Ahi: Hawaiian name for Yellowfin tuna.

Anadromous: Fish that swim upstream into freshwater rivers from the sea for breeding, such as shad and salmon.

aquaculture: The regulation and cultivation of various types of fish for human consumption. Fish farming utilizes scientific methods to insure maximum production and high quality, while keeping costs competitive with wild product. In the U.S., most of the commercial freshwater trout, shrimp, salmon and catfish we consume are farmed.

B
batter-dipped: Sometimes referred to as batter-fried. Products that have been coated in batter and then immersed in hot oil to secure the batter. These products are then usually frozen.

belly burn: Deterioration in the belly cavity due to enzyme action. bisulfite (sodium bisulfite) Also called shrimp dip and shrimp powder. Used mostly by shrimp trawlers to prevent Mellanosis, or black spot.

blast freezing: Freezing by circulating cold air over batched product placed in trays or racks. Continuous operations are available with rotating belts or spiral screens.

bleeding: Method in which fishermen remove blood from fish by cutting an artery. Large meaty fish like tuna are routinely bled before further processing. Skates and sharks are also bled to remove uric acid.

block: Frozen fish blocks are rectangular or other uniformly shaped masses of cohering fish fillets or a mixture of fillets and minced fish flesh, or entirely minced fish flesh. These blocks usually range in weight from 13 to 16 lbs. and are intended for further processing into fish sticks and portions. Larger blocks may be available that contain whole dressed fish for subsequent thawing, processing or resale

boned / boneless: Term used by packer to indicate that product has been processed to remove backbone and rib bones. Term used by packer to indicate that product has been processed to remove backbone and rib bones.

BRC: British Retail Council

brined: Often referred to as "pickled" or "wet salted." The process of immersing a fish in a solution of food-grade salt and water for a period of time to allow the fish tissue to absorb a quantity of the salt.

brine Freezing: Freezing seafood by soaking in liquid brine. King crab or snow crab is often brine-frozen.

breaded: Product covered in liquid dip, breadcrumbs and seasonings. The breading forms a jacket within which the product cooks gently. Breading helps to retain moisture in the product during cooking, and also adds contrasting texture and flavor to the product.

butterfly Fillet: Fish is cut along both sides with the two pieces remaining joined by the skin of the back. Technically, two pieces held together with the belly skin is called a kited fillet.

C
candling: A process by which fillets are placed on a back lighted, translucent table that reveals the presence of parasites in the flesh.

catch weight: Some species with large fillets, like tuna, are sold as catch-weight fillets. For example, if you order 10-pound fillets, what arrives could range from 9 1/2 to 11 pounds. Suppliers do not want to cut up a natural, 11-pound fillet and have small pieces left over.

Caviar: Sturgeon eggs, which have been preserved in salt. Caviar comes in many grades and types and must be transported and held fresh at temperatures between 25F and 30F. (See Roe)

C&F: Shipping term for cost and freight. When quoted, a C&F price means price delivered.

center cut: The center third of a fillet.

center section: A larger section (thicker than a steak) taken from the center 1/3 of the body.

chill-killed: A process employed in the harvest of aqua cultured species whereby the temperature of the pond is lowered until the fish die.

chill-packed: A packing method in which fish are packed in cartons with gel packs and no ice.

chilled: The result of a process in which fish is thoroughly cooled to a temperature approaching that of melting ice.

chunks: Cross-sections of large dressed fish, having a cross-section of backbone as the only bone. They are similar to a beef or pork roast and are ready for cooking.

clipper: Denotes high-quality swordfish or mahi-mahi, usually caught and frozen at sea.

cluster: A product form consisting of a group of legs and a claw from one side of a crab, with the connecting shoulder area still attached. Also known as a "section."

cold-smoked: Fish smoked at low temperatures (around 80¼ F) for 18 hours to several days, producing a moist, delicately flavored product.

collar: The bones of a fish just behind the gills; they support the pectoral fins. The collar is waste when a fish is steaked or filleted. Most headless fish are sold with the collar on because it protects the fish.

counts: The number of shrimp per pound in a given package; i.e., 16/20 means each net-weight pound consists of 16 to 20 shrimp. The larger the count, the smaller the shrimp. Scallop meats are also sold by a count per pound.

cross-contamination: The tainting that can occur when cooked seafood's come into direct or indirect contact with raw seafood's and other raw foods or contaminated surfaces and utensils.

Crustaceans: Shrimp, crabs, crawfish and lobsters. (Also see Shellfish).

Cryogenic freezing: An accelerated form of blast freezing in which products are exposed to sprays of liquid nitrogen or CO2 at minus 150¼ F or colder. Used for IQF products.

curing: Using salt or sugar to draw moisture from the flesh of fish or other meats to make it unattractive to the growth of spoilage bacteria. Curing was widely used as a preservation method before the advent of modern refrigeration techniques. Today, curing is used to give a pleasing flavor to fish and refrigeration is recommended to preserve this product from spoilage.

D
deep-skinned: Removing the fat layer underneath the skin on oily species for milder flavor and improved shelf life.

Diamond Cut: A rhombus-shaped cut from a block of whole fillet; sides may be squared off or cut with a tapered edge. Usually breaded/battered. Also called French cut.

dip: A number of similar chemicals are used in processing seafood to help retain moisture, and sometimes to improve the appearance by whitening. The use of dips is long established and so far as is known, harmless. It is common in other parts of the food industry.

dorsal: The top of a fish.

double-frozen: Fish or shellfish that is frozen at sea, thawed for reprocessing in a plant onshore and then frozen a second time. Also called "twice-frozen" or "refrozen."

dragger: A term interchangeable with a fishing trawler boat. Draggers tow a large net.

dressed Fish: Completely cleaned but with head on (head removed is usually called pan-dressed). Both forms are ready for stuffing and are generally cooked in one piece.

drip loss: Weight loss that occurs as a seafood product gives up moisture. Also, loss of moisture during the thawing of frozen seafood.

dry pack: A pack form of chopped clams that contains no clam juice.

E
eviscerated: Gutted.

ex-vessel price: Price received by fishermen for fish, shellfish and other aquatic plants and animals landed at the dock.

F
FAS: Frozen at sea.

fat line: The fattiest part of a fish, mostly along the belly walls and lateral line. The fat line is often removed for milder flavor and improved shelf life.

feathering: Trimming the fillet to remove the "frill" of small bones around the edge.

filet: French spelling for fillet (see Fillet)

fillet: A slice of fish flesh of irregular size and shape, which is removed from the carcass by a cut, made parallel to the backbone, usually 2 to 12 oz. Some fillets, especially of fresh fish and those used to make up the larger frozen blocks, may be larger than 12 oz. However, for most institutional foodservice and home uses, frozen fish fillets over 12 oz. are not generally available. Special cut fillets are taken from solid large blocks; these include a "natural" cut fillet, wedge, and rhombus or tail shape. Fillets may be skinless or have skin on; pinbones may or may not be removed.

fingers: Irregular-shaped pieces of fish, similar to a long, thin fillet, breaded or battered, raw or pre-cooked. Weight per piece varies, usually available portioned (1 to 3 oz.), or in bulk.

Finnan Haddie: A medium-sized haddock split down the back with backbone left on, then brined and hot smoked.

fletch: A fillet cut from large flatfish like halibut and then further divided into boneless portions.

F.O.B.: Free on board. The abbreviation is usually followed by a city's name. It is used with quoted prices and indicates that any shipping charges beyond the f.o.b. point are the buyer's responsibility.

formed fillets: Portions cut from blocks in such a way that they appear to be natural fillets, although all are exactly the same size and shape.

freezer burn: Dehydration caused by the evaporation loss of moisture from product. It is recognized by a whitish, cottony appearance of the flesh, especially at the cut edges or thinner places.

Fresh: Product that has never been frozen, cooked, cured or otherwise preserved.

fresh frozen: Indicates fish were quickly frozen while still fresh.

front section: A large section (thicker than a steak) taken from the forward 1/3 of a fish's body.

frozen: Fish that have been subjected to rapid lowering of temperature, from zero to -30 degrees or at times lower, in such a manner as to preserve the inherent quality. See Blast and Plate Freezing

G
gaping: The separation of the individual flakes of meat in a fillet. Gaping can be a natural feature of the fish flesh or a result of poor handling.

gel pack: A coolant package filled with a combination of water and a gel-type material used for shipping seafood. Coolants are often dyed blue so any leakage is obvious.

glazed: Indicates fish has been dipped in water after freezing. Ice forms a glaze around the fish or meat, protecting it from damage by freezer burn. Fish or shellfish may be "re-glazed," or "double-glazed" to ensure adequate protection.

grading: A term for incremental measurement of seafood products, such as counts per pound of shrimp or weight range of fillets.

Groundfish: Broadly, fish that are caught on or near the sea floor. The term includes a wide variety of bottom fishes, rockfishes, and flatfishes. However, the National Marine Fisheries Service sometimes uses the term in a narrower sense. The term usually applies to cod, cusk, haddock, hake, Pollock and Atlantic ocean perch.

gutted: Fully eviscerated.

H
HACCP: Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point; a mandatory food-safety program implemented by the seafood industry in December 1997 to minimize risk to public health. HACCP requires suppliers to write up and follow a program detailing all points in their manufacturing process where hazards exist; these are the critical control points.

H&G: Headed and gutted.

hard-smoked: Products that have been smoked for up to several weeks.

histamine: Organic substance produced in the tissue of a fish that has not been properly cooled after harvest. Histamine concentrations produce food-poisoning symptoms in humans. Poorly handled Mahi Mahi, tuna and bluefish are the most commonly implicated species. Also called scombroid poisoning due to its association with the tuna family.

honeycombing: Similar to gaping but use when referring to fish steaks. Can be a natural feature of the fish flesh or a result of poor handling.

I
immersion freezing: Referred to also as Brine Freezing. Freezing by placing seafood products in direct contact with a refrigerant. The refrigerant can be applied as a bath or spray, in batch- or continuous-type freezing operations prior to packaging for subsequent frozen storage.

IPW: Individually poly-wrapped.

IQF: Individually quick-frozen. The same as frozen, but indicates the individual forms have been frozen separately, usually by cryogenic means. This prevents the forms from sticking together and facilitates use.

IVP: Individually Vacum packed

J
J-cut: A method of removing pinbones that also removes the nape. J-cut fillets are more expensive than other fillets.

K
Kg; Kilo; Kilogram: A metric weight equivalent to 2.2046 lbs. In the U.S. it is usually calculated as 2.2 lbs. Imported product is often sold by the kilogram. Kipper: To cure (herring, salmon, etc.) by cleaning, salting and drying or smoking.

L
landings: Quantities of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic plants and animals brought ashore and sold. Landings of fish may be in terms of round (live) weight or dressed weight. Landings of crustaceans are usually on a live weight basis except for shrimp, which may be on a heads-on or heads-off basis. Mollusks are generally landed with the shell on, but in some cases only the meats are landed (as with scallops). Data for all mollusks are published on meat weight basis.

lateral line: A sensory organ along each side of the head and body of fishes, probably for detecting vibrations, currents and pressure.

layerpack: A box of frozen fillets in which the layers are separated by sheets of polyethylene plastic. Fillets in each layer may overlap and be frozen together.

loin: The central, thick part of a fish fillet, above the belly. Large fillets from fish such as tuna are often called loins. Loins may be cut into steaks.

Lox: Mild-cured salmon (soaked in brine for a long periods, then soaked to remove the salt) that has been cold smoked.

M
marinated: Indicates that the seafood has been cured in an acidic solution, such as vinegar.

Market Cut: Portions, fillets or other cuts with varied sized pieces. This term is commonly used in the retail trade as a pack that allows for consumers to chose the size and weight of their choice.

mince: Fish pieces left over from filleting and trimming, sieved to remove any bones; used for making minced blocks.

molting: The process by which a crustacean sheds its shell to accommodate growth.

muscle line: A line of fat running laterally down the center of a fillet.

N
nape: The front and thinnest part of a fillet, around the belly.

net weight: Net weight is the weight of the product without packing material or glaze.

O
ocean-run: Refers to salmon that are still in the ocean and are therefore bright and firm. Seafood companies to indicate a pack of random-weight products also use "Ocean-run".

omega-3s: Fatty acids found in seafood and other sources. Research has found that these fatty acids have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and many other aspects of human health.

P
pelagic: Migratory species of fish that live near the surface such as tuna.

per capita consumption: Consumption of edible fishery products in the U.S., divided by the total population. In calculating annual per capita consumption, the National Marine Fisheries Service estimates the resident population of the U.S. in July of each year.

pinbones: A strip of small bones found along the midline of many fillets; can be removed with "V" or "J" cuts.

portion: Usually a square or rectangle, cut from a block of frozen fish. Weights vary from 1-1/2 oz. to about 6 oz. May be plain or breaded, raw or pre-cooked. Fish portion packs may bear grading and inspection marks. Raw portions are at least 3/8 inch thick, and contain at least 75% fish. The fish, from which the block is made, must be fillets from only one species, skin on or skinless. Minced fish portion is a term used for portions manufactured from mechanically separated fish flesh. Labels must, and menus should, indicate whether fish portions are "minced fish" or "fillet fish" portions.

plate freezing Freezing by use of a refrigerant flowing through hollow metal plates that are in direct contact with prepackaged seafood. Typically the plates are moveable to sandwich the product between two chilled surfaces, compressing it to ensure uniform contact and freezing.

polylined carton: A package lined with plastic on the inside to protect seafood products. "Polybagged" and "polywrapped" are similar forms of plastic packaging.

previously frozen: Frozen seafood that has been slacked out, or thawed for sale in that state; it should be clearly identified as "previously frozen" product to distinguish it from fresh.

processing block: A block of fillet pieces used for fish sticks.

Q
quarter cuts: Large fillets that have been cut in half.

R
rancidity: The oxidation of the natural oil in the fish, making the fish unpalatable.

refreshed: Also "previously frozen." Seafood that has been frozen, often in blocks, then slacked out for resale.

roe: Most fish species grow their eggs in a sac in the abdomen, and the roe of some species is considered a delicacy in various countries. Sturgeon roe, or caviar, is the best known and most expensive in the U.S., but cod, herring, mullet, Pollock, salmon and shad all produce roe prized by various regional and ethnic groups.

round: Whole, ungutted fish; shrimp that has been peeled but not split or deveined.

S
sashimi: Japanese-style raw fish cut into various forms. Also a term used to grade certain species such as Swordfish. When frozen, sashimi is held at extremely low temperatures down to -50 degrees.

Scombroid: See histamine.

Scrod: Size designation for cod, haddock, Pollock and cusk. Means "small," usually under specific poundage. Scrod is not a species of fish; sometimes spelled schrod.

sections: The three walking legs and one claw on one side of king, snow or Dungeness crab, all attached at the shoulder.

semibright: Chum salmon that has been harvested in freshwater, on its way to spawn. Semibrights are also called "brights."

Shatterpack: A box of frozen fish fillets separated by interleaved polyethylene sheets. Dropping the box, "shattering" the pack, will separate fillets.

shellfish: Two major groups of seafood are called shellfish. Mollusks include clams, oysters, mussels, conch, snails and scallops. Crustaceans include shrimp, crabs, lobster and crawfish. Squid and octopus are generally considered shellfish as well.

shelf life: The expected amount of time a seafood product will remain in high-quality condition for consumption. In general, the higher the fat content, the more prone the product is to spoilage and flavor changes. Cold temperatures retard most of these changes.

shrink: Natural weight loss of seafood due to seepage or fluids draining from product, also called drip or purge. Also, loss of seafood product or profitability due to other means, such as discarding seafood too old to sell.

Silverbright: A term referring to chum salmon that have been harvested at sea rather than in freshwater.

skinned: Some species of fish are skinned rather than dressed, such as catfish and eels.

slacked out: Frozen seafood that has been thawed. Also called "refreshed".

smoked: Fish cured by the action of smoke produced from slowly burning wood or other material, to partly dry the product and impart a smoky flavor.

snap-n-eats: Crab legs that have been cooked, frozen and scored through the shell so they can be hand-cracked for easy eating.

steak: A cross-sectional slice of a fish, usually 1/2 to 2 inches thick and containing a section of the backbone. Steaks usually yield an edible portion of about 86% to 92%. Salmon, halibut, swordfish and other large fish are commonly processed and sold as steaks.

STP: additive, sodium Tripolyphosphate, used on fish and shrimp to retain moisture.

sushi: Thin, Japanese-style slices of raw fish placed on boiled rice, flavored with rice wine vinegar and rolled in seaweed (nori). The rolls are sliced into bite-sized portions.

T
tail: Fish portion, which resembles the tail of a fish, boneless, usually breaded or batter-dipped, raw or precooked. Weights vary from 3-1/2 to 6 oz. Sometimes the entire tail, bone-in, is breaded and frozen for sale as a "tail". The term is also applied to shrimp and spiny lobster with reference to their meaty tail sections.

Tempura Batter: A light Japanese-style batter that is becoming increasingly popular.

ton: In international seafood sales, usually refers to a metric ton (2205 lbs.).

tray pack: A seafood packaging form in which a product is prepackaged on a shallow, clear or foam-plastic tray, over wrapped with transparent, plastic film. An absorbent paper pad, covered with plastic to avoid sticking to the product, is sandwiched between the product and the tray to draw off moisture.

trimmed: Finfish on which the fins and tail have been removed.

Tripolyphosphate (also, Sodium Tripoly, STP): A sodium-based additive used to control moisture loss. Often applied at sea to fresh-shucked scallops. Seafood with Tripoly added is referred to as "wet," "dipped," or "treated."

U-Z
v-cut: A method of removing pinbones by making a V-shaped cut along both sides of the pinbone strip, leaving most of the nape.

watermarked: Describes the darkened, dulled skin of a salmon as it sexually matures and enters freshwater prior to spawning.

wetlock: Wax-coated cardboard used for shipping fish packed on ice.

wheel: Cross-sectional center cut from large species like sharks and swordfish from which steaks are then cut.

whole fish: The complete fish just as it comes from the water, also called landed or round weight.

yield: The percent of meat recoverable from a fish or shellfish.