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Post by ogeezer on Jun 12, 2007 7:19:46 GMT -6
This thread could go in the Recipe section BUT since its about fish --
Here's some descriptions of the most common methods for dressing fish for a particular meal or special recipe:
Whole fish or “in the round:” This is fish purchased whole just as it comes from the water before it is gutted and scaled.
Drawn: This term applies to fish that have their entrails removed, with the head, fins, and scales left intact. This is a great way to buy fish if you are making fish stock or planning a classic presentation with the head and tail left on when the fish is served.
Dressed or pan-dressed: This is fish that has been eviscerated and scaled, with the head, fins, and tail removed.
Fillet: The sides of the fish taken lengthwise away from the backbone. Fillets are usually boneless, and they are sold with or without the skin attached.
Split fish or halved fish: A whole pan-dressed fish cut open flat like a pancake on the ventral side of the back bone. The bones may or may not be removed. If the bones are removed, the cut is sold as a block fillet.
Steaks: These are cross-cut slices taken from a large drawn or dressed fish cut ½- to 1½-inches thick. Halibut, swordfish, salmon, and tuna are most frequently sold in steak form.
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Post by ~WineMe~DineMe~69 on Jun 12, 2007 14:13:02 GMT -6
i prefer them dressed in cornmeal
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Post by ogeezer on Jun 14, 2007 7:49:51 GMT -6
we prefer a less gritty coating of pancake batter with spices added for flavoring
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Post by ~WineMe~DineMe~69 on Jun 14, 2007 20:22:31 GMT -6
i can't say that i remember ever having it prepaired that way
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Post by ogeezer on Jun 15, 2007 13:45:57 GMT -6
if that doesn't appeal to ya, try using a biscuit mix. At our house, we will sometimes use a biscuit mix with jalapeno bits to give it some Zing
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Post by ~WineMe~DineMe~69 on Jun 15, 2007 21:02:46 GMT -6
that would be a nice way to change it up a little or spice it up
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Post by ogeezer on Jun 17, 2007 6:18:20 GMT -6
Recognizing fresh fish in the store or market. If it is frozen, how do you tell that it has been handled properly by the packer and the retailer?
Fresh fish, from the creel or from the market, should have firm and elastic flesh, clear and full eyes, bright red gills, a clean pleasant odor, and an absence of reddish discoloration on the ventral side of the backbone, that is, the side of the backbone that’s on the inside of the fish.
Cloudy, sunken eyes, and gray colored gills are the first recognizable signs of old, decaying fish. When the head, gills, and backbone are gone, rely on your sense of smell and touch.
If you come across fresh fish that is prepackaged, as it often is in supermarkets, don’t buy it until you are sure that it is fresh.
When buying frozen fish, look for packages that are frozen solid with no air space between the fish and the packaging. The flesh of frozen fish should be glossy and free of all signs of freezer burn, which causes discoloration and dryness.
Freezer burn is caused when water molecules in the form of ice crystals form on the surface of food left exposed to the dry atmosphere of the freezer. Through a process called sublimination, these solid ice crystals transform into a gas inside the freezer, leaving a patch of dried tissue on the surface of the food. Sublimination is the equivalent of high temperature liquid evaporation, but at low temperature.
FREEZING FISH
If you must freeze fresh fish, freeze it immediately unless it is going to be eaten within 24 hours. Since air infiltration and water loss are the culprits of freezer burn, select packaging that is air and water-impermeable. Plastic wrap or bags that indicate on the package that they are manufactured for freezing, as well as heavy gauge aluminum foil, are excellent freezer packaging materials.
Air cannot penetrate ice, so fish frozen in a solid block of ice will be well protected. My favorite method for freezing whole fish is to coat them individually in an ice glaze. The fish are first frozen without wrapping, then dipped in ice water and frozen again. This process is repeated, usually three times or until about 1/8-inch of ice builds up. The fish is then tightly wrapped in heavy-gauge aluminum foil and placed in freezer bags for storage. I find that freezing promotes oxidation of the unsaturated fats in some fish, causing a variety of off flavors. For this reason I never freeze striped bass, king fish, tuna or mackerel, due to their high oil content.
Never thaw frozen fish at room temperature. Bacteria flourishes at room temperature and can cause everything from off flavors to outright spoilage.
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