14.3 Seafood
Inspection & Grades
• FDA monitors interstate fish shipments and
requires adoption of a HACCP program for
processors.
• USDC offers a voluntary seafood
inspection program
– PUFI Processed Under Federal Inspection
• Wholesome and meets sanitary guidelines required
by NMFS National Marine and Fisheries Service
Inspection & Grades
Inspection & Grades
• A
– Highest quality available, excellent
appearance, good flavor and odor, free of
blemishes and defects
• B
– Good quality, some blemishes and defects
• C
– Only appropriate for dishes not requiring an
attractive appearance
Inspection & Grades
• Below Standard
– Do not have good quality
• Only A carries a stamp
Market Forms
Market Forms
• Whole fish: as it was caught, completely
intact
• Drawn fish: Viscera removed, head, fins,
scales still intact
• H&G (headed and gutted) Head-off drawn:
viscera and head removed, scales and fins
are still intact
Market Forms
• Dressed fish: viscera, gills, scales, fins
removed; head may or may not be
removed; also known as pan-dressed;
usually appropriate for a single serving
• Steak: cross section cut from a drawn fish,
portion cuts from a large fillet are
commonly called steaks
Market Forms
• Fillet: boneless piece of fish removed from
either side of the backbone, skin may or
may not be removed (“pin-bone out”)
• Tranche: portion size slice of a fillet that is
cut at a 45° angle to expose a greater
surface area,
• Pavé: portion sized square cut from a fillet
Fish Types
Fish Types
• Flat Fish: backbone runs through the
center of the fish, 2 upper and lower fillets,
both eyes on same side of head
– Sole (S) [L], Halibut (S) [L], flounder (S) [L], turbot (S)
[L]
(S)- Saltwater
(F)- Freshwater
(A)- Anadromous
[L]- Lean
[F]- Fatty
Fish Types
Fish Types
• Round Fish: eyes on both sides of head,
swim in an upright position
– Low Activity
• Cod (S) [L], haddock (S) [L], hake(S) [L], pollock
(S) [L]
Fish Types
• Round Fish:
– Medium Activity
• Sea Bass (S) [L], Snapper (S) [L], Pike (F) [L],
Grouper (S) [L]
Fish Types
• Round Fish:
– High Activity
• Salmon (A) [F], Trout (F) [F], Tuna (S) [F],
Mackerel (S) [F], Mahi Mahi (S) [L]
Cooking Fish
• Fatty Fish:
– Mackerel, Dry: grilling, broiling
• Medium Fatty:
– Tuna/Salmon, most methods
• Lean
– Sole/Flounder, poach or sauté
Cooking Fish
• Dry-Heat: bake, broil, grill
– Fillets or steaks of fatty fish
– Oven 350°F.-400°F.
• Larger cuts at lower end
– To retain moisture coat with breadcrumbs,
crushed nuts, thinly sliced vegetables
Cooking Fish
• Dry with fat and oil: sauté, stir-fry, pan-fry,
deep-fry
– Lean finfish and shellfish
– Coat with flour or breading
– Small items (shrimp, scallops) cooked quickly
over high heat
Cooking Fish
• Moist-heat: poach simmer, steam
– Particularly lean
– Poach in:
Court Bouillon (cort boo-YON) stock made of
vegetables and an acid, vinegar/wine
Fumet (foo-MAY) rich fish stock made with wine
Olive oil or butter
Cooking Fish
• Moist-heat: poach simmer, steam
– Shallow-poached and shellfish should be
opaque
– Oysters, clams and mussels, should show
curling at edge
– White deposits indicate too high temp. or too
long
– Stringiness, dryness, excessive flaking
indicate too high/too long
Cooking Fish
• Moist-heat: poach simmer, steam
– En papillote: moist heat technique, encase
fish, herbs, vegetables and/or sauce in
parchment paper and steam in hot oven
Cooking Fish
• Combination: stewing, braising
– Bouillabaisse (BOO-ya-base) French
seafood stew made with assorted fish,
shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, garlic,
saffron, herbs
– Cioppino, a San Francisco version
– Jambalaya (jam-bo-LIE-ah) Creole stew of
rice, shellfish, vegetables
Doneness
• USDA Minimum: 145°F.
• Medium: 125-135°F.
– Mostly opaque, slightly translucent, becoming
firm, becoming flaky– Salmon
• Medium Rare: 115-125°F.
– Outer opaque, inner translucent, somewhat
resilient—Tuna
Doneness
Doneness
• Generally speaking:
– Flesh turns from translucent to opaque
– Flesh becomes firm
– Flesh pulls away easy from bone
– Flesh begins to flake
– Remember carryover cooking
Shellfish
• Aquatic animals, without a backbone,
protected by some sort of shell, and live
primarily in salt water
– Mollusks
• Univalves: single shelled
• Bivalves: 2 shells joined by a hinge
– Crustaceans: jointed exterior skeletons or
shells
– Cephalopods: Mollusks with tentacles
attached directly to the head
Univalves
• Abalone
– Grilled, sautéed, marinated
– Mother of Pearl
• Conch
– Salad, ceviche, chowder, fritter
Univalves
• Abalone
– Grilled, sautéed, marinated
– Mother of Pearl
• Conch
– Salad, ceviche, chowder, fritter
Bivalves
• Fresh, shell open, tap, if does not move,
discard
• After cooking, closed shell, discard
Bivalves
• Clam
–
–
–
–
Grilled, baked, steamed, chowder
West and East coast
Whole, shucked fresh or frozen,
canned chopped/whole
Fresh = 25% yield = 12% meat = 22%
juice
Type
Number per Lb.
Atlantic
(not standard)
-Little Neck
8-10
-Middle Neck
6-8
-Top Neck
4-6
-Cherrystone
3-5
-Chowder
1-2
-Soft Shell
12-15
Pacific
(by weight)
-Geoduck
2-3 lbs. ea.
-Manilla
20 per lb.
-Littleneck
8-10 per lb.
1 Bushel (8 gal)
=1 gal. shucked
=10-12 # meat
Canned, chopped
=25% meat
=75% juice
Bivalves
• Oyster
–
–
–
Baked, batter-fried, steamed, raw
Very delicate, high percentage of water
Flavor is sensitive to surrounding water
Grade
Count
With Shell
Per Bushel
-Standard
200-300
-Select
100-200
-Extra Select
<100
75# Bushel
= 1 gallon shucked
Shucked
Per Gallon
-very small
<500 (≤0.25 oz.)
-Standards (small)
304-500 (0.32 oz.)
-Selects (med.)
208-304 (0.5 oz.)
-Extra selects (large)
160-208 (0.71 oz.)
-Counts
<160 (0.8 oz.)
Bivalves
• Mussels
–
Baked, Steamed
Type
Yield/Count
Blue
22-30% (0.22oz. meat)
18-24/lb.
Mediterranean
35-45% (0.5 oz. meat)
10-15/lb.
Green
35-50% (0.54 oz.
meat)
10-15/lb.
Bivalves
• Scallops
–
–
–
Broiled, grilled, poached, stewed,
sautéed
Generally sold shucked
Look for IQF
Type
Count per Lb.
Sea
U10 (1.6 oz.+)
10-20 (1.06 oz.)
20-30 (0.64 oz.)
30-40 (0.48 oz.)
Bay, Atlantic
70-110 (0.23 – 0.15
oz.)
Calico, Gulf
60-200 (0.27 – 0.08
oz.)
Cephalopods
• Squid/Calamari
– Baked, boiled, deep-fried, panfried, stir-fried, sautéed
– Ink used for color (pasta)
• Octopus
– Boiled, small: deep-fried,
grilled, sauté
• Cuttlefish
– Boiled, steamed, stir-fried,
sushi
Crustacean
• Crab
–
Baked, broiled, grilled, poached,
steamed, stewed, sauté
Type
Yield/Size
King Legs
50%
Leg/Shoulder/Claw
45%Leg/Shoulder
40% Large claw
30% Small Claw
Snow Leg
28%
-cocktail claws
40%
Dungeness
25%yield
Blue
14%
-No. 1 Male
Good meat/shell ratio
-No. 2 Male
⅓ less
Canned Meat
-Colossal/Jumbo Lump
Large white lump/fin
-Super Lump
Broken lump/body
-Backfin
Broken lump/flake
-Special
Body flake
-Claw
Brown fin/strong taste
Crustacean
• Lobster
–
Baked, broiled, grilled, poached,
steamed, stir-fried
Type
Yield/Size (lb.)
Hard Shell
20-24%
-Tail
45% of EP
-Claw
35% of EP
-Knuckle
10% of EP
-Leg
10% of EP
Chicken
≤1 (3.5 oz. meat)
Quarters
1¼ (4.5 oz. meat)
Select
1½-2½ (5¼-8¾ oz.)
Jumbo
>2.5 (8¾ and up)
Cull
Missing 1 claw (17% of
EP)
Bullet
Missing 2 claws (35%
of EP)
Soft Shell ( shredder)
July-Sept.
17-19%
spongy
Crustacean
• Shrimp
– Classified by count
per pound
– P&D – peeled and
deveined
– Deveined – remove
intestinal tract along
back
Crustacean
Terminology
C
Cooked
UC
Uncooked
Headless
Only head removed
P&D
Peeled and Deveined
PUD
Peeled, undeveined
Tail-on
Headless, P&D, tail not removed
Tail-off
Headless, P&D, tail removed
Butterflied
P&D, cut almost in two
Green
Shell on
Shrimp Size Count
Size
Count
Headless
Each
(oz.)
P&D
Each Cooked
(oz.)
Each
(oz.)
6/8
2.29
8/10
1.78
10/12
1.45
8/10
1.78
10/12
1.45
13/15
1.14
10/12
1.45
13/15
1.14
16/20
0.89
13/15
1.14
16/20
0.89
21/25
0.70
Extra Jumbo
16/20
0.89
21/25
0.70
26/30
0.57
Jumbo
21/25
0.70
26/30
0.57
31/35
0.48
Extra Large
26/30
0.57
31/35
0.48
36/40
0.42
Large
31/35
0.48
36/40
0.42
41/50
0.35
Medium Large
36/40
0.42
41/50
0.35
51/60
0.29
Medium
41/50
0.35
51/60
0.29
61/70
0.24
Small
51/60
0.29
61/70
0.24
71/90
0.20
Extra Small
61/70
0.24
71/90
0.20
90/110
0.16
Extra Colossal
Colossal