fish be with you.. :)

One of my favorite places to go to during my free time is the market place. I love the sight of fresh meat and poultry as well as those fresh fish where you can still see them jumping up and down from the pail. And of course, I am saving the best for last, the colorful sight of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Nowadays, I have not been much out on markets because you may notice that if you go to a grocery, or the supermarket as me and my sisters would term it, they have all these items on sale as well. They are now a one shop store where you can find anything you need, from your fresh meat to the vegetables, to the canned goods and even ready to wear clothes and hardware items. You don't need to go anywhere else.

With my trips to the grocery store an the market place, there is one major difference that I have discovered. The grocery store may always have the meat, poultry and seafood available anytime, but they have already been frozen and you may notice some of them have already been turned to flavored cuts, like barbecue, shanghai mix and some are even breaded already. The market place on the other hand sells REAL fresh items, meats fresh from the slaughter house and seafood fresh from the sea. This is where the excitement is, seeing them fresh, clean and odor free.

I first wanted to talk about the some of the types of fish I noticed on my trips. The theoretical knowledge I've learned from school and the culinary books I'm reading gave a clearer understanding that although fish looks the same, they are categorized according to how they look.

Fish are also categorized by their activity level: low, medium or high. The more the fish swims, the darker its flesh will be. Darker fleshed fish have a higher oil content and have stronger flavor. Always consider the oil content of fish when choosing the best cooking technique. Low and high-activity fish have limited cooking methods, while medium-activity fish are quite versatile.

I have taken a picture of these types on one of the famous culinary books ever out in the market, tagged by Paul Bocuse as the "the bible of all chefs", the The Professional Chef 8th Edition. 


The Flat Fish - The characteristics of flat fish includes the following: one pigmented and one non-pigmented side, either right or left eye

1. Halibut                                 5. Black-back flounder (right-eyed),
2. Turbot                                 6. Fluke (left-eyed flounder)
3. Petrale sole ,                        7.Gray sole
4. Lemon sole                          8. Dover sole

Low Activity Round Fish - The characteristics of round fish includes the following: eyes on both sides of head; swim in upright position; firm grill plate

1. Wolf fish                                   4. Cod
2. Haddock                                  5. White Hake
3. Pollock

Medium-Activity Round Fish 

1. Walleyed pike                                    6. Silk snapper

2. Tilefish                                               7. Hybrid striped bass

3. Grouper                                             8. Black sea bass

4. Yellowtail snapper                              9. Wild striped bass

5. Vermillion snapper

High-Activity Round Fish

1. Mahi-mahi (head-off)                                   6. Spanish Mackerel

2. Farm raised King Salmon (Pacific Salmon)   7. Atlantic Mackerel

3. Atlantic Salmon                                            8. Pompano

4. Arctic Char                                                  9. Yellowfin Tuna (loin)

5. Rainbow Trout

Nonbony Fish

1. Sturgeon (head-off)                                3. Skate Wings

2. Swordfish Wheel                                   4. Monkfish

Other types of fish are: 

Eel

Catfish

Anchovy

Sardine Fish

Tilapia

John Dory

I have not really looked into the details of the difference in terms of fish structures but one thing is for sure, they do have almost the same external and internal parts:

INTERNAL ANATOMY

I have learned to love fish these days and one of my family's favorite is "Steamed Fish Fillet in Soy and Garlic Sauce", as always, recipe follows below.. enjoy!

Ingredients:

white fish fillet (I use cream dory)

salt and pepper

slices of ginger

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)

green onions, chopped

fried garlic chopped

Season fish fillet with salt and pepper and place slices of ginger on top of each fillet. Steam for 10 minutes and set aside. Combine light soy sauce, water, brown sugar, grated ginger, sesame oil, oyster sauce and simmer. Place steamed fish in a shallow bowl and pour over sauce. Top with chopped spring onions and browned fried garlic.

happy eating! J