Chapter 15
accompaniments,
Cooking Fish and Shellfish
Baking
Whole fish and fish portions may be cooked
by baking in an oven, though steaks, fillets,
and smaller whole fish are more often used
for this method.
• Shellfish and stuffed clams or oysters
are also popularly prepared by
baking.
• Baking is often combined with other
cooking methods to either start or
finish cooking.
• Moist baking or braising:
• The baking pan should be
just large enough to hold the
fish.
• The bottom of the pan should
be buttered or oiled.
• The fish may be baked
uncovered or covered only
lightly.
• The liquid should be strained,
degreased, reduced, and
finished.
Broiling and Grilling
Broiled and grilled seafood items are
increasingly popular.
• Customers perceive them as
simpler and more
healthful.
• By varying sauces, vegetable
and garnishes,
you can offer a great
assortment
of grilled fish on
the menu.
• A slightly crisped, browned, or grill-
marked surface is important to the
appeal of grilled or broiled fish.
• Do not cover the item with
sauce.
Do not serve too much sauce.
Sautéing and Pan-Frying
• A classic method for sautéing fish is
called à la Meunière.
• Other sautéed fish preparations may
call for Standard Breading
Procedure.
• Because most types of fin fish are so
delicate, especially if filleted, they do
not lend themselves to a great many
sautéing variations.
• Firm shellfish, like shrimp
and scallops, are easy to
sauté, and there is a greater
variety of recipes for them.
Deep-Frying
Deep-frying is perhaps the most popular
method of preparing fish in North America.
• Lean fish and shellfish such as
shrimp, clams, oysters, and scallops
are best for deep-frying.
 • Fish to be fried is breaded or battered
to protect it from the frying fat and to
protect the frying fat from it.
• Breading or batter provides a
crisp, flavorful, and attractive
coating.
Poaching and Simmering
Poaching is cooking in a liquid at very low
heat.
• Fillets and other small portions are
sometimes cooked in a small amount
of liquid.
• This procedure is called
shallow poaching, because
the item is only partially
submerged in the liquid.
• Whole fish and thick steaks may be
cooked completely submerged in a
seasoned liquid called court bouillon.
• This procedure is called the
submersion method.
Court bouillon means “short broth” in
French.
• Ingredients
• Water containing seasonings
• Herbs
• Usually an acid
• Court bouillon is used for
cooking fish
>To make paupiettes, or rolled fillets of
sole, lay the fillets on the work surface skin
side up.Starting at the large end, roll tightly.
If you roll the fillet skin side out, it unrolls
as it cooks.
>When shallow-poaching fish, cover the fish
with a piece of buttered parchment.
>If the fillets are to be poached flat or
folded,
first make a series of very shallow cuts in
the
skin side as shown.
Steaming and Mixed Cooking Techniques
Étuver : Technique of simmering an item
in enough liquid to barely cover the item.
• In other cases, little liquid is
added and the item cooks in
the steam trapped by the pot
lid.
En papillote : French term meaning “in
paper.” The fish item, plus flavoring
ingredients and sauce, is tightly enclosed in
a piece of parchment so steam cannot
escape.
• When the paper package is
heated, the item steams in its
own moisture.
• All the juices, flavors, and
aromas are held inside the
paper, which is not opened
until it is placed before the
customer.