Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency involves selecting, preparing and cooking seafood products to order in a retail shop, and cleaning up cooking facilities. This unit does not deal with generic skills (non-seafood) that are required for cooking and retailing.

Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this unit. Therefore it will be necessary to check with the relevant state or territory regulators for current licensing, legislative or regulatory requirements before undertaking this unit.

Application of the unit 

This unit has application to a retail outlet which sells cooked seafood product to the public.

All enterprise or workplace procedures and activities are carried out according to relevant government regulations , licensing and other compliance requirements , including occupational health and safety  (OHS ) guidelines  and food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures and ecologically sustainable development principles  (ESD ).

Equipment operation, maintenance, repairs and calibrations are undertaken in a safe manner that conforms to manufacturer instructions. Appropriate personal protective equipment  (PPE ) is selected, checked, used and maintained.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Select product  to cook

1.1. Appropriate PPE is worn.

1.2. Seafood to be cooked to order is identified and assessed for suitability and stored correctly until required.

1.3. Fresh or thawed product selected to be cooked is handled with care to ensure it is not physically damaged.

1.4. Product identified as unsuitable is set aside and reported to the appropriate person.

1.5. Temperature of product awaiting cooking is maintained within the required range to ensure conformity with food safety regulations.

1.6. Ingredients required for cooking are identified and stored correctly until required.

1.7. Equipment  and power sources are operated safety and effectively as required by the enterprise.

1.8. Commercial cooking oil/fat is used safely and within approved temperature range.

.

2. Pre-cook product

2.1. Batters, crumbs and other seafood coatings are prepared and stored.

2.2. Product is pre-cooked and stored at the appropriate temperature to ensure conformity with food regulations.

2.3. Pre-cooked product is stored in cool rooms or refrigerated counter units in the appropriate place to ensure no cross-contamination occurs, and conformity with food regulations.

3. Cook and sell product to order

3.1. Customer's order is taken and recorded.

3.2. Product is cooked for sufficient time to ensure that the temperature and colour conforms to food regulations.

3.3. Customer's order is assembled when all items are cooked, and wrapped/packaged.

4. Clean facilities

4.1. Cooking equipment and preparation area are kept clean during operation.

4.2. When cooking operations are closed, cooking equipment is cleaned.

4.3. Cleaning equipment and cleaning chemicals are used correctly.

4.4. Cooking oil/fat is filtered to ensure conformity with food regulations, and disposal follows ESD procedures.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• assessing seafood freshness and suitability as a 'cook-to-order' item
• cleaning the workplace and using cleaning chemicals safely
• communicating to take a customer's order
• handling, wrapping and packaging cooked seafood
• identifying cooking times for deep fried and grilled seafood.

Literacy skills used for :

• identifying and tracing product
• interpreting cooking recipes
• interpreting enterprise procedures
• recording customer orders when taken face to face or by telephone.

Numeracy skills used for :

• accurately reading a thermometer
• calculating extensions of weight and price to give an accurate price of product
• calculating total of invoice or bill
• counting product for stocktaking purposes
• reading and interpreting electronic scales.

Required knowledge 

• hygienic handing of cooked and raw seafood
• hygienic handling of pre-cooked and cooked seafood
• product knowledge:

• assessment of spoilage, defects and parasites
• cooking methods, such as grilling, barbecuing, baking and deep frying
• correct marketing name
• handling, wrapping and packaging
• harvest or fishing area
• potential food safety hazards
• presentation of product
• prohibited species
• seasonality
• shelf life of raw materials

• suitability of different cooking methods, such as grilling, baking, barbequing, deep frying and steaming for species sold.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit 

Assessment must confirm the ability to:

• cook, wrap and serve suitable product courteously and knowledgeably so that customer's needs are met
• clean cooking equipment and preparation area to ensure compliance with enterprise procedures and food regulations.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:

• deep frying and grilling of a variety of seafood species
• degree of freshness and spoilage for a particular species
• common seafood defects, diseases and parasites
• species identification
• food regulations for the preparation and display of pre-cooked product
• species harvest or fishing area, seasonality and cooking methods.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace or in a simulated work environment.

Resources may include:

• deep fryer, steamer, barbeque and oven
• grill plate
• seafood product
• refrigerated storage rooms
• temperature measuring devices
• cooking medium, such as oils
• cooking materials, such as batters and crumbs
• salt
• wrapping materials
• cooking utensils
• Australian Seafood Handbook: An Identification Guide to Domestic Species, CSIRO.

Method of assessment 

The following assessment methods are suggested:

• select, prepare and cook by deep frying and grilling a range of seafood that has at least one (1) of the following:

• fresh fish
• raw crustaceans and molluscs

• demonstrate product knowledge for at least three (3) common fish species, two (2) common crustaceans and two (2) common molluscs.

Guidance information for assessment 

This unit may be assessed holistically with other units within a qualification.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Relevant government regulations , licensing and other compliance requirements  may include:

• biosecurity, translocation and quarantine
• Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) and other import requirements
• business or workplace operations, policies and practices
• correct marketing names and labelling
• ESD principles, environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control
• fisheries or aquaculture regulations, permits and licences
• food safety, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), hygiene and temperature control along chain of custody
• health and welfare of aquatic animals
• OHS hazard identification, risk assessment and control.

OHS guidelines  may include:

• appropriate workplace provision of first aid kits and fire extinguishers
• clean, uncluttered, hygienic workplace
• codes of practice, regulations and/or guidance notes which may apply in a jurisdiction or industry sector
• enterprise-specific OHS procedures, policies or standards
• hazard and risk assessment of workplace, maintenance activities and control measures
• induction or training of staff, contractors and visitors in relevant OHS procedures and/or requirements to allow them to carry out their duties in a safe manner
• OHS training register
• safe lifting, carrying and handling techniques, including manual handling, and the handling and storage of hazardous substances
• safe systems and procedures for work, including fall protection, confined space entry and the protection of people in the workplace
• systems and procedures for the safe maintenance of property, machinery and equipment, including hydraulics and exposed moving parts
• the appropriate use, maintenance and storage of PPE.

Food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures  may include:

• Australian Shellfish Sanitation program
• display, packaging and sale of food, including seafood and aquatic products
• equipment design, use, cleaning and maintenance
• handling and disposal of condemned or recalled seafood products
• HACCP, food safety program, and other risk minimisation and quality assurance systems
• location, construction and servicing of seafood premises
• people, product and place hygiene and sanitation requirements
• Primary Products Standard and the Australian Seafood Standard (voluntary)
• processing, further processing and preparation of food, including seafood and aquatic products
• product labelling, tracing and recall
• receipt, storage and transportation of food, including seafood and aquatic products
• requirements set out in Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) Food Standards Code and state and territory food regulations
• temperature and contamination control along chain of custody.

ESD principles  may include:

• controlling effluents, chemical residues, contaminants, wastes and pollution
• improving energy efficiency
• increasing use of renewable, recyclable and recoverable resources
• minimising noise or odour emissions
• reducing emissions of greenhouse gases
• reducing energy use
• reducing use of non-renewable resources
• undertaking environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control
• using and recycling of water and maintaining water quality.

PPE  may include:

• gloves
• insulated protective clothing for freezers or chillers and refrigeration units
• non-slip or other safety footwear
• protective hair, beard and boot covers
• uniforms or overalls.

Product  may include:

• barbequed, baked, steamed or grilled whole fish, fillets and cutlets
• fried fish fillets, crustaceans and molluscs
• potato chips

Equipment  may include:

• baking ovens
• cleaning chemicals
• cleaning equipment
• deep fryers
• display trays and tongs
• fish tubs
• frying baskets
• grill plates
• ice machines
• knives and sharpening steel
• oil filtering equipment
• packaging material
• refrigerated display units
• salt shakers
• scales (electronic and mechanical)
• scoops
• steamers
• thermometers or other temperature measuring devices
• wrapping paper.

Unit sector 

Seafood sales and distribution

Co-requisite units 

Competency field