Seafood Preparation & Storage Tips
Source of Recipe
OdysseySeafood
Seafood Preparation Good Food Handling Tips:
Thaw frozen seafood in the refrigerator, under cold running water or in the microwave oven following the manufacturer's guidelines. Never thaw seafood on the counter at room temperature.
Always wash hands thoroughly with hot soapy water before and after handling raw seafood or other raw protein foods.
Unless thoroughly iced, don't leave seafood, raw or cooked, out of the refrigerator.
Always marinate fish and shellfish in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. Discard the marinade after use.
Make sure that juices from raw seafood don't drip onto cooked foods; this leads to cross-contamination.
For All Raw Food:
Use separate utensils for sampling and stirring. Also use clean utensils and serving plates for cooked items.
Do not reuse a dish cloth or sponge used to clean up raw juices from fish or shellfish without washing it first. Replace sponges and clean towels and dish cloths frequently.
Wash counters, utensils, plates, cutting boards and other surfaces touched by raw seafood with hot, soapy water before using them for other foods. This will prevent cross-contamination.
If you are in doubt about a food product-throw it out!
Seafood Storage Guide
Product Purchased Commercially Frozen for Freezer Storage Purchased Fresh & Home Frozen Thawed; Never Frozen or Previously Frozen & Home Refrigerated
FISH FILLETS/STEAKS:
Lean:
Cod, Flounder 10-12 months 6-8 months 36 hours
Haddock, Halibut 10-12 months 6-8 months 36 hours
Pollock, Ocean Perch 8-9 months 4 months 36 hours
Sea Trout, Rockfish 8-9 months 4 months 36 hours
Pacific Ocean Perch 8-9 months 4 months 36 hours
Less Lean:
Mullet, Smelt 6-8 months N/A 36 hours
Salmon (cleaned) 7-9 months N/A 36 hours
SHELLFISH
Dungeness Crab 6 months 6 months 5 days
Snow Crab 6 months 6 months 5 days
Blue Crabmeat (fresh) N/A 4 months 5-7 days
Blue Crabmeat (pasteurized) N/A N/A 6 months
Cocktail Claws N/A 4 months 5 days
King Crab 12 months 9 months 7 days
Surimi Seafoods 10-12 months 9 months 2 weeks
Shrimp 9 months 5 months 4 days
Oysters, shucked N/A N/A 4-7 days
Clams, shucked N/A N/A 5 days
Lobster, live N/A N/A 1-2 days
Lobster, tailmeat 8 months 6 months 4-5 days
BREADED SEAFOODS
Shrimp 12 months 8 months N/A
Scallops 16 months 10 months N/A
Fish Sticks 18 months N/A N/A
Portions 18 months N/A N/A
SMOKED FISH
Herring N/A 2 months 3-4 days
Salmon, Whitefish N/A 2 months 5-8 days
Footnotes:
N/A - not applicable or not advised.
These storage guidelines indicate optimal shelf life for seafood products held under proper refrigeration or freezing conditions. Temperature fluctuations in home refrigerators will affect optimal shelf life, as will opening and closing refrigerators and freezers often.
Although the above storage times ensure a fresh product for maximum refrigeration storage life at 32°F, the consumer should plan on using seafood within 36 hours for optimal quality and freshness of the product.
To determine approximate storage time for those species not listed, ask your retailer which category (lean, less lean, shellfish, breaded or smoked) they fall within and refer to the guide.
Seafood Storage Guidelines for Consumers
Whether you've purchased fish or shellfish that's fresh or frozen, always keep it cold. Never leave perishable items in a hot car unless packed in ice or in a cooler; seafood products must be kept cold to ensure peak quality. It's always a good idea to keep your refrigerator temperature between 32 to 38 degrees F, and your freezer at zero degrees F or colder.
Here are more suggestions:
Store fresh fish in its original wrapper in the coldest part of the refrigerator, that is under the freezer or in the "meat keeper" drawer. Plan to use your seafood purchases within 1-2 days. If not, freeze them. However, do not refreeze previously frozen products because the quality will suffer.
Molluscan shellfish-oysters, clams and mussels-should be refrigerated in containers with clean, damp cloths, not with airtight lids. Live mussels, oysters and clams may open their shells even in the refrigerator. Give them a tap. They will close if alive; if not, discard. Cook fresh shellfish within one to two days.
Live lobsters and crabs should be cooked the same day they are purchased. Before cooking place them on a tray covered with a damp cloth and store in the refrigerator. Store cooked whole lobsters or crabs in rigid air-tight containers and use them within two to three days.
Store shrimp, squid and shucked shellfish in a leak-proof bag, plastic container or covered jar. Use squid, shrimp and scallops within 1 to 2 days. Shucked oysters should be cooked within 7 days.
Keep frozen fish and shellfish frozen at O degrees F and for best quality use them within three to six months. The longer these foods are frozen, the more likely they are to lose flavor, texture and moisture.
Pasteurized crab meat can be kept in your refrigerator for up to 6 months. Once opened, use within three to five days. (Pasteurized products should not be frozen.)
Store canned seafood in a cool, dry place for up to one year.
Keep smoked seafood products refrigerated and use them within 10 days.
Vacuum-sealed containers of surimi seafood can keep for two to three months in the refrigerator. Surimi seafood can also be frozen; properly thawed or opened, surimi seafood will stay fresh in the refrigerator for four days.
TOLL FREE SEAFOOD HOT-LINE: 1-877-873-8000
|
Â
Â
Â
|
member logon
