Essential Fish Cuts and Culinary Preparation Techniques

Standard Fish Portions and Cuts

1. Serving Sizes

• Standard Fish Portion: 200 to 300 grams.

2. Major Cuts and Preparations

• Major Parts (Slice): 200–250 grams. This cut typically includes meat, skin, and bones from the cylindrical body section.
• Tranche: A vertical slice cut across the fish, including skin and bone. Approximately 200–250 grams.
• Medallion: A large, thick, skinless, and boneless round cut. Serves 2 or 3 people (50–75 grams per unit).
• Supreme: The loin cut, boneless, served with or without skin. Approximately 150–180 grams.
• Darne (Steak): A thick cross-section cut, often from fish like salmon or bass. Obtained from fillets by boning the center, cutting the tail and the center section. Serves 2 to 4 people (150–180 grams).
• Fillets: Elongated serving portions, with or without skin, boneless. 50–75 grams.
• Goujon: Fish strips 3–4 cm long and of medium thickness, obtained from boneless fillets, often floured and fried.
• Skewers: Boneless cuts, cut to a regular size and strung on a skewer.
• Roulé (Rolled Fillet): Rolled fish fillets secured with sticks to prevent deformation during cooking. 2–3 units per person (50–75 grams).
• Quenelle: A small ball rolled using a tablespoon, made from a composite fish farce (stuffing).
• Paupiette (Stuffed Roll): Fish fillets rolled and stuffed with a farce. 2 or 3 units per person (50–70 grams).

3. Whole Pieces and Dishes

• Whole Pieces: Such as baked sea bream (Besugo).
• Zarzuela (Grilled Panache): A combination of fish and shellfish served on a plate.

Essential Fish Cooking Methods

• Steaming: Often done with herbs or vegetables.
• Court Bouillon (Short Broth): Used for preparations like Trout au Bleu.
• Poaching: Cooking gently in liquid or minimal liquid.
• Grilling (À la Grill): Suitable for fish like sea bream (Dorada) or turbot.
• Frying (Deep Frying): Typically at 200°C, using various batters (e.g., Flour, Orly, Roman style) or breading (Empanadas/Breaded).
• Meunière: Pan-fried in a small amount of oil or butter, often dusted lightly with flour.
• Baking (Al Horno): Cooked in the oven.
• Braising: Slow cooking in liquid.
• Cooking in Sauce: Fish finished directly in a sauce.
• In Crust: Methods include cooking in inedible salt crusts, edible puff pastry, or en Papillote (in parchment paper).
• Marinating (Mariné): Soaking in an acidic mixture.
• Smoking: Preserving and flavoring using smoke.
• Boiling: Cooking in rapidly bubbling water.
• Preservation Techniques: Keeping, Preserved, Pickled, Vacuum sealing.

Specialty Preparations and Sauces

Pre-Cooked Fish Terminology

• Au Gratin: Topped with cheese or breadcrumbs and browned under a broiler.
• Glazed (Glas): Given a shiny coating.
• Glazed Cold Finish: A cold preparation technique often involving gelatin.
• Chaud-Froid: A preparation where food is coated in a sauce that sets when cold.

Specific Cold Preparations

• Fish Tartare (À la Tartare): Raw fish chopped finely with a knife, mixed with oil and spices.
• Carpaccio: Fish frozen and sliced extremely thin using a machine, served on a plate and flavored with a garnish.

Commonly Used Sauces for Fish

• Béchamel and its derivatives.
• Hollandaise and Béarnaise.
• Mayonnaise.
• Cakes (referring to specific sauce bases or preparations).
• Carabineros Coulis.
• Sauce Américaine, Cardinal, and Nantua.
• Cream, Butter, or White Compound Sauces.
• Sauce Matelote (Sailor Style).
• Sauce à la Basque.
• Sauce Alicantina.