Page 2 - Food and Nutrition for You

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Chapter 14 ■ Fish 295

Types of Fish

It is nearly impossible to list all of the different types of
fish that we use as food. In general, they are classified as
Most fish live either in freshwater or saltwater,
either finfish, which have scales and fins, like tuna, Cool Tips
Called a an na ad dr ro om mo ou us s fish, they are born in fresh-
trout, and halibut, or shellfish, which are enclosed in a
hard shell, like clams, scallops, and lobster. but there are a few species that live in both.
Both finfish and shellfish are inspected by the National water, spend most of their lives in saltwater,
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National then travel back to freshwater to s sp pa aw wn n, or
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). reproduce. Salmon and steelhead trout are
Inspectors conduct three evaluations:
examples.
■ Type 1 evaluates quality and wholesomeness.
■ Type 2 evaluates the accuracy of the labeling and weight.
■ Type 3 evaluates the sanitation of the processing facility.
FIGURE 14-1
Forms of Fish A PUFI mark is a seal awarded to
a facility that passes a Type 1
Shellfish are available fresh or frozen. Finfish inspection. PUFI stands for
are available in many forms: Processed Under Federal
Inspection. Do you think it is
■ Whole fish includes the head and stomach.
important to purchase fish that
■ Drawn fish is a whole fish without the has a PUFI mark? Why?
stomach.

■ Headed and gutted is a whole fish without
the stomach or head.
Check the Label
■ Pan-dressed fish has the fins removed. The head and tail may also be
removed. Round Fish Have eyes
on both sides of their
■ Cross-cuts are large pieces of a drawn fish.
heads, swim upright, with
■ Steaks are single portion-sized cross-cuts. They usually include at least part the belly down and the
of the spine and other bones. back up; examples: had-
dock, bass, tuna, and
■ Fillets are boneless pieces of fish. Some fillets have the skin removed.
salmon
Fillets may be sold fresh or frozen.
Flat Fish Have both eyes
on the same side of their
heads, swim near the bot-
tom, and are wider than
they are thick; examples:
sole, halibut, and fluke

Non-Boney and Other
Fish Don’t fit into the
above categories; may
have cartilage instead of
bones; examples: eel,
catfish, sardine, tilapia,
FIGURE 14-2 and shark
Salmon fillet (left) and salmon steak (right). What’s an easy way to tell the
difference?