open seas and include “fat fish”. Fat fish have oil all
over their bodies while lean fish have oil concentrated
in the liver.
2. Shellfish – this type contains hard shells outside of
their soft tissues. They are classified as:

A. Crustaceans – which include crabs, lobsters, and

varieties of shrimps. They have hard protective
coverings called chitinous amour. This covering is
segmented giving them the power to move and walk.

B. Mollusks – they have soft bodies that are soft and

unsegmented. These bodies are protected in calcified
shells. Some mollusks have two shells, others have one.
Those with two shells are called bivalves like tahong
(mussel), talaba (oysters), clams, and abalone. One
shell mollusk are called univalve. Examples are all
kinds of edible snails (suso).
 
3. Invertebrates – these are aquatic animals without
backbone. Examples are octopus, squids, and related
species.
 
 
B. Structure, Composition, and Nutritive Values.
Fish like meat is an excellent source of protein. It also
contains fat which is a concentrated source of energy.
Fish from the salt water are good sources of iodine and
phosphorus although low in iron and calcium. Canned
fish, however, contains appreciable amount of calcium.
 
A typical fish consists of the head, body, tails and fins. It
has about 63% to 65% edible portions which generally
consist of the flesh and skin.

The inedible portions that go to waste are approximately

35% to 38% and include the skeleton, the tail, the
entrails, the fins, and the head, although some parts of
the head and entrails are eaten by some people.
The flesh of the fish consists of:
1. Muscular tissues – these are bundles of white
muscle fibers.
2. Connective tissues – these are found in between
muscle fibers and are called mycommata. They
contain the protein collagen which swells and shrinks
and become soluble.
3. Fat – most fish have their fat stored and reserved
for energy. Fat content vary with season, feeds given
to them, the size and age of fish. Fish classification
based on their fat content includes:
A. Fat fish – contains fat ranging from 5% to 20%.
B. Medium fat fish – contains fat ranging from 2% to
5%.
C. Lean fish – has less than 2% fat.
 Fish deteriorates faster than meat because of
bacteria and fish enzymes in the intestinal organs
which eat the neighboring flesh of the fish after rigor
mortis.

Typical finfish has these parts:

The typical finfish has up to 84% moisture, 15% to
25% protein, from 0.1% to 5.7% fat, and 1% to 3.5%
carbohydrates.
C. Fish Sources and Fish Culture
Fish are obtained from two sources of bodies of water.
These include:
1. Marine fish - These are fish obtained from salt
water mainly the sea.
2. Inland fish - These fish are caught in lakes, rivers,
ponds, and other inland bodies of water.
3. Aquaculture - This is the process of cultivating
some marine fish in man-made fish pens. Bangus or
milkfish is cultured in fish pens.
4. Mariculture - This is culturing fish in bodies of
salt water such as those in coves and shores. Examples
of these are tahong (mussels) and talaba (oysters).
Good Qualities of Fresh Fish
1. a mild seaweed-like odor
2. shiny and tight skin
3. bright red gills
4. clear and full eyes
5. firm body

Good Qualities of Other Seafood

1. Shrimps
a. tight intact head
b. transparent, firm body
c. slight seaweed odor
2. Squid
a. bright color
b. firm body
c. plenty of ink

3. Shellfish (clams, mussels, oysters)

a. clean and fresh
b. shells tightly closed
c. shucked oysters — plump, creamy white in color,
odorless

4. Crabs
a. heavy in weight
b. Shell corners are compact and very thin.
c. slight seaweed smell
5. Lobster
a. dark blue when alive
b. spongy tails and deep-red shells when boiled
c. Male lobsters have brighter color and larger
claws.
d. Female lobsters have brooder tails and more
tender flesh
D. Market Forms of Fish

1. Live fish - Good examples of these are dalag

(mudfish), hito (catfish), and tilapia.
2. Whole or round - The fish is not alive anymore but
the head, tail, fins, and viscera are still attached.
3. Drawn/Gutted fish - The fish has been eviscerated.
Evisceration is done by making a slit down the center of
the soft belly and then removing the entrails.
4. Dressed fish - The fish has been eviscerated—
scales, fins, head, and tail have been removed.
5. Steak - Cross-section of fish obtained by cutting
directly across the dressed fish at the right angle to the
length of fish. Steak cuts are about one-half to two-
thirds inch in thickness.
6. Split fish - Whole or round fish with the scales
intact, but a cut is made down to the backbone from
just behind the head towards the tail, splitting the
fish into wings or flaps. A light weight or the palm is
placed on top of the head of the fish to steady the fish
before a knife is then turned flat and the cut is made.

7. Deboned - A process of removing the big and

small bones of a fish so that what is left is practically
all flesh and skin. This process is gaining popularity
especially among children who refuse to eat fish
because it is quite cumbersome to remove the bones
one by one as one eats.
 One popular fish which is deboned in markets is
bangus (milkfish). The process involves the use of a
pair of tweezers or clinical forceps to remove all the
intramuscular bones especially those near the tail.
The deboned bangus is available fresh, frozen,
smoked, marinated, and ready to-cook.

8. Fillet - This is the fleshy part of the fish. It is

removed from the backbone and ribs of the fish so
that it is practically boneless. The skin of the fish
may or may not be removed.
9. Butterfly fillets - are two fillets joined together
by the underside skin but once separated, each side
becomes a single fillet.

10. Sticks - These are small, elongated chunks of

the same size and thickness cut from the flesh
portion of the fish.

11. Cubes - These are sticks that are cut further into
small squares.