Les Poisson's Fish

Poisson de mer - sea
Poisson de rivere - river
Poisson de lac - lake
Poisson de ferme - farmed
Certain fishes e.g. Salmon. Now the salmon farming has become so intensive wild salmon is now termedas, e.g. Salmon sausage.

Types of fish
- Pegalics - fish that live close to the surface, road, in shoats, e.g. mackerel, sprats, herring, sardine, cheaper variety.
- Dermesals - round or flat, these live either on the sea bed or just about those are usually of the larger and round, e.g. cod, haddock, whiting.
Flat fish live on the sea bed, usually individually, so therefore are difficult to catch, e.g. turbot, brill, skate, place halibut.

Cost of fish varies enormously - dependent on weather, demand supply and season, from as little as 60p/450g mackerel, sardine to £3.50 - £5.50/450g halibut, doversole, tounbot.
Normal practice is wholesaler purchases from quayside. Sends to market where perspective buyers purchase and take from market or have delivered.
High street fishmongers are another outlet for purchasing and are called vet & dry fishmonger. Wet - sale of fresh fish. Dry - sale of cured, salted and/or smoked fish.

Classification of fish
1. White - apertaing to the flesh, e.g. sole, tourbot, haddock, cod.
2. Oily - oily type flesh, e.g. herring, mackerel, salmon
Usually classification determines the method of cooking - normally one does not, deep fry oily fleshed fish.

Storing of fish
If deep frozen: check no previous freezer burn, completely immersed in its frozen covering & packaging, deep frozen in rotation at -18oC.
Fresh storage on perforated trays, with crushed ice at 2oC.
Purchasing fresh or frozen:
Whole with head ready crumbed
Whole without head er, papilotte
Fillets, ¼ large cuts, cross small cuts, flat fish, troncons, darms, skinned, alive.

Preparation of whole fish
Approx wastage of a round fish 50%
Approx wastage of a flat fish 40%
Types of fish that can be skinned before filleting:
i.e. dover sole (tail to head), anguille Eel alive (head to tail), whiting (head to tail)

Cuts of fish
Le fillet, off the bone la poupiette, a fillet, rolled maybe stuffed
Le delice, folded fillet la supreme, large cut fillet
En gougon, 3 in. long ¼ - ½ wide en tourbane, lined in Saveran Mould & Mousse
En colene, in rage or temper la darme, cut of round
En tresse, a fillet split many times, cooked la ironcon, cut of flat fish
a la francaiso (bush like) l'escalope, slice from supreme (thin).

Practical mise en place for kitchen

Filleting of lemon sole for meanere
Preparation of slip sole for whole poaching - 8-10oz per portion
Preparation in the English style - a Anglaise
Preparation in the French style - a la Francaise
Lemons for Meaniero & Doria.
English style head removed, blood pocket cleaned or removed.
French style as above head intact, with eyes and gills removed and U incisions made to remove gut area.

CHEF POISSONIER

Fillets DE limaude Greuobloise
Fillets DE lumaude Doria
Pete Douvre Sole Veronique - fond plat method.

Meuuier - Miller
Menniere - Millers Wide
A la - in the style of
Poele au Poisson - fish frying pan
Plat au Possison - fish dish

The cooking of small whole fish e.g. Trout, Red Mullet, fillets and other cuts of larger fish by the shallow frying method.
The frying medium is a combination of oil & clarified butter. The oil is used for higher temperature, the butter is for flavour and colouring properties. The fish after preparation & cisoling would be seasoned and passed through flour. Shallow fried in the medium until golden brown, served immediately, with just the addition of a segment or ½ a lemon. This style is called Dore. It is with the addition of lemon juice and chopped parsley and Burre Noisette which completes the dish Meuniere.

The following are for whole sole dishes A la Meuniere, Escoffien

1. Aux Auberyines - surrounded with slices of egg plant ¼ in. thick seasoned/flavoured, fried in clarified butter, at the last moment (tend to go soft) finish chopped parsley & Burre Noisette.
2. Aux Ceps - Garnish with ceps which have been fried in butter, keeping slightly crisp and brown. Finish chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
3. Aux Champignons - arrange thick slices of sautéed mushrooms on top. Finish chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
4. A la Doria - at the end of each fish place a bouquet of pieces of cucumber, which have been turned olive shape and cooked in butter with a little sugar and salt. Finish with chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
5. Espanguole - dressed on tomatoes cooked in oil, garnished with fried onions and jullien of capsicums. Chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
6. Hotelere - dressed on Mutre D' Hotel butter, mixed with Duxelles, boarded with roundels of lemon. Finish chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
7. Aux Morrels - surrounded with fresh morels, sautéed in butter at the last moment. Finish with chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
8. A l' Orange - arrange a line of orange segments on top. Finish with chopped parsley and Burre Noisette
9. A la Provercale - place slices of tomato sautéed on top, together with fillets of anchovy, arranged trallace fashion, & stoned olives. Finish with chopped parsley and Burre Noisette.
10. Aux Raisins - sprinkle chopped parsley, Burre noisette, surround with peeled & de pipped & well dulled Muscadat grapes.
Note: Escoffier sprinkles with coarsely chopped parsley. Finally it is coated with Burre Noisette & served immediately so that the bubbling produced by the contact of the hot butter on the moist parsley.

The following are for fillet sole a la Muniere
1. Belle Meuniere - ½ small blanched tomato, soft hearing roe, one button mushroom, cooked in butter and arranged on fillets. Finish with Burre Noisette and chopped parsley.
2. Bretonne - cooked prawns and mushrooms, sliced sautéed in butter, sprinkles over fillets. Finish with Burre Noisette and chopped parsley.
3. Cleopatre - prawns and soft hearings Roe per fillet, capers, cooked in butter, arranged on filets before finishing with Burre Noisette and chopped parsley.
4. Gneuobloise - 3-4 segments of pealed lemon per portion, sprinkled with few capers in Burre Noisette over fish finish with chopped parsley.
5. Louisiane - garnish pondels of cooked banana & dice of red pimento on each fillet. Coat with Mineure butter mixed with dice of pimento.
6. Minute - cooked in butter served with the butter, pored over the fillets with chopped parsley.
7. Mirabeau - cooked in anchovy butter, decorated with anchovy fillets & tarragon leaves.

Trout dishes a la Meuniere

Aux Amandes
Cretonne
Doria
Cleopatre
Gneuobloise
Vauclusinne, as Menuiere oil instead of butter.

Goujons of Sole a la Menuiere
Clara Wart, Celeriac & Artichoke bottoms
Murat, Artichoke bottoms and Potatoes
Veronique, Patron St Vinegard workers (Green peeled grapes)

The most unusual fish are -
1. White fish, e.g. cod, hake, plaice, sole, whitting, in which the fat is in the liver.
2. Oily fish, e.g. herring, mackerel, salmon, pilchard, in which a large amount of fat id distributed throughout the body.

Choice of Fish
1. Fish should be perfectly fresh. If there is any suspicion of staleness, fish should not be used.
a. Oily and fresh water fish deteriorate rapidly.
b. Whitebait, Mackerel and shellfish decompose rapidly.
2. Fish should have a pleasant odour.
3. The flesh should be firm and the body stiff.
4. The gills should be red and the eyes bright and not sunken.
5. The scales should be plentiful.
6. The dark skin of flat fish should not be dry and wrinkled.
7. The spots of plaice should be bright red.

Preparation
1. For flat fish, make a small cut across (just under the gills) on the dark side of the fish and draw out the contents.
2. For round fish, cut open from the head halfway to the tail on the underside, remove the entrails and clean.
3. The roe of small fish is replaced and cooked with the fish ; that of larger fish is usually cooked separately.
4. After emptying the fish, remove and black skin or blood by rubbing with a little salt.
5. Remove the fins.
6. Scrape off the scales with a sharp knife, working from the tail to the head.
7. Wash the fins thoroughly and dry.
To Skin Flat Fish
1. Cut off the fins.
2. Place fish on a board with the tail nearest to you and with the dark side uppermost.
3. Cut the skin across about ½ in. above the tail.
4. Raise the skin with the thumb, loosen it round the edge of the fish near the fins on both sides.
5. Hold the fish firmly by the tail with the left hand, and after dipping the right hand fingers in salt, draw the loosened skin off sharply from tail to head.

To Skin Round Fish
1. Cut off the fins.
2. Insert the fingers under the skin close to the head.
3. Ease the skin and then remove it, working from head to tail.

To Fillet Plaice
1. Fillet before skinning.
2. Use a filleting knife or sharp pointed knife.
3. Place the fish and the board with the tail nearest to you and cut through the flesh by the backbone from head to tail.
4. Starting at the left hand side, hold the blade of the knife flat against the bones and life the fish carefully.
5. Press the knife close to the bone and work quickly from head to tail, removing the flesh in one piece.
6. Repeat on both sides.

To Skin a Fillet
1. Lay the fillet, skin downwards on the board.
2. Salt the fingers and press the knife between the skin and the fish.
3. With a light, sawing movement, continue working away from you with the right hand and drawing the skin through the fingers of the left hand.

METHODS OF COOKING FISH

Boiling
1. Have ready a saucepan or fish kettle with just sufficient water to cover the fish.
2. Bring the water just to the boil.
3. Place the fish on the drainer in a fish kettle or in a cloth on a plate in a saucepan. Tie up loosely ; this enables the fish to be lifted out without breaking it.
4. Add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. vinegar to each litre of water.
5. Simmer gently until the flesh of the fish begins to leave the bone.
6. Allow 10 mins. to each 450g and 10 mins. over.
7. Drain the fish, remove skin and serve on a table napkin on a hot dish.
8. Garnish with lemon and parsley, and serve on a suitable sauce.

Note: Once the fish is put in, the water must simmer only, or the fish will be broken.

Salmon
1. Omit the vinegar.
2. Allow 15 mins each 450g and 15 mins. over.

Salt Fish
1. Soak for 12 hours, (approx). Change the water once or twice.
2. Put in cold water and bring to the boil and then simmer slowly until tender.
3. Omit the salt.

Fish suitable for boiling
Cod, hake, halibut, haddock, mackerel, salmon, salt fish, turbot.

Steaming

Steaming is preferable to boiling because the fish is less apt to break and all the goodness is retained.

1. For fillets, place the fish on a greased plate and cover with a plate or basin.
2. Stand over a pan of boiling water.
3. Cook 20-30 mins.

For larger pieces
1. Place in the upper part of a double steamer or fish kettle.
2. Keep the water in the lower pan at boiling point.
3. Allow 15 mins to 450g and 15 mins over.
4. Drain the fish well and serve on a folded table napkin on a hot dish.
5. Serve with parsley, anchovy or egg sauce.
6. Garnish with parsley and lemon.

Fish suitable for steaming
Cod, hake, halibut, haddock, mackerel, plaice, salmon, salt fish, sole and turbot.

Stewing
1. Prepare the fish, skin and fillet it.
2. Make stock from the bones and skin.
3. Sprinkle the fillets with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
4. Roll up the fillets from head to tail with the skinned side inside.
5. Stew in the stock very gently for about 20 mins.
6. Place the fillets on a hot dish.
7. Thicken the stock and make into a white sauce.
8. Season sauce carefully and add a few drops of lemon juice and pour carefully over the fillets.
9. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

Fish suitable for stewing
Haddock, plaice, whiting, fillets or any white fish or pieces of cod.

Baking

Method 1 : Simple Baking
1. Use medium sized flat fish, small whole fish, cutlets or fillets.
2. Prepare the fish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
3.
a. Melt some dripping in a baking tin or fireproof dish and put in the whole fish or thick slices and baste from time to time.
b. Put small fillets on a buttered tin or dish and sprinkle with margarine.
c. Cover small fillets, and fish of delicate texture, with a greased paper.
4. Bake in a moderately hot oven.
a. Whole fish and thick slices 20-30 mins.
b. Fillets 10-15 mins.
5. Drain fish which has been basted. Serve other fish with a savoury sauce, such as Anchovy or tomato.

Method 2 : Baked Stuffed Fish
To each 450g of fish use about 2 tblspn. Veal stuffing.
1. Method for round fish, e.g. Whiting, haddock.
a. Fill the cavity with stuffing. Sew up with needle and thread, making long stitches and leaving ends to draw out easily.
b. Truss with a long skewer from the tail to the head, making an S shape.
2. Method for Plaice
a. Clean fish, remove head, fins, etc.
b. Cut down close to the centre bone. Raise the flesh on either side with a knife for about an inch, forming a pocket, and fill with the stuffing.
3. Method for Fillets
a. Spread the forcemeat on the side from which the skin has been removed.
b. Roll from head to tail.

4. Method for Stuffing a Steak
a. If a middle cut, place the stuffing near the bone and cover with the flaps and tie up loosely.
b. If a smaller cut, place the stuffing on the top.

Method 3 : Fish au gratin
1. Prepare the fish (see 2) and spread with the following mixture.

2 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. chopped onion or shallot
2 tsp. chopped mushroom
1 tsp. lemon juice
A few dabs margarine.
2. Place in a fireproof or :gratin" dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs
3. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 20 mins.
4. Serve with a savoury sauce.

Fish suitable for baking
White fish (small whole fish, fillets and slices), herrings.

Grilling

Method
1. If whole fish, remove head and tail, split open and remove backbone.
2. Fillets should be 1 in. to 1 ½ ins in thickness.
3. Follow directions for grilled meat.
4. Brush over with melted fat or oil. Use oil for salmon.

Fish suitable for grilling
Small whole fish - herrings, mackerel, kippers.
Slices of fish - cod, hake, salmon, etc.

Frying
Fish may be fried by deep or shallow frying. Deep frying is more suitable for small whole fish, fillets and small pieces of fish. Shallow frying is more suitable for thicker slices of fish which require longer cooking.

Preparation
1. Clean, wash and dry the fish thoroughly.
2. Season with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice.
3. Coat to prevent the fat from soaking into the fish and also to protect it from the heat of the fat.

Coatings
a. Seasoned flour
1 tblspn. Flour or fine oatmeal, ½ tsp. salt, ? tsp. pepper.
b. batter.
c. Egg and crumbs
1. Breadcrumbs must be fine and dry - scraps of bread dried, crushed and sieved may be used.
2. Beat the egg very lightly, add a little water or milk if necessary, and put on to a plate.
3. Place the crumbs on a piece of clean kitchen paper.
4. Place the fish, one at a time, into the beaten egg and brush over quickly.
5. Lift out with a broad bladed knife and drain off any superfluous egg.
6. Place the fillet in the centre of the crumbs, and holding the ends of the paper, draw it up so that the fish becomes coated evenly all over.
7. Toss very lightly in the fingers to remove superfluous crumbs.

Points in Frying Fish
1. Use the fat at the correct temperature, i.e. when the blue fume rises.
2. Fry a few pieces at a time.
3. Use a frying basket for deep fat frying except when the fish is coated with batter.
4. In shallow frying, have the fat about halfway up the fish.
5. Make the fat hot again before putting in more fish.
6. Drain thoroughly and serve very hot.

Fish suitable for Frying
All varieties of fish (except shell fish).

Poaching
1. Grease a frying pan and fill two thirds of the way up with water.
2. Bring just to the boiling point and ass a tsp. lemon juice or vinegar and a tsp. of salt (except for salt fish).
3. Place the fish in the pan and cover with a piece of greased paper.
4. Cook gently for 20 -30 mins for thick slices, 5-6 mins for fillets.
5. Drain well. Serve and garnish with lemon and parsley.

Fish suitable for poaching
Haddock, halibut, kippers, salmon, turbot.

Soused Herrings
2 Herrings 150ml Water 2 Peppercorns
½ tsp salt 150 mls vinegar 1 bay leaf, 1 clove, 1 blade of mace.

1. Prepare the herrings and bone them. Loosen the backbone by pressing all along it with the finger and thumb and lift out.
2. Roll up from head to tail and tie lightly with string.
3. Place in a pie dish with the flavourings and seasonings.
4. Cover with vinegar and water and place a greased paper on top.
5. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 45 mins.
6. Remove string and serve fish with a little of the liquor strained over.
7. Garnish with parsley.

Fish Mould
225g fish (uncooked) 300ml Milk
50g breadcrumbs 1 egg
1 dessertspn. Chopped parsley ½ tsp. salt
50g Margarine pinch pepper.

1. Flake the fish, removing skin and bones.
2. Mix together the fish breadcrumbs, parsley and seasoning.
3. Melt the margarine in the milk, pour over the beaten egg, and mix with the fish, etc.
4. Pour into a greased basin and cover with greased paper.
5. Steam ¾ - 1 hr.
Serve with white or parsley sauce.