Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

Grossest week EVER!!! But I learned a lot. I was sick to my stomach that entire week but
it was not because of the fish. I think it was just nerves. But I sucked it up because I’ve learned
in the kitchen, you show up for your group! Prior to this week, the closest I’ve gotten to fish was
eating a fish fry or catching a blue gill in Pewaukee Lake. After this week, I have gained a level
of confidence with fileting fish. Do I want to go at a $100 salmon when real revenue is on the
line? Probably not! But I will get there. Although I would probably be careful enough to do it.

This week was pivotal for my group. The three of us are relatively low drama. I don’t
know how Chef Jack picks the groups but we are the only group who has remained untouched
with people dropping the class and reorganization. I am so grateful that we have stayed intact.
All three of us are very different but we have hit our stride and we get shit done!

This week we hit a boiling point! I was incredibly angry at Andrew. There was a fish that
hadn’t been fileted and he refused to touch it. I can understand that he was afraid of cutting
himself because that fish was very sharp. Even Chef Jack cut himself on this fish. I was in the
middle of fileting another fish and Nick had already fileted three fish. What made me so angry at
Andrew was that he stood and “read” a recipe while I was working for a good 45 minutes. Nick
and I both looked at each other. Knowing that Andrew was not going to touch that last fish, I
asked Nick to help me out. It was then that I knew I could count on Nick, 100%. That is very
cool to know because when we get into the restaurant and the international classes, I know I want
Nick on my team.

Salmon was my favorite fish to cook with. I attempted to grill a salmon filet with the
same whiskey glaze that I used on the corned beef. It was good but the flavor would have been
so much better if I had gotten the grill marks.

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