Sawy with Seafood in the Store and Kitchen for That Tang of the Deep
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little or no odor. The wrapping should be of a moisture-vapor-proof material with little or no air space between the seafood and the wrapping. An ice glaze is sometimes utilized to protect dressed fish, shrimp, and steaks from drying out. A white cottony appear- ance, a brownish tinge, or any dis- coloration in the frozen flesh indicate poor quality. Rose G. Kerr Canned and cured fish and shellfish also are usually available the year round. A wide variety of canned, pickled, salted, smoked, and spiced Sawy With Seafood fish and shellfish is available on the market today. Fish and shellfish are sold in many in the Store and different forms or cuts. Learning to recognize these forms, and how best to Kitchen for That use them, is very important in buying and serving fish and shellfish. Unless otherwise stated, most market forms of Tang of the Deep fish and shellfish are available both fresh and frozen, are usually sold by Did you know there are more than weight, and are ready to cook, heat, 240 species of fish and shellfish sold or serve as purchased. in the United States? When you are Market Forms of Fish: In this country looking for variety, they give you more "fish" means fin fish. The different choice than any other food group. market forms of fish are : You can buy fish and shellfish fresh, Whole fish are sold just as they come frozen, canned, cured, and in a wide from the water. Before cooking, the variety of convenience and specialty fish must be scaled, eviscerated, and products. usually the head, tail, and fins re- Most varieties of fresh fish and moved. Some small fish, like smelt, are shellfish, like many other foods, are often cooked with only their entrails at their best at the peak of the season. removed. Your local dealer can advise you about Dressed fish are scaled, eviscerated, seasonal offerings and help you select and sometimes the head, tail, and fins the species best suited to your needs. removed. The smaller size fish are The less known types are often as called pan-dressed. satisfactory as the better known ones Steaks are cross section slices from and are usually less expensive. a large dressed fish cut % to 1 inch Fresh whole or dressed fish should thick. A cross section of the backbone have these characteristics : odor—fresh is usually the only bone in a steak. and mild; eyes—bright, clear, and Chunks are cross sections of a large full; gills—red and free from slime; dressed fish. A cross section of the skin—iridescent; and fiesh—firm and backbone is usually the only bone in a elastic, not separating from the bones. chunk. Fresh fillets, steaks, and chunks should Single fillets, the most common type, also have a mild, fresh odor, and are the sides of the fish cut lengthwise fresh-cut appearing flesh without any away from the backbone. They are traces of browning or drying. Frozen fish and shellfish are avail- Rose G. Kerr is Chief of the National Home able the year round. Their packages Economics Research Center, Bureau of Commercial should be solidly frozen and have Fisheries^ U.S. Department of the Interior. 127 practically boneless and may or may Tuna is packed from six species. The not be skinned. Butterfly fillets are the catch includes albacore, blackfin, blue- two sides of the fish cut lengthwise fin, skipjack, yellowfin, and little tuna. away from the backbone and held Albacore has lighter meat than the together by the uncut flesh and skin others and is the only tuna permitted of the belly. These fillets are practically to be labeled "white meat" tuna. The boneless. other species are labeled "light meat" Frozen raw or fried breaded fish tuna. Canned tuna is packed in oil or portions are cut from frozen fish blocks, water. In descending order of price, coated with a batter, breaded, pack- the packs of tuna are: solid, chunk, aged, and frozen. Portions weigh more and flaked or grated. than 1 }i ounces and are at least % inch Salmon is packed from five species. thick. Raw portions must contain not Canned s^mon is usually sold by the less than 75 percent and fried portions name of the fish, since there is a difl'er- not less than 65 percent fish flesh, ac- ence in the color, texture, and flavor of cording to U.S. Department of the the salmon. Higher priced varieties are Interior (USDI) standards. They may deeper red in color and have a higher be purchased raw or partially cooked.* oil content. In descending order of Frozen fried sticks are cut from price, the packs of salmon are: red or frozen fish blocks, coated with a batter, sockeye; chinook or king; medium red, breaded, partially cooked, packaged, silver, or coho; pink; chum or keta. and frozen. Fried fish sticks weigh up Cured fish are processed from many to 1 ji ounces, must be at least % inch different species. Some of the more thick, and contain not less than 60 per- common cured fish on the market are cent fish flesh, according to USDI pickled and spiced herring; salt cod standards. and salmon; smoked chubs, salmon, Canned fish are packed in a great and whitefish; as well as many conven- variety of convenience and specialty ience and specialty items. items, as well as the ever popular tuna, Market Forms of Shellfish: In this salmon, and Maine sardines. country "shellfish" means crustaceans and moUusks. The crustaceans include MARKET FORMS OF FISH crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. Clams, oysters, and scallops are mollusks. Several species of clams are widely used for food. On the Atlantic coast, Dressed fish they are the hard, soft, and surf clams. On the Pacific coast, the most common species are the^butter, littleneck, razor, and pismo clams. The hard clams, or hard-shell clams, are commonly called Steaks "quahog" in New England, where "clam" generally means the soft-shell variety. Littlenecks and cherrystones are the trade names for the smaller Chunks sized hard clams generally served raw on the half shell. The larger sizes of hard, soft, and surf clams are called "chowders" and are used mainly for chowders and soups. Clams are sold by the dozen or by weight. Single fillet Clams in the shell are just as they come from the water. Fresh clams should be alive when purchased and the shells should close tightly when Butterfly fillet tapped. Shucked clams are the meat removed from the shells. The meat is pale to deep orange in color and has a fresh, mild odor. Fresh shucked clams Northern lobster are packed in little or no liquid. Frozen raw or fried breaded clams are shucked clams coated with a bat- ter, breaded, packaged, and frozen. They may be purchased raw or par- tially cooked. Canned clams are avail- able whole, minced, or in chowder, Spiny lobster bouillon, broth, and nectar. The three principal species of crabs are the blue, Dungeness, and king. Blue crabs come from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and weigh from ji to 1 pound. Dungeness crabs are from the Pacific coast and weigh from 1}^ to 2% two body muscles which operate the pounds. King crabs come from the swimming legs; flake meat—small coast of Alaska and weigh from 6 to 20 pieces of white meat from the body; pounds. A big king crab can easily flake and lump—a combination of the measure 6 feet across from the tip of first two kinds; claw meat—brownish one leg to the tip of the opposite leg. tinted meat from the claws. Growing in popularity are the stone Northern lobsters are caught in the crabs from Florida and the tanner cold waters oflf the coast of Maine and crabs from Alaska. Massachusetts. OflT the coasts of Cali- Crabs in the shell are sold fresh, fornia and Florida another shellfish is frozen, or cooked. Fresh crabs should caught which is known locally as be alive and active when purchased. "lobster.'' More properly, it is a spiny Cooked crabs are bright red and have or rock lobster. The large, heavy claws a mild odor. Blue crabs are sold by of the northern lobsters distinguish the dozen, and Dungeness crabs are them from the spiny lobsters, which sold individually. have no claws. Lobsters usually weigh Soft-shell crabs are molting blue from % to 4 pounds. crabs just after they have shed their shells and before the new shells have Lobster Market Sizes hardened. They are sold just as they Trade name Weight Chicken |4 to 1 pound come from the water. They should be Quarters I14 to 11/2 pounds Large I1/2 to 21/2 pounds alive and active when purchased. Jumbo Over 3 pounds Frozen crab legs are the legs of cooked king and tanner crabs which Lobsters in the shell are sold fresh, have been frozen and split or cut into frozen, or cooked. The fresh lobster sections. The meat is white with an should be alive and active when pur- attractive red tint on the outside. chased. The "tail" of a live lobster Crab meat is the meat removed from curls under the body and does not cooked crabs. The meat is packed and hang down when the lobster is picked chilled,,frozen, pasteurized, or canned. up. Cooked lobsters should be bright The body meat from Dungeness crab red and have a fresh, mild odor. is white and the claw meat has a Frozen spiny lobster tails are spiny Drownish-red tint on the outside. King lobsters with their heads removed, crab meat is primarily leg meat.