Day 8: Fishy Fish

I finally have a camera phone so I will add as many pictures as I can!

Today was the start of lesson 2: Fish, Poultry, and Meat Fabrication. To begin we learned about the fat content in different types of fish. Most fish are very low in fat but there is a range from 2% fat all the way up to 12% fat content depending on the fish you eat. For example Salmon has a higher level of fat, which is usually paired with a stronger taste and smell.

We were given a flat belly fish (eyes are on top and they swim with their stomach to the ground) to fillet. We used a fillet knife which is a very flexible thin knife. We began by chopping off the head (it is 8:15AM to give you some context) and cleaning out what we so eloquently call the guts. Then we filleted the fish removing the meat from the skin and bones. I was having a tough time getting close to the bones so my fillets were a little jagged. Next up we filleted a round belly fish-see below. This was a lot easier to cut but had a lot more guts, good thing it was 9AM at this point.

bye bye fishy 

Once all 3 of our fish were fabricated we learned how to make fish stock. Stocks are made by cooking fish or meat bones with vegetables and spices. In this case we made a Fumet which means their was wine added as well. Stocks are used to add flavor and moisture when cooking. We can add stock as a base to cook other food instead of plain water. This will give whatever the item is more flavor. We completed the stock, strained the liquid, and put the soup container over an ice bath to bring it to a safe temperature. Tomorrow we will be using the stock to prepare something with shellfish. To end my day I am washing my uniform that smells a bit too fishy.