Market Forms

Fish are available in several forms, as illustrated in Figure 19.1. Or they may be cut by the cook into these forms, depending on how they are to be cooked.

Figure 19.1 Market forms of fish.

• Whole or round: completely intact, as caught.

  

• Drawn: viscera removed.

  

• Dressed: viscera, scales, head, tail, and fins removed.

  

• Steaks: cross-section slices, each containing a section of backbone.

  

• Fillets: boneless sides of fish, with skin on or off.

  

• Butterfiied fillets: both sides of a fish still joined, but with bones removed.

  

• Sticks or tranches: cross-section slices of fillets.