Official events imply table setting in accordance with all the rules of etiquette. If it is supposed to serve fish dishes, then there should be special fish forks on the table. They are used in the same way as regular forks, but they look slightly different from traditional cutlery.
Instructions
Step 1
There are two types of fish forks. One of them is intended for hot fish dishes. It is also called the chill fork. The other is a special fork for canned fish. Hot fish dishes are supposed to be eaten with a fish knife and chill fork, although etiquette also allows the use of a fork and a crust of bread as an auxiliary tool. The fish fork is usually smaller than the traditional one. According to the rules, it has three blunt and wide teeth and a handle that is wider in comparison with a dessert fork.
Step 2
However, modern manufacturers also produce fish forks with four prongs. The teeth of the fish fork are shorter than standard cutlery. Often, manufacturers of four-prong fish forks make a deep slot between two pairs of prongs. It is needed to remove bones from fish more efficiently. The three prong forks look like Neptune's trident. Using a fish fork, separate the flesh from a piece of fish held with a knife, a second fork or crust of bread and peel it off of bones and skin.
Step 3
Another type of fork - a fork for canned fish such as sprats or sardines - is an auxiliary rather than a main appliance. This means that with its help a person transfers the required amount of fish to his plate, but does not use it for food. This fork is usually even smaller than a dessert fork or a hot fish fork. The sprat fork has a wide base. The fork has five prongs connected by a jumper. Such a peculiar shape of the fork in the form of a spatula makes it easy to get and shift the fish without damaging or breaking it, and excess juice or oil flows through the holes between the tines.
Step 4
If you have not found a fish knife on the table, which looks like a small elongated spatula with a blunt end, then a second fish fork, if any, or an ordinary fork can perform its function. It holds the piece of fish in place while a special fish fork is used to separate and clean the fillets.
Step 5
A special fork is also used for cold fish appetizers in the form of seafood, oyster and mussel cocktails. It has three teeth, and one of them - the left one - is longer than the others and with its help the mollusks are separated from the shell. For crabs, crayfish and shrimp, use a long two-pronged fork. If lobster is to be served, there should be a special needle on the table.
