Safety Tips for Buying and Preparing Frozen Seafood
Maybe you wonder whether it is better to buy fresh or frozen seafood, but the truth is that frozen seafood is often better than the fresh products. This is especially true when you don’t live near a fish market at the harbour. In order for the fresh fish to get to you inland, it must be kept cool and transported by air and then transported to the fish market near you. A long time has already passed before you get it.
Therefore, if you live inland, your best option is to buy frozen seafood. However, don’t even consider it as the second-best option. The seafood is frozen at sea and all the goodness is thus locked inside.
The above makes it possible for you to enjoy healthy food, such as Cape hake, daily. With seafood noted as an exceptionally nutritious source of vitamin D, omega-3, and protein, you cannot go wrong by including seafood in your diet.
Safety should always be a priority when buying fish or meat products. You want to ensure that the food you buy has been handled in a hygienic and safe manner. This applies from the moment the seafood is caught, to when you eat it. Follow the guidelines below when you shop for frozen seafood at your local grocery stores.
Guidelines for Buying
Frozen fish and seafood can spoil when exposed to warm temperatures during transport and storage. As such, you want to ensure that the products you buy have not been defrosted at any stage:
- Avoid buying packages stored above the freezer frost line.
- Never buy packages that show signs of moisture.
- Don’t buy any packages that are open or crushed, even if only at the corners.
- Don’t buy packages that have frost or ice particles on, as the products could have been stored for prolonged periods, or may have been defrosted and refrozen.
Safety when Eating
Freezing helps to kill parasites on seafood. Be exceptionally careful when consuming raw fish or seafood. It is better to eat raw fish or seafood that has been frozen, than doing so fresh from the water.
Preparation Safety
It is best to prepare the meal according to our package instructions. You can also follow our delicious recipes in the free downloadable guides under on our Recipes page. Our package instructions state that the products must be cooked from frozen. This is to help prevent sogginess and harmful bacteria in the environment from spoiling the products. Besides, cooking from frozen offers the benefit of saving time.
Wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before and after having worked with seafood or fish. Also, make sure that the dishes, cutting boards, and utensils are clean. The best way to do this is to wash everything in hot water before preparing the seafood.
Fish, such as our Cape hake, should turn from a translucent colour to white before taking it off the heat. Don’t overcook the seafood and fish, as it will remove all nutrients and leave you with tasteless food.
Which Brand?
Buy our brand of frozen seafood to ensure that you get premium-quality and wholesome food.
