Fish Cutting Method

Cutting Method Knowledge: Fish Cutting

What is Fish Cutting?

• Knowledge types of fish cutting commonly used in Culinary
• Practice how to fillet or cut into parts or types of fish cutting.

Fish Cutting

Read: Types of Knives

What is the purpose of learning the cutting method?

• Making standard purchase specification
• Making menu planning easier
• Making the recipes with more detailed ingredients
• Making the appropriate cooking method
• Controlling food costs
• Calculating the number of manpower for operations in the kitchen more accurate

Types of Fish Cutting

Filet

• A filet is a cut that removes the skin and bones and is sliced parallel to the spine. 
• A filet is one of the more common cuts of fish because it is easy to eat.

Fillet

Read: Beef Cutting

Steak or Darne

• A steak or darne cut is a thick, cross-section cut around the fish, perpendicular to the spine. 
• Thickness from 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
• Darne cuts are skinned and scaled or just scaled such as salmon steaks usually retain the skin.

Steak or Darne

Read: Types of Knives

Tronçon 

• This is a steak-cut (bone-in) from a flatfish such as a flounder, halibut, sole, or turbot. In the US these are called a Steak cut.

Troncon

Read: Chicken Cutting

Supreme or Pavé

• A supreme cut is a slice of fish cut from a filet which is considered the best and choicest cut of fish. 
• All bones in supreme cut must be removed

Supreme or Pave

Read: Knife Knowledge

Butterfly or Cutlet

• A butterfly or cutlet begins with a filet. 
• One side of the fish is sliced from behind the head, around the belly, and tapered toward the tail. 
• The process is repeated on the other side of the fish, producing a connected or double filet
• Two kinds of Butterfly cut, with boneless (fillet) or bone-in.

Butterfly (boneless)

Butterfly (bone-in)

Read: How to Make Beurre Blanc

Pocket Cut or Canoe Cut

Pocket Cut or Canoe Cut

Read: Mother Sauces

Dressed or Pan-Dressed

• Upon request, most markets will dress a whole fish, free of charge.
• Dressed fish is scaled, all internal organs, removed 
• Pan Dressed is  scaled, all internal organs, fins, tails, and head removed

Dressed Fish

Pan Dressed Fish

Read: Clear Soup

Whole Fish  

• Whole head-on with viscera (guts), tail, everything intact.

Whole Fish

Read: Vegetable Cutting

H & G Fish 

• Headed & Gutted: Whole, head-off, gutted

H & G Cut

Read: Pasta Shapes

Bullets or Rounds 

• H&G with fins and tail removed.

Bullet/ Round

Read: Lamb Cutting

Top Back Loin 

• Taken from larger fish like Tuna, Swordfish, etc,
• This is the back loin without the belly portion. No bones.

Top Loin

Read: 2 Types of Poaching Method

Fletch 

•  A Fletch is part of a large Fillet from a large flatfish such as halibut or turbot
•  It can be half, quarter, or less of the full fillet.

Fletch

Read: Proper Deep Frying Method

Paupiette 

•  A paupiette is a fillet that is stuffed and rolled

Paupiette

Read: Benefits of Steaming Method

Delice 

• Delice is a fillet that is neatly stuffed and folded.

Delice

Read: Pan Frying Technique

Goujons 

•  Strips 2" x ¼" from the fillets of small fish such as sole or plaice.

Goujon

Read: Food Plating

En Tresse 

•  A braided or platted fillet

.

En Tresse

Read: Food Plating Tools

Indicator of Freshness

• Smell: Should be clear of off-odors
• Eyes: Clear and bulging, sunken eyes denote lack of freshness
• Gills: Bright red, as freshness decreases, the gills go brown
• Texture (Flesh): Should be firm, when pressed, the flesh should return to original shape
• Fins and Scales: Should be moist, not dried out, scales should not rub off easily

 

 

Cooking Doneness

• To check the fish for doneness, use the tip of a sharp knife and cut through the thickest part of the fillet.
• If the fish has been properly cooked, the meat will appear opaque but will still, be moist.

 

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