• Definition:
  This catagory includes, for our use, domestic birds which are raised and bred for human consumption. For our use, this catagory includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, a nd occasionally wild pheasants. The nutritive value of chicken is similar to that of beef; rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals, but is generally more easily digestable than beef due to it's muscle fiber structure (short fibers). Poultry, and especially chicken, is a very versitile product and can be cut, prepared, and presented and in a variety of forms.

• Definition:
  For our purposes, ie., an introduction to the butchershop and the food service industry in general, seafood refers to all products, whether fresh, frozen, processed, or preserved which originated in fresh or salt waters. Seafood may classified into two general catagories;
  • FIN FISH (which is divided into two groups)
    Fresh Water fin fish
    Salt Water fin fish
    Crustacea; lobster/shrimp/crab/crayfish
    Mollusks; scallops/conch/oysters/clams
    

• Wholesomeness

You must be very vigilent when receiving fish. Do not be afraid to smell what you are checking. The fish itself should be with firm flesh, the eyes bright, clear and full. Eyes which are cloudy or sunken can indicate an old fish or one that was captured in a state of "trauma" which causes a negative change in the quality of the product. Look at the gills, or the "lungs" of the fish to see that they are bright looking, red not bleached pink in color and free of any type of slime buildup. The skin should appear shiny with strong colors, the scales firmly attached, and the fish's smell fresh with a faint aroma of the water.

Why we are selective
We do not accept all fresh fish offered to us for a variety of reasons. The obvious one is that the fish has not been handled properly and is not 100% fit for human consumption. Also, many colored fish such as a Parrot Fish are not acceptable to us because this is a kind of fish with many unknown factors. Therefore we stay with the fish we know and that the guests request.


• Handl ing and Storage

Seafoods are very delicate, and highly perishible. If received fresh they must be quickly refrigerated and kept well below 400F. Near freezing temperatures and a covering of crushed ice will greatly help to retain the product quality. Try to handle the fish as little as possible to avoid bruising it and try to prevent it from drying out even when it is properly refrigerated. This means wrap the fish or fillet with plastic film, or cover it with a layer of ice. Dehydration will quickly cause spoilage of seafood.

Freezing and Thawing
All seafoods must be prepared and readied for freezing.
Fish: should be filleted, or drawn and gutted, or scaled amd then well rinsed.
Shrimp: should also be well washed before freezing; remove heads from whole shrimp if to be frozen for more tham 6 weeks.
Whole lobster; should be frozen very quickly and completly to prevent the "ink" in the neck sac to leak down onto the tail meat; whole Caribbean lobsters do not really freeze well in the raw state, and it is better to convert them into lobster tails for long term storage.
Remember to keep the seafood well wrapped to prevent dehydration. Wrap first in plastic film and then with aluminum foil...don't forget to label your package once it is covered in foil.
Defrosting: If the frozen product is not defrosted properly, quality will suffer, and the freshness will be lost as bacterial decomposition sets in. The safest and best way to defrost frozen seafood is in the coldest spot of the refrigerator, for 24 hours. The second choice is to defrost under cold running water. Once completly defrosted do not refreeze the raw product.

Nutritional Value
Fish are very high in nutritive value and are a source of complete proteins. This protein is easily digested because the fish oils are highly polyunsaturated. Compared to beef, gram for gram fish contains more protein and less calories than beef, because the fat content is lower. Also fish provide high levels of vitamins and minerals, and are the best source for iodine. Shrimps are even more concentrated in their nutritive delivery, while containing very little fat, however, they are very high in cholesterol content.

• Fin Fish

Most of the fish we see here are of the salt water variety. They generally arrive fairly fresh, whole and gutted. This is called a Whole or Round fish; Fish can also come in other common ways: dressed, which is the whole fish eviscerated and scaled with the head and tail removed; filleted, which is the delivery of the fish sides cut lengthwise from the backbone; Steaks, which are cross-section slices of dressed fish. The most common fresh fish delivered here are:
• snapper/chillo
• grouper/mero
• tuna/atun
• dolphin/dorado
• seabass, snook/robalo
• pompano
• kingfish/carite
• yellowtail/colirubia
The above are the local fish,caught locally, delivered fresh.There are also fin fish which we import, and come in different forms. Some come fresh-frozen/whole:
• Dover Sole
• Fresh Norweigan Salmon-- Some come fresh-frozen/portion cut:
• Swordfish steaks-- Some come preserved/smoked
• Smoked Salmon
  
  
Shell Fish
The following list comprises the shell fish which we most often receive fresh and utilize here:
• Whole lobster
• lobster tail
• lobster tail
• conch meat
• river shrimps
• sweet water/farm shrimps
• clams
• oysters
• "langostinos"
The following is a list of shell fish which we import because of it's no n-availability or to maintain a reserve supply:
• Whole lobster
• scallops
• lobster tails/ graded by size
• sea shrimps/ raw and headless
• lobster tails/ graded by size
• crab meat
  
  
Fish Products
The following is a list of processed seafood products which we often use in the hotel:
• Whole lobster
• smoked salmon
• caviar (fish eggs or "roe" of certain fish)
• salt cod (bakala)
  
  

• Cleaning


Gutting
• With a sharp, long bladed knife, slit the entire belly from vent to head, taking care not to pierce the viscera. Remove the intestines and dispose. If interested, remove the roe carefully without breaking the membrane holding the eggs together.
Scaling
• Wash the fish and scale while wet. Hold head firmly and moving from tail end to head end, while holding the scraping tool almost vertical, scrape and remove all scales, especially around the fin and head areas. Remember to clean the area very throughly when you are finished to prevent loose scales from adhering to any fish fillets you may be processing.
  
  
Filleting

• Different fish require different filleting techniques, based on their shape/ round, flat, large or small. The general proceedure is to make an incision along the back-bone from head to tail and then go back to the head and make a diagonal cut behind the gills from the back-bone to the belly, then firmly grabing the head incision, insert your flexible filleting knife and laying it against the back bone push the knife away from you as you pull the the tail end towards you...this is a very rapid and efficient method and is known as the "Thailand" method. Flat fish are different as are large round fish such as tuna or swordfish..The specifics for filleting these fish will be shown to you in the butchershop/take note of the differences.
  
  
Boning

• Fish are boned because you are planning to stuff the fish of because the bones present a problem. Sometimes a fish is boned for ornamental purposes. The flounders such as Dover Sole are boned so as to present the fillets to the customer, or to allow the chef to make an unusual presentation. Fish such as snapper or trout are boned from the inside out, going in from the belly and snipping off the backbone at the tail end and just behind the head. When boning and stuffing large fish, don't forget to scale the fish first, then stuff it, and finish by sewing the belly closed to keep the farce inside the fish to absorb the fish's natural juices.
  
  
Other Cuts

• Steaks:
  This is especially good for use with the larger of the round fish like tuna, swordfish, carite, and salmon. Clean, wash and scale fish, and then portion mark the fish with cuts down to the back-bone. Then with the knife held against the backbone, tap the knife with a mallet to make a clean cut through the bone and then continue through the flesh on the other side.
  
  
Breading Techniques

• Because the butchershop prepares the hor's dourves, many items including seafood are processed into a breaded product here. Remember the technique is the same for all items, and so is the sequence. In it's simpilest term, breading means to coat something with breadcrumbs prior to frying. The object is to coat uniformly - if there are breaks in the coating the finished product is often split open where directly exposed to the hot oil.
  The same three items always constitute the breading process;
  • Bread flour
  • Wash
  • Breading agents
    • bread crumbs {fresh or toas ted}
    • corn meal
    • cracker meal
    • croissaint crumbs
    • oat meal
    • corn flakes
  The wash is the liquid part of the process. It can be all eggs, or eggs combined with milk or water or oil, the greater the egg content the greater the pasting or binding power of the wash. A ratio of 3 beaten eggs to one quart of milk is a good standard..remember to beat the eggs before adding the milk. The hotel pan makes a very good utensil for carrying out the breading proceedure.
  Procedure:
  Below is a typical worktable set-up for a production situation of a breading project. Try to always keep one hand working with the dry products and the other hand working with the wash pan, that way your hands will remain useful, and not get "breaded" up. In a situation where you will be doing a large amount of breading, more than one person on the "line" helps tremendously.
  Sequence
  • prepare your product to be processed
  • pass into flour pan/shake off excess flour
  • pass into wash pan and coat completly
  • remove from wash and drain off excess liquid
  • transfer to breading agent and coat well, if desired you can hand press the agent for better adhesion.
  • remove from breading and shake off excess crumbs.
  • lay out finished product on a clean sheet pan with a pan liner. Your product is now ready to refrigerate or freeze, or fry.
  
  Misc. Info:
  Try not to bread too far in advance unless you plan to freeze the product. Your breaded product will sweat and become soggy if done too far in advance, and might require a second breading which often looses the items flavor under the thick coat of breading. Keep your materials clean and sift your flour and breading agents as they appear lumpy/ also strain your wash or make it small batches and keep remaking. Do not squeeze your finished product onto the holding pan, and if putting more than one layer on the sheet pan, separate them with a pan liner paper. Seafood is usually best done to order, but if doing in advance, make sure to freeze...this is because of the high water content in seafood which will tend to turn the product soggy. Remember do not crowd the holding pan.
  
  
  

• WHOLE CARIBBEAN LOBSTER


General
• This is a difficult item to work with for a number of reasons, which helps contribute to it's high cost. The local lobster dies almost immediately after removal from the water. The flesh of dead lobsters tend to be very flaky when cooked and comes apart. Also, the "ink" sac located behind the head begins to degenerate upon death, and if ruptured will stain the tail meat and give it a dark, unappetizing color when cooked. If to be frozen, very "deep" and cold temperatures are necessary to prevent the staining of the tail meat. During their yearly "moulting" period when lobsters shed their hard shells and begin to grow the new hard one they become extremly perishable. During this period, lobsters which appear to be just fine will turn to mush when properly cooked.The lobster is full of spiny, dangerous protrusions which will easily cut you, and because the lobster is not the cleanest of animals, the possibility of infection setting in is very real, so if you get a cut from the lobster, make sure you attend to it quickly.
To Split:
• Lay the lobster on it's belly, flatten slightly with palm of hand and then, using a large, sharp knife split the tail first, from behind the head down through the tail fan. Then split the head working from the back of the head (nearest the tail junction) towards the antenea. In this way, the tail meat will stay clean and white because the knife blade is clean and has not been dirtied from splitting the head. Rinse the head sac under cold running water, and you have a half whole lobster.
To Remove Head::
• With a rag in ea ch hand, first grab the head firmly, and then the tail. Next, holding the head in place, give the tail a continious twist while at the same time pulling it away from the head, whic is being rotated in the opposite direction that the tail is. Remember that the head is used in the kitchen to make sauce and soup, so take care that not all of them are thrown out.


LOBSTER TAIL

General
• This item is, from a production standpoint much more preferable. It requires less space, is much more quickly defrosted, can easily be sized and sorted, and the danger of "staining " of the tail meat ceases to exist as the "ink " sac has been removed.
To Split:
• This is better split starting at the tail end and finishing at the fatter head end. Like the whole lobster the tail may be fully slit or only partially depending on how we will use them.
Medallions/ Meat:
• Remove the tail meat intact, from the shell, and then using the portion scale, cut and weigh out your lobster meat. The best way to cut the raw meat is across the grain, ie., the head to tail direction.
Oriental Fan Cut:
• leaving the meat attached to the tail fan, remove, ( by partially splitting), the shell, then make partial cross incisions across the grain and then carefully and gently flaten the tail meat. The tail is ready for breading, grilling or batter frying.


SHRIMP

General
• We have available here both fresh water and salt water shrimps; head-on and headless.
  
  SHRIMP SIZE CHART
  Generally recognized size names
  
  
  Salt Water:
  • These are imported, come frozen and headless, and are graded by size. The size indicates the average number of shrimp per pound. Each box has it's size indicated, the smaller the size number, the larger the shrimp, and therefore, the fewer shrimps per pound. The larger the size number, the smaller the shrimp, and the greater number of shrimps per pound. The texture of these shrimp are firmer than the fresh water shrimp.
  Fresh Water:
  • The best of these come from the saline waters of the river estuaries, and are called "River Shrimps". Like their cousins, the farmed fresh water shrimps, their meat is much softer than the ocean shrimps. Both these fresh water varieties come whole with their heads attached. The larger of then farmed types come with elongated claws. Unlike the headless salt water variety, these shrimps do not really come well sized, and vary only as large, medium, small.
  Preparations:
  • peeling / tail on
  • peeling / tail off
  • deveining
  • butterfly


CONCH

General
• An ocean "snail", with a flavor somewhere between abalone and clam. The meat being very rubbery and tough textured needs to be exposed to some form of tenderizing. The most common forms of tenderizing are
  • slice thinly, then pound with a mallet
  • marinate in lime juice and/or vinegar
  • grind
  Most of the conch which we use here is received in the cleaned form, called "fillet" of conch. Examine the "foot" well to make sure all of the hard black foot and the curled tip have been removed.
Preparations:
• Most of the conch used here is ground for croquettes, or sliced and diced to marinated for conch salad


• SQUID


General
• This is a member of the mollusk family, whose feet grow right out of their head. A very versatile and inexpensive seafood product that can be prepared in many forms, hot and cold.
Cleaning/Dressing:
• Most of the squid we purchase comes cleaned and frozen, with the head, tentacles and body sac (mantle). All these parts are edible, but it is the sac which we mainly work with. Before stuffing, cutting into rings, or into pieces, check to make sure it is fully cleaned of any outside brown or grey skin, and that all the elastic "quills" that may be still inbeded have been removed.If you should have to clean a whole, fresh squid, here is the procedure
  • Cut off feet just behind the eyes
  • Gently squeeze out the ink beak located near this cut; this ink can be save to make a sauce, etc.
  • Feel inside the body sac for the pen, grasp firmly and remove with a pull. All attached viscera should come out with it, if not, remove them piece by piece.
  • Pull off any skin attached to the body sac, and wash well.


OCTOPUS

General
• This delicacy of the deep sea has 8 tentacles, lined with suction cups that help it to capture shell fish wish is it's major diet. They are without any protective outer shell, so are really very vunerable.
Cleaning/Dressing:
• Like squid, most of all the octopus we use comes frozen and cleaned. However if you should have to clean the fresh item the folowing is the procedure.
  • Lay it flat with the tentecale spread out and extended.
  • Cut the body sac down the center to expose the cuttlebone or the "celluloid" and pull this out and discard.
  • Now, you need to turn the octopus inside out like a glove, being careful not to break the ink sac, and discard all internal organs, including ink sac.
  Tenderizing:
  • By pounding a few times or dipping twice into boiling water for ten seconds each time, then simmer for one hour in a covered pot.

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