Seafood Preparation -
Handling your catch
When preparing your fish and seafood for
recipes, below are some useful tips and information that make life easier!
Tips for Identifying Fresh Fish
- Fresh fish have plump, bright eyes. If the eyes are glazed
or dull and sunken, the fish is not fresh.....
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Picture of a fresh
whole fish. Notice the bright eyes- this is a
very good indication of the freshness of whole
fish. The longer the fish have been dead, the
more the eyes are glazed, opaque, dull or
sunken. |
Tips for Grilling (Broiling) or Barbequed
Fish
How to tell if prawns
| shrimp are cooked: The key to cooking shrimp is to
avoid overcooking. When cooked correctly, shrimp will retain
a firm texture and turn pink and slightly opaque. Some cooks
use the spring test to ensure proper cooking times. This
involves holding the shrimp upside down by the head and
pulling the tail down. If cooked, the tail will spring back.
If not, it needs to cook a little longer.
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Fresh Cooked Tiger
Prawns | Freshly cooked Tiger Shrimp |
How to
prepare the following for cooking:
How to prepare Abalone
- How to prepare abalone for cooking. also Step by step photos
Bearding Mussels and How to
Open Mussels -
Using a stiff brush,
scrub mussels well under running water, scraping shell with a
knife to remove any marine growth......
How to open Oysters, How to
Open Scallops -
Scrub the Oysters under
running water to clean shells. Place Oyster, flat side
up, on a board and press onto end opposite hinge using a cloth
to protect hand. Insert tip of oyster knife......
Clam, Cockle & Pipi Preparation
- Place live Clams, Cockles or Pipis
in a bucket of cold, salted water for 30-60 minutes so that
sand and debris can be expelled by the shellfish. Lift
out and...
Cuttlefish Preparation,
Octopus Preparation and
Squid Preparation - Cut the
body cavity on the soft side, open out, remove and discard
cuttlebone and gut. If ink sac is intact....
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How to Buy
Fresh Fish - Whether purchasing
fish for a celebration of sorts or just for the love of
fish, getting it right the first time before sitting down
and enjoying the great tastes fish has to offer is critical |
| How to Cook
& Prepare Lobster -
Live lobsters can be obtained from fishermen
at some harbours or, in towns, from specialist fishmongers. As a
rule, however, these regal, distinctive shellfish are sold
cooked. |
| How to Cook
& Prepare Crayfish - Fresh crawfish are usually boiled or steamed in order to peel
them. Crawfish will cook completely in about 6 minutes in
boiling water and will toughen up some if overcooked. |
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How to Clean and
Cook Live Crabs to Perfection - So you've caught some crabs
or brought live crabs from the fishmonger and now got
them home. You'll need to think about cleaning your crab first
before making some of those delicious
crab recipes
you've been reading about.
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How to
Purchase the Freshest Shrimp Before Cooking - Fresh cooked shrimp are actually cooked on board the vessel of
capture the moment they are caught and then refrigerated for maximum
freshness before being delivered to the markets which will be
normally within 24 hours of capture. |
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How to
Cook Shrimp on the Barbeque Grill -
One of the better methods when grilling is to
use a small knife to split the shrimp down the back and pick
out the vein. This opening that you create will help to add
flavour to your cooked shrimp. |
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How to Keep Your
Recently Caught Fish at Premium Fresh Quality -
Most folks love to go fishing at some
time in their life, and whether it’s your passion or just an
occasional pastime, you really should know how to treat your
catch with respect so it will reward you later with some
lovely dining tastes. |
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How to Easily Shuck Fresh Oysters -
Opening oysters, known
as shucking, requires a certain amount of skill, which can easily be
attained with some practice.
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How to Cook
Oysters Kilpatrick that is to Die For! -
Very popular around
the world, Oysters Kilpatrick is so famous it’s almost a
separate food group! You will be able to make it as good as anyone
by following this simple version of the legendary dish. |
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How to Soften
Dried Abalone - Bring
some mineral water to a boil in a saucepan then add the
dried abalone..... |
Canning Fish and Seafood
Processing Times
NOTE: All dial gauges must operate at 11 PSIG. Weighted
gauges operate at 10 PSI setting.
Pack Pint Quart
hot/raw minutes minutes
SEAFOOD
1/2 pint pint
Clams hot 60 70
Crabs cooked 70 80
Fish raw 100 100
Oysters raw 75 NO
Tuna hot/raw 100 NO
Smoked trout, whitefish, salmon or
grayling ONLY hot/raw 100 NO
