Fish and shellfish

• Common classifications of fish and shellfish

  • Vertebrate or invertebrate
  • Salt-/freshwater
  • Lean or fat
• Vertebrate


  • Includes finfish and sea mammals, which obtain oxygen from water through gills
  • Finfish are usually found in freshwater of rivers and lakes and in salt water of oceans and seas
  • Sea mammals include dolphin, whale, and seal
• Invertebrate


  • Includes shellfish, most of which have external skeletons or shells
  • Examples are crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster, crayfish) and mollusks (bivalves, univalves, cephalopods)
• Saltwater fish


  Tend to have a fuller flavor but also have a salty or "briny" taste
• Freshwater fish


  Do not have a briny flavor and tend to have a milder flavor profile
• Examples of saltwater fish

  • Sole
  • Halibut
  • Cod
  • Flounder
  • Haddock
  • Mackerel
  • Red snapper
  • Salmon
  • Shark
  • Striped bass
  • Swordfish
  • Tuna
• Examples of freshwater fish

  • Catfish
  • Perch
  • Pike
  • Trout
• Lean fish


  Less than 5 percent fat, with less than 2.5 grams of fat per cooked portion
• Fatty fish


  More than 5 percent fat, with 5 to 10+ grams of fat per cooked portion
• Examples of fatty fish


  • Salmon
  • Mackerel
  • Lake trout
  • Tuna
  • Butterfish
  • Whitefish
  • Herring
• Fish muscle


  • Has lower amounts of collagen compared to meat or poultry
  • Contains less hydroxyproline amino acid, making collagen break down more easily
  • Muscles are shorter than in mammals and birds
• Forms of finfish


  • Whole
  • Drawn
  • Dressed
  • Steaks
  • Fillets
  • Sticks
• Whole fish


  • The body is entirely intact, sold as soon as they are caught
• Drawn fish


  • Whole fish that have had their entrails (inner organs) removed, have longer shelf-life
• Dressed fish


  • The head, tail, fins, and scales have been removed in addition to the entrails
• Steaks


  • Cut from dressed fish by slicing from the top fin to the bottom fin at a 90 degree angle, contain a portion of the backbone and other bones
• Fillets


  • Made by slicing the fish lengthwise from front to back to avoid the bones
• Butterfly fillets


  • Fishes that are almost cut in half, examples include "daing"
• Fish sticks


  • Uniform portions cut from fillets or steaks, can also be made from minced fish that is then shaped, breaded, and frozen
• Criteria for determining freshness of fish

  • Bright, shiny skin
  • Bulging, jet black eyes with translucent corneas
  • Fresh fish aroma
  • Tight scales, firm flesh, stiff body, and red gills
  • Meat should not be slimy
• Types of fish


  • Alumahan - Long-Jawed Mackerel
  • Bangus - Milk fish
  • Bisugo - Threadfin Bream
  • Dalagang bukid - Yellowtail fusilier
  • Dilis - Anchovy
  • Galunggong - Mackarel Scad
  • Hiwas/Tahas - Mene Moonfish
  • Kitang - Spotted scat
  • Lapu-Lapu - Grouper
  • Maya-maya - Red Snapper
  • Pagi - Ray
  • Salay-Salay/Salaybutang/Apahay - Yellowtail Scad
  • Salmon - Threadfin salmon
  • Salmonete - Striped Red Mullet
  • Sapsap - Ponyfish, Slipmouth
  • Tawilis - Sardinella tawilis
  • Tilapia - Tilapia
  • Tulingan/Tambakol - Mackarel Tuna
  • Yellow-fin - Big eye tuna
• Types of shellfish


  • Alimango - Mud Crab
  • Alimasag - Crab
  • Alupihang-dagat - Mantis Shrimp
  • Arosep/Lato - Seawood
  • Curacha - Spanner Crab
  • Halaan/Lukan - Clams
  • Kuhol - Snail
  • Pugita - Octopus
  • Pusit - Squid
  • Pusit Lumot - Larger squid
  • Sugpo - Prawn
  • Suso - Snail
  • Swahe - Endeavor prawn
  • Tagunton/Hipon - Freshwater shrimp
  • Tahong - Mussel
  • Talaba - Oyster
  • Talangka - Shore crab
  • Tulya - Asian Clam
  • Tuyom - Sea Urchin
  • Ulang - Giant Freshwater shrimp
• Lean fish


  Fish with less than 2.5 grams of fat in a 3-ounce cooked portion (less than 5 percent fat)
• Fat fish


  Fish with more than 5 grams of fat in a 3-ounce cooked portion (more than 5 percent fat)
• Lean fish


  • salmon
  • mackerel
  • lake trout
  • tuna
• Fat fish


  • butterfish
  • whitefish
  • herring
• Fish muscle


  • Lower amounts of collagen compared to meat or poultry (3% vs 15%)
  • Less hydroxyproline amino acid in connective tissue, making collagen break down more easily
  • Muscles are shorter than mammals and birds
• Fish muscle has lower amounts of collagen compared to meat or poultry
• There is less hydroxyproline amino acid in fish connective tissue, making collagen break down more easily
• The muscles of fish are shorter than the muscles of mammals and birds