back to index ofchapters1. What doe the word multicultural mean?
Ans. Many cultures
2. What is the difference between an hangi and a luau?
Ans. A hangi is from New Zealand and a luau is from Hawaii.
3. How are trepang cooked?
Ans. In Asian cooking, they are slit lengthways and the internal organsremoved and the flesh boiled or smoked over a pit in ash then dried in thesun.
4. What does gutting involve?
Ans. Removing the stomach, intestines and other internal organs of amarine animal to leave the flesh
5. What are the characteristics of a good filleting knife?
Ans. You will need a sharp knife with a thin, flexible blade. The lengthof the filleting knife you use is determined by the size of the fish: awhiting is best filleted with a 1015 cm blade, a Spanish mackerel with a25-30 cm blade.
6. Describe how to scale a fish.
Ans. To scale a fish, hold it by the head (in your left hand if you areright-handed) and use a scaler or a blunt knife to scrape the scales off.Work from the tail to the head as shown in Figure 222.1. Run your fingernail over the fish afterwards to make sure that you have removed all thescales. Turn the fish over and do the same on the other side, then washthe fish.
7. Describe how to fillet a fish.
Ans. To fillet a fish, hold the fish's head (in your left hand if youare right-handed) and, with the body of the fish laid on a flat surface,cut down behind the pectoral fin until you feel the backbone. Now turn thecutting edge of the blade away from you and, keeping the blade flat andyour left hand on the fish's head, cut along the backbone until you arealmost at the tail .
If you are not skinning the fillet, cut straight through and remove theflesh from the fish. If you are skinning the fillet, turn the fillet overand push the blade between skin and flesh. Keeping the knife blade stilland flat to the table surface, pull the fillet and skin towards you witha sawing motion (Figure .4 and Figure 225.1). Turn the fish over and repeaton the other side.
You can now carefully remove the ribs from the fillet by slicing aroundthe whole rib cage and cutting it away. If you can feel any side bones withyour fingers, cut a thin 'v' from the front of the fillet to remove them.
8. Why should fish be cooked quickly?
Ans. Seafood should never be over-cooked because it ruins the flavour.Indeed, much seafood is wonderful eaten raw.
9. What does bleeding a fish involve?
Ans. Fish with a high blood content, such as salmon should be bled bycutting the throat. Once a fish has been killed, gut it as soon as possibleand put it on ice. Sharks especially need to be bled and cleaned as soonas possible after capture.
10. Describe how to peel a prawn.
Ans. Prawns (shrimp) and yabbies can be cleaned by first twisting offtheir heads. Pull back the legs, removing the centre section of the shellin the same motion.
Now squeeze the tail segment and gently pull out the flesh (Figure .2).If you wish, you can either cut or pinch out the vein from the back of thepeeled prawn or yabby.
11. What is a fish cutlet?
Ans. A fish cut into slices.
12. Which fish are best suited to making fish cutlets?
Ans. Large fish eg. Mackerel.
13. What dangers are associated with seafood cooking?
Ans. Getting burnt from fat or hot cooking dishes, cutting yourself withsharp knives
14. Describe how to bake a fish.
Ans. Simply wrap the fish the foil to make a tight parcel. The foil stopsthe fish from drying out and keeps the flavour in. Leaving the scales onfish which is to be baked can be a good idea. The scales will lift off easilyafter the fish is cooked. To check that a baked fish is cooked, poke a skewerthrough it. If the fish is properly cooked, the skewer will go in and outeasily.
15. What does the word battering refer to?
Ans. Make a simple batter with one cup of plain flour, a pinch of salt,some fresh black pepper and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar. Slowlyadd water, mixing as you add, until you have made a thin batter. It mustbe smooth and runny. Dry the fish thoroughly, dust lightly with flour, dipinto the batter, lift each piece slowly so that excess batter can run off,then carefully add to your hot oil.
16. How are oysters traditionally eaten?
Ans. Raw
17. What is nori?
Ans. Nori is thin dried seaweed.
18. Name any three uses of seaweed.
Ans. Flavoured milk, ice-cream, pudding or cheese. (Not to mention theseaweed in cosmetics, linoleum or car polish). Alginates, extracted fromkelp, are used as thickeners in many products. They are also used to makethe agar used for culturing bacteria in the laboratory.
1. Find out what happens to the seafood from your area.
· Does it all stay in the local area or is some sent to otherareas?
· Where is this exported food sent to?
· How much is sent overseas?
· How much is sent to other parts of our country?
· How is it sent?
Suggestions:
Try your local fish market manager, fishing trawler operator or fishretailer.
2. What seafood recipes can you find?
· Check in magazines or cookbooks.
· How simple are these recipes?
· Are they suitable for local fish?
Suggestions:
Try your parents and citizens associations, home economics departmentor fishing club. May television stations have programs and ABC shops.
3. Go out for dinner to a seafood restaurant and practice your tablemanners for eating seafood.
· Find out how to eat prawns at the table.
· Is the knife used to eat fish the same as the knife used toeat steak?
· How are mussels and oysters eaten?
· What cutlery is used for eating crabs?
Suggestions
Try some work experience in a seafood restaurant.
4. Make a fishhook out of a shell or bone.
Suggestions:
Use the photo in Figure 220.4 as a guide
5. As an alternative to plain fish, a marinade will add a zing to barbecuedfish. Try this one:
a. Combine a cup of pure olive oil, a large squeeze of lemon or limejuice, a large pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper and a teaspoonof soy sauce.
b. Place dried fish fillets or cutlets in the marinade for an hour orso, then barbecue.
Suggestions:
Try it.
6. Try this recipe for raw fish.
a. Use a skinned fillet of fish. Remove any red meat and large bones.Cut the fish into finger-sized portions. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel.
b. In a bowl, place 2 cups of white vinegar, a bay leaf, a tablespoonof soy sauce and some freshly ground pepper. Add the fish and leave for1 2 hours. Then eat it raw. If you find the vinegar taste is too strong,dilute it with water up to a 50/50 mix. You can also make additions to thevinegar chilli is a good one for those who like it hot. You can adda little sugar or some mustard seed or honey.
Suggestions:
Try it.
7. Visit your local fish shop, fish market, or supermarket and researchthe answers to these questions.
· What types of seafood are available?
· How are they prepared for sale?
· How are they presented for sale?
· What is the most expensive seafood available?
· What is the cheapest seafood available?
· What exotic, non-local seafood is for sale?
· What local seafood is for sale?
Suggestions:
Use your phone book or network with others.
8. Try this recipe for oysters.
Cut rashers of bacon into strips long and wide enough to wrap aroundyour oysters. Sprinkle the oysters with some lemon juice, freshly groundblack pepper, a little salt and some finely chopped parsley. Wrap the oystersin the bacon and push a toothpick through to hold in position. Place inthe refrigerator for 30 minutes then place under a hot griller until thebacon is crispy. Eat immediately.
Suggestions:
Try it.
9. What other recipes can you find for cooking seafood? Invite a representativefrom your local seafood marketing authority to come to class.
Suggestions:
Many fish marketing agencies have promotions officers who come to schooland do visits. Start with the public relations sections of the governmentdepartment.
Answers to questions on Page 228:
1. ethnic backgrounds
2. habits
3. barramundi
4. Aboriginal
5. scales
6. fillet
7. slice
8. abalone
9. knife
10. cutlets
11. whole
12. gutted
13. body
14. guts
15. over cooked
16. frying
17. potato
18. Prawns
19. legs
20. shell
21. nori
22. aquaculture