Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Week 12: Fish and Seafood
This week in lab we learned all about various types of seafood. Fish and seafood are different from meat because they have very little connective tissue. Fish cooks very quickly and is naturally tender. The biggest problem with cooking fish is overcooking. Fish cooks best with moist-heat methods to keep it from drying out. Once fish is cooked it is very delicate and needs to be handled with care.
There are many ways of categorizing fish - by body structure, fat content, and its' environment (freshwater or saltwater). Finfish have fins and internal skeletons, while shellfish have external shells and no internal bone structure. The fat content of fish ranges from .5 to 16%. Examples of lean fish include flounder, cod, bass, and pike. Examples of fatty fish include salmon, trout, and bluefish. Shellfish can be divided into mollusks and crustaceans. Mollusks are soft sea animals and include, among many others, oysters, conch, and squid. Crustaceans have segmented shells and jointed legs - like lobster and shrimp.
We made a lot of interesting things this week, like poached salmon, fried catfish, mussels, shrimp summer rolls, tilapia, and even some flounder—in the microwave! Next week we'll talk about meat and meat alternatives.
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Today in lab we worked with fish. My group made trout with a basil spread. Since I do not eat meat or fish I did not try anything, but everything smelled and looked good. My group really enjoyed the small muscles.
ReplyDeleteKayleigh Palmer
Today for the fish lab, I was in the group that made the flounder in the microwave and because of that I was really hesitant to try it as I never knew fish could be cooked in the microwave. It ended up tasting pretty good, but my two favorites that I would definitely want to eat again were the stuffed mussels and the lightly baked bay scallops. The flavors of both of those dishes were really enjoyable. I was the most disappointed with the salmon because that is my favorite type of seafood and I felt as though it was very bland. The jumbalaya was also very good, and I think I enjoyed it more than I thought I would because it wasn't very spicy. All of the other dishes were fine, but I do not think that I would make them again.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Albert
I enjoyed today's lab because we were able to try different varieties of fish and seafood that we most likely wouldn't try on some occasions. It is very insightful to have the opportunity to make these types of recipes in the lab because we now have an experience and knowledge of how to cook seafood. I normally tend to stray from cooking fish at home because I never know what types of dressings/seasonings to use, let alone how to begin to cook the fish in the first place. I think after this lab I will be up for trying some new recipes for fish in my own kitchen. Additionally, all dishes were very good today, but my favorites were the crab dip, and the mussels!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed cooking seafood in today's lab. Although I have cooked fish a lot at home, I haven't worked so much with other kinds of seafood and shellfish so was excited to try cooking some new ingredients! I made the lightly baked bay scallops. I think that people are often intimidated by cooking seafood since it is a high end ingredient, but the recipe I used proves that it can be really easy!
ReplyDeleteToday's lab was about seafood and it was fun! I hardly eat much seafood because my assumption on it all this while is that, it takes a lot of preparation and takes a lot of time to cook. However, today's lab taught me otherwise. I enjoyed most of the food served and tasted seafood cooked in many various ways. My group made the crab dip and it was one of my favourite dishes today. It was a great opportunity for me to try out the many types of shellfish cooked in deliciously prepared and simple ways. This lab has changed my perception on seafood and I would definitely try cooking and preparing more seafood from now on. I'm sure we were loaded with omega 3 from today's lab!
ReplyDelete- Jessica Ng
Seafood is one of my favorite types of foods. My group made the summer rolls. I have had these rolls at Vietnamese restaurants in the past. I really enjoyed putting the ingredients on the rice paper and rolling them. It was difficult to wrap all twenty rolls within the time constraints. My favorite dishes were the scallops and jambalaya. The stuffed mussels were enjoyable, although it was difficult to taste the actual mussel because of the excess stuffing.
ReplyDeleteThis week in lab our group made parmesan pepper tilapia. I thought it was very tasty but I liked some of the other seafood better. My favorite was probably the jumbalaya. I liked it because it reminded me of a dish that my mom makes every christmas. When I go home I will have to show her this recipe so she can try it this way! I also liked the crab dip and would definitely consider making this sometime!
ReplyDeleteLauren Hochreiter-section 1-unit 9
This week in lab I got to try a bunch of seafood recipes that I had never had before, such as jumbalaya and mussels. I decided that I don't like scallops, but liked almost everything else. The mussels were definitely my favorite, with the crab dip at a close second. I certainly got my omega-3s for the week!
ReplyDeleteThis week's lab was awesome. I love sea-food and our recipe was interesting and not too difficult. We made stuffed-mussels with a buttery sauce. They turned out really well and tasted great. My favorite food that I tried though were the scallops. I love scallops and thought the group that made them turned out really well. Fun week!
ReplyDeleteThis week in lab my group made pepper parmesan tilapia. It was pretty easy to make and did not take long at all. Seafood is not something I eat a lot of, so this week I was trying a ton of new things. I never had crab dip or scallops before but both were really good and definitely things I would try again. The rest of the recipes were all pretty good, and most of the different kinds of fish I had never had. I enjoy salmon the most and although the others weren't bad I don't think I ever cook them for myself.
ReplyDeleteThis weeks lab was all seafood, which I was a tad bit skeptical about at first, but I was pleasantly surprised! My group made poached salmon, which I was not a fan of. Salmon is my favorite fish but I like it grilled so much better. I like it to be well done, crisp, and with grill marks. My favorite dish was the crab dip, it was the perfect balance between creamy and crab meat. I also love the stringy texture and it tastes wonderful with bread. I learned about many different ways to cook and eat seafood, for example, breading it with bread crumbs or parmesan.
ReplyDeleteCassandra Raugh - Section 02 - Group 02
ReplyDeleteMy group made jambalaya and it was fantastic so was the salmon with dill sauce. I'm not a huge fan of fish, but I have tried almost all kinds. So, I didn't particularly like every dish made by the groups this week. Still enjoyed the jambalaya (which I had never had before), the salmon, and the tilapia.
The scallops and other dishes were made beautifully, but I'm just not a huge fan of these types of seafood. At least I tried it once...that's all that matters!
For this class, my group made the summer rolls. I normally like seafood a lot but wasn't really a fan of any of the pieces made, although with the exception of one that wasn't fully cooked, they were all very well made. Overall it was a learning experience and I look forward to next week!
ReplyDeleteI do not eat seafood that often, so I was pleased that we were having a seafood themed lab! I cannot eat certain types of fish, including flounder, so I was hesitant to try some foods. I ended up trying everything except for the flounder and was fine! The jumbalaya was my favorite- I must have had 3 helpings! I am so sad for this class to be over!
ReplyDeleteI know I say every week is my favorite food lab, the seafood one was definitely my favorite! I love seafood, and getting good seafood in the State College area is a challenge. I was very happy to hear that the fish was all from Wegman's.
ReplyDeleteI didn't care for my dish too much though. I love salmon, and the texture came out lovely from poaching. It was too bland, however, and needed more seasonings.
I especially loved the crab dip, and the tropical fish with mango salsa. Good lab!
This is my favourite lab! I love seafood, I am so excited that we cooked almost all kind of seafood in this lab. Our unit made shrimp summer roll, which is one of my favourite appertizer in vietnamese resturant. I am more than happy at the serving time! I almost finish every plate.
ReplyDeleteThis lab was very interesting to me, due to the fact that the only fish I have ever made has been fish sticks! My group and I made scallops this week. I learned that scallops have part on them that is called a foot and it must be removed before cooking. This was one of my jobs for this weeks lab. I really enjoyed the seafood that the other groups made as well, especially the catfish pough boys and the jambalaya, YUM!
ReplyDeleteThis lab was very different but definitely tasty! My group made flounder with mango salsa. It came out great and was so incredibly easy to make! I really want to make that for my family when I go home over break. I really enjoyed the scallops, they were cooked perfectly! Basically all the dishes that I tried were very good and didn't seem like they were that difficult to make. My only issue was that 11 am is rather early to be eating fish in my opinion, but it was still good!
ReplyDeleteFallon Bader
I was really impressed by the products we created in lab this week! I always thought that fish was harder to prepare than it is, and I was proud that we had a chance to learn about the process and get some experience making delicious new dishes. I hope that our meat week is just as delicious.
ReplyDeleteIt was really great that we were able to sample all different types of seafood this past week. I love almost all seafood but are turned off by some. My group made the broiled flounder & mango salsa- reminded me of summer and how well it would go with a margarita! I never tried mussels before and was pleasantly surprised that I really liked them!
ReplyDeleteJamie Kurtz
I'm not going to lie when I say that I was dreading this week. I personally hate seafood- can't stand the sight, smell, or taste. But when I say "taste" I mean that my exposure has been very limited to a bite of salmon and some fish sticks. Needless to say, I have had some pretty bad experiences. But I decided to grow up and try every single dish this week that was made. Although I confirmed my dislike for seafood, I'm glad that I had took the opportunity to try something new and give it a second chance. To be honest I did not like a single dish- but at least I tried it!
ReplyDeleteI was not crazy about many of the dishes that we made. However, I LOVED the crab dip and the catfish sandwich!! Sometimes, the fishy smell or "squishy" texture throws me off. However, I have learned how to test the doneness of fish and learned that fish does cook extremely quickly.
ReplyDeleteGabby Keeley
This was my favorite lab out of all of them so far because I simply love fish especially trying different types! This lab was interesting because even though fish was the main ingredient, vegetables and other meat was also incorporated in some recipes. I loved learning the different ways you can cook fish: broiling, frying, even microwaving(tasted good too).
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Sarra
This week I got to experience my very first time making stuffed mussels. This was a very long process and when we started, the mussels were still alive! After first cooking the mussels, we then had to stuff and bake them in their shells. I am not a huge seafood fan but i tried everything that was made in lab and a lot of it was delicious! My favorite thing was the crab dip.
ReplyDeleteI was unable to eat any of the food due to dietary restrictions, but it was really interesting to see how it was made. I was interesting to see how many different ways the seafood could be cooked, and the short cooking time for each dish compared to other types of meats. My lab made one of the scallop dishes and I was able to help by collecting and measuring the ingredients besides the scallops themselves.
ReplyDeleteRachel Benowich
This week was interesting because I rarely eat seafood when I'm at school. I live on the shore and personally think the seafood here isn't nearly as good than at home. However, I was pleasantly surprised by several of the dishes that were made. I really enjoyed the mussels and crab dip served with bread. I think it's important to buy seafood from well trusted places and I think Wegman's seafood seemed the freshest I've yet to taste around here
ReplyDeleteChandler Ray
I love seafood as far as shrimp, crab, lobster and fish. Well this week I got to try mussels and scallops for the first time and they aren't as bad as I thought. I love the fact that seafood can be cooked very quickly which allows the opportunity to create quick meals under 30 or maybe even 15 minutes. I was shocked to find out that fish can be cooked in the microwave and still taste good. My favorite recipe was the jambalaya and my least favorite was the shrimp summer roll. it reminded me a little of sushi which I am not a fan of.
ReplyDeleteI am a big seafood fan so I was very excited for this lab and it did not disappoint. The different styles of scallops we had were delicious, but I have to say my favorite dish last week were the stuffed mussels. I had never had mussels before and they were quite delectable.
ReplyDeleteBlair Larson, Section 4
Seafood is my favorite food so doing seafood and lab was exciting. My favorite dish was the flounder surprisingly. When we first started cooking I was worried the fish wouldnt taste as good as it looks or something would go wrong but it came out perfectly.
ReplyDeleteSection 2 Unit 9
This lab was pretty delicious! I absolutely loved the flounder and cous cous! I ate a whole plate! My unit made summer shrimp rolls. It was pretty difficult to wrap the rolls but I got the hang of it after a while. I love that fish is so healthy and its so delicious!
ReplyDeleteThis weeks lab was not my favorite. I'm not a fan of fish or seafood, but I did at least try a little bit of everything, even if it was a recipe like mussels that I know I won't like. My group made the stuffed mussels with parmesan and bread crumbs. I enjoyed helping to make them, but they weren't my favorite to taste. Surprisingly, my favorite recipe I tried was the catfish sandwiches. I actually liked it and would probably try catfish again.
ReplyDeleteJessica Hermanofski
This week, my group and I made the catfish po'boy sandwiches. They were actually SO good. I had never had catfish before, but would definitely eat it again. I also really liked the mussels--I have always been a fan of mussels, but have only ever had them in a marinara sauce. This take on them was delicious and I would love to make those sometimes myself!
ReplyDeleteThis week in lab, my unit made the stuffed mussels. I really enjoyed making them and eating them. They were delicious! I also really like the crab drip and the catfish po'boy sandwiches. Everything turned out really well this week in lab!
ReplyDeleteThis was by far my favorite lab. I love seafood and I am genetically bound by my parents to become allergic to shellfish at some point in my mid 50's, so I always try to eat as much of it as I can. My favorite dish was the sauteed scallops, but the spring rolls were really good too. I actually really liked all of the items beside the catfish sandwiches. They didn't really taste like fish to me, they were too spicy.
ReplyDeleteI loved almost all of the dishes we made for this lab. However, I did notice that a couple of them were undercooked. I found this to be surprising since we had learned about how fish cooks faster than most other foods. My two favorites were the mussels and the crab dip!
ReplyDelete