Defrosting and Preparing Your Sizzlefish Seafood

Salmon Fishing

"Salmon Fishing on the River Thjorsa, Iceland" by barry.marsh1944 is marked with CC PDM 1.0

Defrosting and preparing your Sizzlefish seafood

Ideally, you could catch your own fish on a hook and line, store it in a cooler with ice, and grill it as your main course for dinner with family and friends (or, if you prefer, cook it over a campfire on your own).  This is a rare treat in the best of times, but made more difficult because of Covid-19.  Fortunately, fish that are frozen right after they’re caught are really fresh and according to the National Fisheries Institute there is really no difference – nothing is lost when a fish is handled well and frozen immediately.[1]  So that you can always enjoy fresh seafood, Sizzlefish.com delivers your flash-frozen fish and shellfish (flash freezing produces smaller ice crystals, which keeps fish from getting mushy when thawed) packed with dry ice.  Packages take one to three days to arrive via FedEx once they are shipped, and the individual portions of seafood should arrive hard-frozen.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, seafood is a good source of high-quality protein and other essential nutrients and is an important part of a healthful diet. As with all foods, fish and shellfish must be handled properly to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The FDA website offers guidelines (and a video)  for selecting fish, shrimp, and shellfish, focusing on ensuring freshness and also suggestions for handling frozen seafood.[2]  Keeping seafood cold in the refrigerator or freezer is key to maintaining freshness. 

Sizzlefish Recommendations for Thawing

 

Regular Thawing for Fish (Recommended)

1.     Remove item from plastic packaging

2.     Place item(s) in resealable plastic bag

3.     Place items(s) in fridge for approximately six hours

Fast Thawing

1.     Remove fish from plastic packaging

2.     Place item(s) in a Ziploc or other resealable plastic bag.

3.     Fill sink with cold water.

4.     Place item(s) in water for approximately 30 minutes. 

        *  Do NOT leave item(s) in water for more than one hour. *

5.     Remove item(s) from water.

 

 

Here are some other DOs and DON’Ts are discussed by food preparation experts:

From Bon Appetit:

-   Don’t microwave seafood on the defrost setting.  While the FDA says it’s okay to do this, microwave heat is sporadic and you may change the texture of the fish or even cook the thinner parts of it while microwaving.

-   Don’t defrost seafood at room temperature.  This may alter the texture, but a more serious consequence is bacterial growth on the surface of the fish.[3]

-   Do pat shrimp (seafood) dry with a paper towel.  This will remove any excess moisture and allow your seafood to brown without overcooking.[4]

 

From Martha Stewart:

-   As a last resort, you can cook proteins from frozen. This is especially true with fish.  Cooking smaller cuts from frozen works best, and add extra time to be sure it is fully cooked.[5]

From Epicurious:

-   Store properly at home in the freezer. Frozen fish will keep for at least six months and up to a year at zero degrees or below.[6]

-   100 seafood recipes that look pretty great.

 

From Livestrong:

-   Do purchase individually quick-frozen portions. These can be easily dry-baked, or baked in a sauce to moisten and flavor the fish.[7]

 

From Cooking Light:

-   Cites USDA…  that you need to increase cooking time by 50% to cook it through entirely.[8]

Sizzlefish delivers!

Whether you are trying to limit your exposure to the coronavirus by ordering deliveries, or you just love good seafood, Sizzlefish.com is a great way to keep healthy protein in your diet.  However you decide to thaw it (following the guidelines above), fresh frozen seafood is tasty and good for you. Wherever you are, whatever your diet (see the links under Our Products, Diet Friendly for Paleo Friendly collections and see Diet & Lifestyles under Recipes for Weight Watchers, ketogenic, Whole 30 and gluten free), Sizzlefish.com has a variety of seafood choices that you are sure to enjoy.

 

Cooking

"Campfire Cooking" by therichbrooks is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

References

 

[1]  Fuller, Janet Rausa. Is frozen fish better than fresh? Epicurious. October 22, 2015. https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/is-frozen-fish-better-than-fresh-fish-article

[2]  https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/selecting-and-serving-fresh-and-frozen-seafood-safely

[3]  Wartzman, Emma. All of your questions about thawing fish, answered. Bon Appetit - basically. August 15, 2019. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-safely-thaw-frozen-fish

[4]  Delany, Alex. How to thaw frozen shrimp and win weeknight dinner. Bon Appetit – basically. May 21, 2019. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-thaw-frozen-shrimp

[5]  McCracken, Janet Taylor. What are the best ways to thaw meat, chicken, and fish? Martha Stewart website. February 24, 2020. https://www.marthastewart.com/7618471/defrost-meat-fish-chicken-quickly

[6]  Fuller, Janet Rausa. Is frozen fish better than fresh? Epicurious. October 22, 2015. https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/is-frozen-fish-better-than-fresh-fish-article

[7]  Decker, Fred (reviewed by Janet Renee, MS, RD). Can you bake frozen fish? Livestrong.com. September 4, 2019. https://www.livestrong.com/article/476701-can-you-bake-frozen-fish/

[8]  Weg, Arielle. How to cook frozen seafood without thawing. Cooking Light. October 3, 2017. https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/how-to-cook-frozen-seafood-without-thawing-it

 

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