| Cut / Portion |
|
Type of fish required |
|
Examples of species |
| Whole fish - pan ready |
|
Any portion size round or flat |
|
Sea Bass, Sea Breams, Trout, Snappers, Emperors, Red Mullet, Mackerel Dover and Lemon Sole |
Fillets
The most common cut and available from any fish* - round or flat. Fillets from larger fish can be futher cut into portions sized supremes or escalopes. |
|
Any round or flat fish except large game fish (loins) and Skate (wings) |
|
Almost all of them!
Salmon, Trout and any freshwater fish, any flat fish and round fish - coldwater or warmwater |
Butterfly Fillets
Portion size whole round fish can be de-headed, and filleted only cutting through either the back or belly side creating a ‘butterfly’ style fillet once opened. An attractive way of presenting fish, and ideal for filling. |
|
Small portion size round fish |
|
Sardines, Herrings, Trout, Sea Bass, Mackerel, Red Mullet |
Quarter-cut Fillets
A single flat fish fillet can be cut in half lengthways into quarter fillets. |
|
Small to medium size flat fish |
|
Plaice, Lemon Sole, Turbot, Brill, Chick Halibut |
Canoe Fillets
Whole round fish filleted along the back as per butterfly cut, except the head is left on creating a ‘canoe’ shape. |
|
Portion sized round fish |
|
Trout, Sea Bass, Sea Breams |
Pocketed Fish
Portion size flat fish can be de-headed, trimmed and filleted without cutting into the top or bottom sides creating a ‘pocket’, which can be filled and baked or grilled. |
|
Portion size flat fish |
|
Plaice, Lemon Sole, Megrim, Witch, Deb, Flounder |
Steaks (Darnes)
Portions cut through the bone of a whole fish. Also known by the French as a darne when cut from a round fish. |
|
Large round fish |
|
Salmon, Cod, Hake, Monkfish |
Steaks (Tronçons)
Portions cut through the bone of a whole fish, known as a tronçon when cut from a flat fish. |
|
Large flat fish |
|
Halibut, Turbot, Brill |
Loins
The prime part of a fillet taken above the bone of a large round fish such as Cod, and taken from either side of the bone of large game fish like Tuna. Smaller loins from Cod or Hake may be portion size, but large loins from Tuna and Swordfish will need cutting into suprêmes. |
|
Large round fish and large game fish |
|
Cod, Hake, Tuna, Swordfish, Marlin, Mahi Mahi |
Suprêmes
Sometimes confusingly called steaks, fillets or pavés, suprêmes are prime boneless portions cut from large fillets or loins. Traditionally, suprêmes were often cut on the slant, but these days are cut straight. They are an extremely popular cut, as they provide a thick piece of boneless meat, which clearly appeals to consumers put off by bones in fish. |
|
Large round and flat fish fillets and loins of large game fish |
|
Salmon, Cod, Halibut, Turbot, Snappers, Groupers, Barracuda, Barramundi, Tuna, Swordfish, Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Kingfish |
Escalopes
Cut from a large skinless fillet at an angle towards the tail. This creates a thick slice, which provides good plate coverage. Often confused with a délice. |
|
Fillets from large fish |
|
Salmon, Halibut |
Pavés
Also known as roasts (and – again confusingly - suprêmes, tronçons and steaks), pavés are cut from large flat fish by cutting in half down the length through the bone, and then cutting the two halves into portions - normally with the skin left on. |
|
Large flat fish |
|
Halibut, Turbot, Brill |
| Wings |
|
Skate and Rays |
|
Skate and Rays |
