Gourmet Seafood
Seafood is arguably the healthiest meat available, it is high in vitamins and minerals, high in protein, low in fat and most seafood contains Omega 3 polyunsaturated oil which is great for your heart. Buying the best seafood is all about appearance, aroma and texture.
When seafood is labeled fresh it means it has not been frozen. Different varieties of seafood have different attributes when they are at their freshest. Here are some general guidelines to follow when purchasing seafood. All seafood should be kept at 32 degree F or less and feel cold when touched.
Fresh fish should have clear, bright and sometimes bulging eyes. If their eyes are cloudy, pink or sunken these are signs the fish is not fresh. They should have slime-free, firm flesh and bright red or pink gills. Dull or discolored gills and fish with soft flesh should be avoided as these are also signs they have gone bad. Their scales should be tightly adhering and colorings should be bright. As far as smell goes, they shouldn't emanate a strong fishy or ammonia scent and should instead have a sweet fresh from the ocean smell.
When sold in fillets, fresh fish should have firm, moist, translucent flesh that doesn't appear bruised or discolored around the edges. It is best to buy fresh fillets that are presented on ice, however if prepackaged is the only option it should be in a minimum amount of liquid as seafood soaked in liquid deteriorates quickly. As with whole fish they should not have a fishy scent.
Live lobster and crab that are kept in tanks should be active. Only soft-shelled crabs should have soft shells, all others should have hard shells. Lobsters should have tightly curled tails with no signs of separation between the tail and the body. Refrigerated lobsters and crabs are usually not very active, however they should move a little when touched.
Lobster and crab that come cooked should have bright red shells and no fishy scent. Lobster meat that has already been extracted from the shell should be white and extracted crab meat should be white with red highlighting.
Fresh, live shellfish, including oysters, clams and scallops should be kept on a flat bed of ice and their shells should be tightly closed with no signs of cracking. If you do happen to find an open shell, give it a quick tap; if it doesn't close immediately don't buy it. Live shell fish should have a smell similar to an ocean breeze.
Shucked shell fish should have plump, firm, meat. They should be contained in their liquor which should be clean and clear with no bits of shell, sand or other particulate. The coloring depends on the type of shell fish, scallops for example should be white - tan while mussels are usually orange. They should smell sweet with no hints of ammonia.
Raw shrimp or prawns shell colors range from gray to pink, depending on the species. When raw their flesh should be firm and have a mild aroma of the sea. Cooked shrimps should have bright red shells and their meat should be white with pink highlights. If the shrimps or prawns have any discoloring on their shells or have soft flesh these are signs of chemical treatment gone wrong and they should not be purchased.
The best place to buy fresh seafood is online, direct from the supplier. When you order online you are skipping the distributor and retail outlet, so your seafood arrives at its very freshest. The selection of all kinds of seafood online is also superior to any local store. You can buy crab from Alaska, lobster from Maine and swordfish from California. It is also very convenient to order online, most gourmet seafood suppliers will ship your order the day you order it in an insulated, temperature controlled box that keeps it fresh.
Generally it is best to buy seafood the day before you intend to eat it, so it is at its very freshest. However, most varieties will keep when properly refrigerated and can be frozen for several months in many cases. For further information on handling and storing seafood please refer to Affluent Tastes Handy Seafood Storage guide.
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