Page 17 - foodservice magazine September 2019

SEAFOOD
17
The shoulder fillet remaining is a clean piece of boneless meat, has a lower fat content and a higher tolerance for pan searing than the belly, but doesn’t have the same unctuous mouth feel in the raw preparations.
The tail portion, which remains from the dissection of the belly and the
The wings or “collars” of the fish are another high-fat, delicious cut, ideal for marinating and deep frying. The high fat content allows the use of strong flavours – hence why the collars are popular in Singaporean and Japanese curries. Applying the same philosophy to a fish wing as you would a chicken wing is a simple, interesting, affordable seafood addition to your menu.
Importantly, this “paillard” cut is ideally suited to quick-service operations where the preparation time is minimised by applying a “sear one side, sear the other side and serve” approach.
Cutlets also offer great return. The bone left in the centre of the fish is no more difficult to negotiate at the table than the bone of a lamb shank or the wing bone of a duck. The cutlets will retain moisture far better than a skinless, boneless portion.
It is not always practical to be butchering your own fish in-house, but some knowledge of various parts of the fish, along with some creative dish design in consultation with your fishmonger, will provide great returns.
Premium, high-quality fish doesn’t have to mean “expensive” – I would rather eat
a fish-head curry made from a fish caught in peak condition and handled with care by both catcher and cook, than a skinless, boneless chunk of an inferior seafood.
As the times get tough, think before you sink, and use the whole beast.
“I would rather eat a fish-head curry made from a fish caught in peak condition and handled with care by both catcher and cook, than a skinless, boneless chunk of an inferior seafood.”
shoulder, while much maligned as a cut, is the sleeper in the value stakes. The tail of a fish is the hardest working muscle and, like the rump of a steer, is arguably the most complex in flavour. The tail is lean, and must be treated with care to deliver the best eating. Preparations that ensure maximum retention of the muscle fat
are best suited to the tail, like tempura, poaching, low-heat pan-frying.
But if you still need those centre cuts, understanding basic fish physiology can increase your yield.
In kingfish, rather than cutting a portion straight across the fillet, cut an angled two to three-centimetre thick slice through the fillet. Then, not only will the 140- to 160-gram portion have a larger surface area (thus giving a more expansive and generous plate presence), it will deliver 18 premium portions.