Fish can be classified into round fish and flat fish. Quality fresh fish has bright eyes, red gills, moist skin, and a fresh sea smell. It spoils quickly due to enzymes and bacteria, so it must be stored properly on ice or in the refrigerator. There are several methods for cooking fish, including poaching and steaming, to ensure it does not overcook and become dry.

1. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish

2. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish classification
• Fish can be classified into two primary
groups: round fish and flat fish.
• From this they can be split again into sub- or
secondary groups.
• Pelagic: oil-rich fish that swim midwater, such as
mackerel and herring.
• Demersal: white fish that live at or near the bottom
of the sea, such as cod, haddock, whiting and
plaice.

3. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish quality: whole fish
• Clear, bright eyes, not sunken.
• Bright red gills.
• Scales should not be missing and they should be
firmly attached to the skin.
• Moist skin (fresh fish feels slightly slippery).
• Shiny skin with bright natural colouring.
• Tail should be stiff and the flesh should feel firm.
• Should have a fresh sea smell and no trace of
ammonia smell.

4. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish quality: fillets
• Neatly trimmed fillets with firm flesh.
• Fillets should be firm and closely packed
together, not ragged or gaping.
• White fish should have a white translucent
colour with no discolouration.
• No traces or splinters of bone.
• Preferably equal in size.

5. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish quality: smoked fish
• Glossy appearance.
• Flesh should feel firm and not sticky.
• Pleasant, smoky smell.

6. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish quality: frozen fish
• Frozen hard (delivered at –18ºC) with no
signs of thawing.
• Fish should be well packaged and the
packaging should not be damaged.
• No evidence of freezer burn (i.e. dull, white,
dry patches).
• Whole fish and fillets should not be broken.

7. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fish spoilage
• Fish spoilage is caused by the actions of enzymes and
bacteria.
• Enzymes are present in the gut of the living fish. When
the fish dies, these enzymes help the bacteria in the
digestive system to penetrate the belly wall, breaking
down the flesh itself.
• Bacteria exist on the skin and in the fish intestine. Once
the fish dies, the bacteria invade the flesh and start to
break it down.
• The higher the temperature, the faster the deterioration.
Although these bacteria are harmless to humans,
eating quality is reduced and the smell will deteriorate
dramatically.

8. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Storage
• Once caught, fish has a shelf life of 6–8 days
if kept properly in a refrigerator at a
temperature of between 0ºC and 5ºC.
• If the fish is delivered whole with the innards
intact the fish should be gutted and the cavity
washed before storage.

9. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Using fresh fish
• Fresh fish should be used as soon as possible,
but it can be stored overnight in a refrigerator.
Rinse, pat dry, cover with clingfilm and store
towards the bottom of the refrigerator running
below 5ºC.
• Do not remove from the refrigerator until actually
needed for preparation and cooking.
• Ready-to-eat cooked fish, such as ‘hot’ smoked
mackerel, prawns and crab, should be stored on
shelves above other raw foodstuffs to avoid
cross-contamination.

10. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Using frozen fish
• Frozen fish should be stored at -18ºC or below,
and thawed out overnight in the bottom of a
refrigerator (in deep trays covered with clingfilm).
• Fish should not be thawed out in water as this
spoils the taste and texture of the fish, and
valuable water-soluble nutrients are lost.
• Fish should not be re-frozen for food safety
reasons and as this will impair taste and texture.

11. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Using smoked fish
• Smoked fish should be well wrapped before
placing in the refrigerator and kept separate
from other fish to prevent the strong smell
and possible dye from penetrating other
foods.

12. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Smoking fish
• Fish can be either cold smoked or hot
smoked.
• In either case, if the fish are not to be
consumed immediately they are salted before
smoking.
• This can be done either by soaking them in a
brine solution (strong enough to keep a
potato afloat) or rubbing in dry salt.
• This is to improve flavour and help the
keeping quality.

13. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Cold smoking (1)
• Cold smoking takes place at a temperature of
approximately 24ºC, which smokes but does
not cook the fish.
• Smoke boxes can be bought or improvised.
Sawdust or woodchips are used and different
woods can impart different flavours. Herbs
such as thyme and rosemary can also be
incorporated.
• Fish can either be gutted and left whole or
filleted.

14. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Cold smoking (2)
• Smoked salmon is prepared by cold smoking
usually over a fire of oak chips and peat.
• Kippers, haddock and young halibut are also
cold smoked, as are bloaters – these are
lightly salted herring smoked without the gut
being removed, which is what gives them
their more pronounced gamey flavour.

15. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Hot smoking
• Hot smoking takes place at approximately
82ºC.
• Eel, trout, buckling, bloater (ungutted
herring), salmon, sprats and mackerel are
smoked and lightly cooked at one and the
same time.

16. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Cooking fish
• Fish can be economical to prepare as it
cooks quickly and thus saves fuel.
• When cooked, fish loses its translucent look
and in most cases takes on an opaque white
colour. It will also flake easily and has to be
considered as a delicate product after
preparation.

17. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Overcooking fish
• Fish easily becomes dry and loses its flavour
if overcooked; for this reason, carefully
considered methods of cookery need to be
applied as certain fish will dry out too quickly.
• Carefully cooked fish will greatly enhance the
menu.

18. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Poaching and steaming
• Any fish or shellfish cooked by poaching can
alternatively be cooked by steaming.
• Combination steam/convection ovens are
commonly used in many kitchens; fish
cooked in a controlled moist atmosphere at
temperatures below 99ºC benefits fish dishes
as shrinkage is kept to a minimum,
overcooking is easier to control and the
texture of the fish is moist and succulent.

19. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Sauces
• The contemporary trend is for hot fish
sauces to be lightly thickened, preferably
without the use of a roux-based sauce.
• However, in large-scale cookery, when
considerable quantities of fish sauces may be
required, the use of fish velouté may be
necessary.

20. Practical Cookery Level 3 Dynamic Learning published by Hodder Education © 2011 D Foskett, J Campbell and P Paskins
Fresh fish
Clockwise from
top left: cod, red
snapper, John
Dory