Usually, we tend to think that only fresh fish has the highest quality and, therefore, you should avoid other types. At first this may sound accurate and logical, but it is actually more complicated than that.
A large percentage of the seafood that we consume is imported from different places around the world. Yeah, that delicious Alaskan salmon you see laid out on ice at the market most likely didn’t come straight off the boat that day.
And if that fish was caught just that morning, think about how pricey that could be to have gotten there so quickly. Even Amazon prime doesn’t deliver in a day anymore!
Also, if the seafood market doesn’t sell that fish that afternoon then it goes to waste. Definitely not a win/win situation for the customers or the fish markets.
So, how is this situation managed?
Well, there are different methods to keep fish fresh, free of bacteria and avoid the surface of the fish from drying out. The most popular is to flash-freeze the fish.
Flash-freezing, or blast freezing, is a process the seafood industry uses to describe fish that was quickly frozen. Right on the boat or in a plant, there’s special equipment that facilitates the process of rapidly freezing fish at low temperatures without having a huge impact on the flavor and, more importantly, the nutrients.
How long it takes to freeze something to core will affect the quality. The quicker the freeze, the better the quality. So blast freezers often have high wind-velocity and very cold temperatures to ultimately flash freeze the fish as quickly as possible!
But, what about the quality? This is where you might be surprised. Recent studies have found that flash frozen seafood possibly has the same quality or even better than the “fresh” fish found in seafood markets and stores.
The reason for this is that freezing them right away decreases the chances of growing bacteria and the deterioration of the nutrients. And, don’t forget about the flavor. Well, the flavor can be preserved quite well with this method as well.
Now that you know more about frozen fish, you can make wiser choices when it comes to buying seafood.
Our recommendation is that you should consider getting your seafood from a reputable store, like 7 Seas Fish Market, and double check if the type of fish you’re looking for is available all year long.
Also, at 7 Seas Fish Market, we can help you out with these types of questions, or any other questions you have a seafood.
Come to our shop and ask us about it. We’ll be happy to help!