[Sca-cooks] Advanced Fish Usage

[Susan Fox]

>> In the interests of getting all the use out of all the fish parts, I have
>>     
> some ideas and questions.
>   
>> 1) I know the fish head has a good bit of meat on the cheeks which can be used.  So that's good where you can use bits of fish.
>>     
Yup.  Any meat you can liberate is Good.  Many fish carry extra fat in 
the "cheeks" aka "collar" area.  Any decent sushi bar offers salmon or 
yellowtail collar, grilled to your order.  An intelligent and thrifty 
use of parts that are hard to cut in the sushi fashion and mighty tasty too.

>> 2) I understand the eyeballs are good in soup.  I have never seen or tried this.  Anyone know of more or other uses?
>>     
I seem to recall an episode of Tony Bourdain's show where he is 
persuaded to try fish eyes, which he seemed to like well enough.  Tasted 
pretty much like the rest of the fish with the bonus that they had no bones!
>> 3) Shrimp tails make a good fish stock.
>>     
Oh yes, and the rest of the shells as well. Same for other edible 
crustaceans as well. A Navy vet I know told me the story once that when 
he was training as a diver in the Philippines, he and his mates used to 
bring up lobsters.  They brought the lot to their Philippino cooks and 
asked them to cook the lobsters.  The cooks said Okay but we want half.  
Wheew, that sounded like a steep price but the Navy divers agreed.  But 
the cooks didn't take half of the lobsters, they took the head half of 
each lobster which was apparently the key ingredient in their favorite 
luxurious soup.  The Americans preferred the nice meaty tails anyway so 
everybody was happy.
>> 4) What other strategies do you know of?
When you are done with your fish heads in question #1, chuck'em in the 
stock pot!  Eat'em up, yummm!  Pretty much any part of any non-poisonous 
fishie may be used thusly.  Or... grind up whatever's left and use it as 
fertilizer in your garden.

Selene

Selene