1. Meats: Poultry, Fish and Shellfish
Food Service Occupations 2

2. What is considered Poultry?
Any domestic bird
Chicken: most popular
Turkey: bred as lightweight or heavyweight
Duck: Game bird, all dark meat
Cornish Hen: resemble a chicken, but smaller
Geese: all dark meat, high in fat
Guinea: colorful bird with dark flesh
Partridge: smaller than pheasant,
Pheasant: Fairly large, dark meat
Quail: similar to partridge
Squab: very young pigeons

3. Poultry Grading
USDA inspection stamp is required for all ready to cook poultry products
Grading is not required by all states
Grading is as follows
U.S. Grade A: normally what commercial kitchen uses
U.S. Grade B
U.S. Grade C

4. Poultry Market Forms Whole Cut Ground Meat Fresh Frozen
Normally used in commercial kitchen
Cut
Cut into several pieces
Breast (2), wing (2), leg (2), thigh (2)
Ground Meat
Fresh
Frozen
The feathers, head, neck and feet are always removed
The entrails and viscera are also removed, although they make package some parts in the center of the bird

5. Storing Poultry
All poultry goes bad quickly, so it must be used or frozen within a couple of days
Raw poultry needs to be store on the very bottom on the fridge, so that it does not drip onto any other food
Frozen poultry should be thawed in the fridge for a day or two, and then used right away
Never use poultry that smells spoiled
WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!
You can’t “cook” the bacteria out to make it safe

6. Cooking Poultry Similar to other meats
Tough cuts needs moisture and a long cooking time
Tender cuts can be cooked at a high temperature for a shorter amount of time
Internal temperature should be 165 degrees for all poultry
Stuffing should be cooked separately, not inside the chicken, for sanitation and safety.

7. Fish and Shellfish Fish Classified into freshwater and saltwater
Catfish
Lake Trout
Whitefish
Saltwater
Codfish
Flounder
Halibut
Salmon
Sea Bass
Snapper

8. Fish Continued Also divided by amount of fat Fat fish: 20% or more fat
Salmon
Mackerel
Catfish
Rainbow trout
Lean fish: 0.5% or less fat
Bluefish
Codfish
Halibut
Northern pike
Yellow Perch

9. Fish Market Forms Whole: exactly as they come out of the water
Drawn: entrails are removed and scaled
Dressed: scaled, entrails removed, head/tail/fins removed
Steaks: cross sectional slices of larger fish
Single Fillets: flesh from the sides, cut lengthwise
Butterfly Fillets: two single fillets held together by uncut belly of fish
Sticks: cut lengthwise from fillets into uniform portions

10. Shellfish Any sea food that has a shell Classified as: Crustaceans
Lobster, shrimp, crayfish, crab
Mollusks
Oysters, clams, mussels, snails, scallops

11. Shellfish Market Forms
Whole Shellfish should be sold live
Shucked: shell is removed, can be sold fresh or frozen
Headless: applies to shrimp, head is taken off

12. Purchasing fish Desirable Undesirable Eyes Bright and clear
Dull and clouded
Gills
Bright red, free from slime
Dull gray or brown
Flesh
Firm, elastic, not separating from bones
Soft, dents when pressed, separating from bones
Scales
Bright, adhere tightly to skin
Lack of sheen, loose
Order
Fresh, free from objectionable odors
Strong, objectionable