Seafood ID and Fabrication days 2 and 3

On days 2 and 3 we fabricated a few different fish. On day 2 we fabricated a winter flounder and made quarter fillets and whole fillets out of the full fish. Then we also had to fillet a round fish, for this fabrication we used an arctic char and used the straight method of cutting. My fillets came out nicely thankfully! I would have to say my favorite cut is the flat cut, which pertains to a flat fish. Also day 2 was all about the flat fish family. The different types we focused on were the Dover Sole, Winter Flounder, Summer Flounder, Witch Flounder, Plaice, Turbot, Yellowtail Flounder, Rex Sole, Petrale Sole, and Halibut. Imagine having to learn each one of those fish and the activity level for this fish, their characteristics, how to cook them, the flavor profile, health benefits, where they are found, and the fishing techniques to catch them. That is alot of information to learn about for every different fish. That is one of the reasons this class is so intense is because in 7 days we learn up to 150 species of fish and we have to know all those little details about them and be able to identify them if chef holds up one of them. Day three I woke up to a huge thunderstorm at 4:00 in the morning that was quite interesting and scary. I walk outside my dorm getting ready to brave what looked like to be the end of the world, or I might have to run and build an arc. There was wind that was so strong I almost fell over a few times, the rain was pouring out of the sky it was bending my umbrella, and I happen to be walking out when there was three big strikes of lightning and the loudest crack of thunder I have heard in a long time, luckily I made it up to Roth Hall safely! In class on day three we learned about the Cod, Salmon and Trout families. The different fish we learned about in the Cod family were; Atlantic Cod, Haddock, Pacific Pollock, Cusk, White Hake and Silver Hake (Whiting). In the Salmon and Trout family we focused on Atlantic Farm-Raised Salmon, Pacific King Salmon (Chinook), Coho Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Steelhead Trout, Arctic Char, Brown Trout, Golden Trout and Cutthroat Trout. We then learned about different ways of farming these types of fish. For fabrication that day we filleted a Pike fish and Rainbow Trout, those fillets were also a success! So just to give you an idea in those two days we learned roughly, 31 different types of fish, and pretty much have to know them by the next class because when we go into lecture the next class we are quizzed on those fish from the previous day. The chef goes around the room and we have to pick questions off a jeopardy board, he then gives us a certain amount of time to answer it and if you don't answer it in that time, you get it wrong and it moves on to the next person. Also if you just get it wrong, well it's a point off your grade for the day so it is in your best interest to study and review the night before. I spend about 5 or more hours on homework a night. It's intense but I have learned so much about fish already it's insane!