Fish Market

Keep it cold! Never leave seafood in a hot car!

Storing Fresh Seafood

Unwrap, rinse under cold water, pat dry with paper towel and place in an airtight container. Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

For optimum flavor, texture, and nutritional value, store fresh seafood no longer than 1-2 days before use.

Although it’s best to use seafood in its fresh state, if it is necessary to freeze fish, do so quickly and use it as soon as possible.

Refrigerate live clams, oysters, mussels, crabs, lobsters, and crayfish in well ventilated containers. Cover container with a damp cloth or paper towel.

Do not store live shellfish in airtight bags or containers. Storing live shellfish in fresh or salt water will kill them.

Storing Frozen Seafood

Store frozen seafood products in the freezer immediately when you get home. Store them in their original moisture-proof package.

Frozen seafoods packaged in over-wrapped trays should be repackaged in cling wrap, plastic freezer wrap, freezer paper, or other moisture-proof material before storing them in the freezer.

Keep frozen seafood at 0 degrees F or below until ready to use.

Thawing Frozen Seafood

Many frozen seafood products do not need to thaw before being cooked. Follow the processor’s directions. Frozen seafood generally require double the cooking time recommended for fresh fish.

If thawing is required, do so in the refrigerator (about 18 hours per pound) or under cold water.

Do not thaw frozen seafood at room temperature or under warm running water. Thinner parts of the seafood thaw faster than thicker parts, and the outer edges may start to spoil before the center has thawed.

Handling and Preparation

Don’t cross-contaminate! Bacteria can spread from raw and live seafood to cooked seafood. Handle raw and cooked seafood products separately.

Thoroughly wash and rinse knives, containers, and cutting boards between handling of raw and cooked seafood.

Freshness is easiest to gauge when the fish is whole. Look for these signs of quality in both whole and “dressed” fish:

• Appearance is bright and shiny.
• Scales are bright, most of them intact and adhering closely to the skin.
• Eyes are bright, clear, and full and often protrude.
• Gills are red – and indicatory that oxygen is present and the fish is very fresh. Gill color fades with time to light pink, then gray, and finally to greenish or dull brown.

If the fish has been dressed:

• Flesh of most species of lean or white fish should be white, and almost translucent; there should be no signs of reddening along the backbone, nor discoloration of the flesh.
• Flesh should feel firm and elastic when pressed with the fingertips. Fish that is limp, soft and remains indented after pressing is stale.
• Fish aroma is fresh and mild, not “fishy”.

• A drawn fish is a whole fish minus its internal organs. A drawn fish may still need to be scaled.
• A dressed fish has had its organs, scales, head, tail, and fins removed. It’s ready to be cooked.
• A fish steak is a crosscut slice from a large dressed fish. Steaks do not need any special preparation before cooking.
• A fish fillet is a boneless piece cut lengthwise from the side and away from the backbone.

• For whole or round fish, allow ~3/4 lb. per person
• For dressed or cleaned fish, allow ~1/2 lb. per person
• For fillets or steaks, allow ~1/2 lb. per person