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Are there some burning questions you all have about the happenings in restaurants that you could never get an answer to...or wanted clarification on?
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I'll start...
...how do restaurants keep fish that aren't native to that area, and are out season on the menu? And how are they ready to cook so fast?
At first I thought the fish are flash frozen and stored, but it would seem like it'd take too much time to unthaw it. Unless there's some super defrosting microwave that's used...
They keep it frozen except for what they expect to use in that night's service. They thaw only that amount and when it runs out, it's out for that service and they'll thaw more tomorrow.
if it's a breaded & fried item, they can purchase it already breaded and frozen and fry it directly from the freezer.
They keep it frozen except for what they expect to use in that night's service. They thaw only that amount and when it runs out, it's out for that service and they'll thaw more tomorrow.
if it's a breaded & fried item, they can purchase it already breaded and frozen and fry it directly from the freezer.
how can they anticipate how many types of fish to purchase and freeze? I've had fish at a restaurant that had been out of season for months (there's no expiration date on frozen fish I guess?) ... and it's only fished hundreds of miles from that area... it was on my table in 15 minutes tops.
I'm still not connecting the dots. How do restaurants thaw the fish so quickly? Are you saying it's done before lunch, during prep time? Or is there some quick thaw method I'm not aware of? Using near boiling water to thaw?
how can they anticipate how many types of fish to purchase and freeze? I've had fish at a restaurant that had been out of season for months (there's no expiration date on frozen fish I guess?) ... and it's only fished hundreds of miles from that area... it was on my table in 15 minutes tops.
I'm still not connecting the dots. How do restaurants thaw the fish so quickly? Are you saying it's done before lunch, during prep time? Or is there some quick thaw method I'm not aware of? Using near boiling water to thaw?
Maybe they don't thaw it. They cook it from frozen. I cook fish at home like that all the time. Fish doesn't take long to cook.
They anticipate how much fush to buy and freeze by looking at what they normally sell.
how can they anticipate how many types of fish to purchase and freeze? I've had fish at a restaurant that had been out of season for months (there's no expiration date on frozen fish I guess?) ... and it's only fished hundreds of miles from that area... it was on my table in 15 minutes tops.
I'm still not connecting the dots. How do restaurants thaw the fish so quickly? Are you saying it's done before lunch, during prep time? Or is there some quick thaw method I'm not aware of? Using near boiling water to thaw?
Yes, they thaw earlier. An experienced restaurateur will have a reasonably accurate idea of how many of X will sell any typical night, so they prep that much of X (or thaw, in the case of frozen fish) and they hope to sell it out by the end of the evening's service. Sometimes there's a run on certain dishes and they sell out early. Sometimes it doesn't catch the dining public's attention and it's served the next day for family meal.
In my area, fresh caught ocean fish is flown in every day. It goes to a distributor and the distributor drives it around and delivers it to the high end restaurants.
Other than that, fish is frozen in individual servings. If you have a restaurant supply in your area, you can buy it that way. In the morning, the restaurant takes out as many servings as they think they will sell and places them in the refrigerator to thaw.
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