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 Cut
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.

Fish Fillet
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.

Fish Steak
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
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
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 Cut
Butterfly (boneless)

Butterfly cut
Butterfly (bone-in)

Pocket Cut or Canoe Cut

Pocket 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
Dressed Fish


Pan Dressed Fish
Pan Dressed Fish

Read: Clear Soup







Whole Fish  

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


Whole Fish
Whole Fish
Read: Vegetable Cutting




H & G Fish 

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

H & G Cut
H & G Cut
Read: Pasta Shapes



Bullets or Rounds 

  • H&G with fins and tail removed.

Bullet Cut
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 Cut
Top Loin




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
Fletch
Read: Proper Deep Frying Method




Paupiette 

  •  A paupiette is a fillet that is stuffed and rolled
Paupiette
Paupiette



Delice 

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

Read: Pan Frying Technique



Goujons 


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



En Tresse 

  •  A braided or platted fillet
.
En Tresse
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.

 

Filleting Round Fish



Boning-out Round Fish



Filleting Flat Fish





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