A Guide To Buying
Fish and Seafood
By Cherie Gordon-Eales
Online, your Local Fishmonger or at the Supermarket. What is the best option for buying Seafood?
At the Supermarket
They may have a fresh fish counter or a section in the chiller department, they will almost certainly have a freezer department.
You may or may not realise this, but all fish starts to spoil as soon as it’s killed and the more the seafood is processed/handled the quicker it starts to deteriorate. When buying seafood you want it as fresh as possible, preferably still flapping.
When buying fish a good way to tell if it’s fresh is to press it with you finger, the flesh should spring back, not leave your fingerprint in it. It should smell of the sea, slightly of ozone and most definitely not of FISH.
The reason that the seafood in supermarkets manages to have such a long shelf life is because those little sealed containers have pumped air in them - not air exactly as you and I breathe but air with the same elements calibrated to a different ratio and this is what stops the fish going off so quickly. As soon as that container is opened the fish will start to spoil faster (I might add that they do the same with bagged salad). Do you really want to be buying fish that's been artificially kept edible?
At the fish counter you will probably find not only whole fish and seafood but also fillets, steaks and cutlets. It’s a good idea to ask the assistant when the fish was caught/brought in. They should be able to tell you. Be aware of any fish that’s been covered in ice with just the heads sticking out, this is an old trick to disguise old product, get them to take it out so that you can see the fish properly. If there are fillets on sale, especially sole or plaice fillets check to see if there’s any yellowing of the flesh; this is another indication of stale fish, and of course, ask to smell it.
If you’re looking at a whole fish - take a good look at its eyes, they should be clear and bright, not sunken and cloudy. The gills should be a deep red colour and the skin shiny and slippery. If you pick up the fish it should feel firm, not floppy like some old rag doll.
If you’re after shellfish there’s 2 very simple rules to follow. Before cooking, if it’s open and doesn’t close when tapped sharply don’t buy it or cook it. After cooking if it’s still shut, don’t eat it.
When buying crab or lobster, pick it up, it should feel heavy for it’s size.
The third option in the Supermarket is the freezer department. This can be a very good alternative to fresh fish. Look for fish that has been ‘flash frozen’, this means that the fish has been caught and filleted very quickly - possibly at sea , then frozen very quickly thus retaining all the flavour and nutrients. This is often a far better option than fish lying around for days in the chiller cabinet.
If you are lucky enough to be close to a decent Fishmonger, get to know him and he’ll look after you. He will invariably know where the seafood has come from and when it was caught. He can prepare it for you and give you tips and recipes. If you have a special occasion coming up, tell him beforehand and he will be only to happy to fulfil your order, handing it over ready to put in the oven or whatever.
Thankfully, now that the Internet has come into its own, buying fish and seafood online has never been easier. There are many small, specialised companies where you can buy not only fresh fish and seafood but delicacies such as Smoked Salmon and Caviar. They deliver excellent seafood either fresh in chilled boxes, frozen or vacuum packed.
Cherie is a freelance cook, cookery writer and webmaster. See http://www.great-salmon-recipes.com for more great salmon recipes including how to smoke, grill, bake and poach Salmon and for quick and easy recipes using canned salmon.
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Features and Pages
For Healthy Meals, Choose Wild American Shrimp
(NewsUSA) - When preparing your next health-conscious menu, consider that where you find your ingredients can be just as important as what you use.
Certified Wild American shrimp, caught fresh in their own natural environment in the Atlantic and Gulf, have added appeal to health-conscious consumers who care about where their food comes from.
"Wild-caught shrimp are fresh, succulent and tender, unlike 85 percent of shrimp, which are imported and pond-raised," said Monica Pope, owner and chef of the Houston restaurant t'afia. She lives by the philosophy "eat where your food lives."
Wild American shrimp are beneficial for those who are trying to lose weight. "A typical 4-ounce portion has just 112 calories when served steamed, boiled, grilled or baked and provides 23 grams of protein -; 47 percent of the daily value for protein," Pope said.
She recommends that consumers ask for certified Wild American shrimp at their grocery store, favorite restaurant or seafood counter.
"You have a choice," she said. "By asking for certified Wild American shrimp, you're not only choosing the best-tasting seafood possible, you're also helping to support an entire industry and way of life."
For more information about Wild American shrimp, visit www.wildamericanshrimp.com.
TURMERIC SHRIMP
1 pound Wild American shrimp, cleaned
2 1/2 cloves garlic, peeled
2/3 teaspoon salt
1 small bay leaf
1/3 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 1/2 cups water
2/3 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/3 teaspoon red chili powder
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Place garlic cloves in a food processor with the salt and mince. Toss with the shrimp and set aside for 15 minutes. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the bay leaf, 1/3 tablespoons lime juice and the 2/3 teaspoon turmeric.
When the water is boiling, add the shrimp, stirring. Cook just until opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.
Immediately spread the shrimp onto a large baking sheet to cool. Mix the additional lime juice, red chili powder and a pinch of turmeric together and pour over the warm shrimp. Toss until well-combined. Add cilantro leaves after the shrimp have cooled.
How to Cook Grouper
By Sarah Sandori"Grouper" refers to a number of different, but related, large fish notable for their stout bodies and big mouths.
Sport fishermen love groupers. Bottom dwellers, these fish pose a particular challenge because they like to back themselves in amongst rocks and debris on the ocean floor. They will do this even after they have been hooked, so the fisherman has to carefully "work" it out without snagging or snapping the line on something.
Normally, you would have to go about 20 miles offshore to find the best grounds for fishing grouper. In recent years, though, the development of artificial reefs off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S. have brought groupers, in large numbers, closer to land.
Groupers are also being farmed in some areas now. So while some types of fish are becoming scarcer or even disappearing from market shelves, grouper is actually being seen more often. This is a welcome development, because groupers are good eating.
Try grilling or baking grouper. The following recipes--one for grilling, the other for baking--are easy and delicious.
Grilled Grouper
Ingredients
2 lbs. fresh grouper fillets
1 jar fancy mustard
1 tablespoon grated onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coase-ground black pepper
Directions
Mix mustard, onion, salt and pepper. Coat the fillets with this mixture and marinate for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Remove fillets from fridge and place on a hot grill. Cook the grouper until done, turning once during the grilling. (Note: 1-inch-thick fillets will take approximately 13 minutes to cook. Thinner fillets will take less time.)
Baked Grouper
Ingredients
1 stick butter or margarine
Juice of 1freshly squeezed lemon
2 lbs. grouper fillets (fresh or frozen)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
1. Melt the butter or margarine in a baking pan. Pour the lemon juice into the butter or margarine and mix well.
2. Lay the grouper fillets in the pan, coating one side with the butter-lemon juice mix; then turn and coat the other side.
3. Spread bread crumbs over the fish.
4. Bake at 360 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes; fish is done when it can be easily flaked with a fork.
Whether grilled or baked, grouper goes well served on a bed of rice. Add lemon slices or sliced almonds for a special touch.
Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html
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