Serves: 5
Storage:
Consume fresh fish and seafood within a day of purchase. As for fresh-frozen, most household freezers don't get cold enough to hold seafood's peak flavor for more than a week or two. If you're not going to eat it by then, place it in a deep freezer that can get down to -10ºF to -20ºF to maintain that just-caught flavor longer.
Scallops:
Available both fresh and fresh-frozen. Fresh scallops should smell sweet and glisten. Refrigerate immediately and prepare within a day. Fresh-frozen are the next best thing--just don't buy too far in advance. Color should range from light beige to pale pink.
Squid:
Fresh-frozen is probably your best bet for peak flavor. Thaw only in your refrigerator, never at room temperature.
Whole fish:
Scaled and gutted fish are usually sold fresh. Look for clear eyes (exception: the cloudy-eyed walleye) that are nicely rounded. And note how the fish is stored. Whole fish should be placed belly side down on a sloped bed of fresh ice so that any melting ice drains away. Look for firm and shiny flesh, and avoid fish with darkening edges or any discoloration. Gills should be bright red and free of…uh, slime (ugly word, but we have to tell it like it is).
Fresh fillets:
Look for compact flesh with tight layers and bright color. When poked firmly with a finger, the flesh should spring back. (If it's in a case, have the person behind the counter do it. They should be glad to oblige. If they're not, move on.) Give it a whiff. If it smells fishy or like ammonia, it's starting to deteriorate.
Frozen fillets:
These are hardest to judge because you have to rely on your eyes. Again, compact layers and good color are key (although a certain amount of dulling occurs with freezing). The FDA advises you to avoid packages that are torn, crushed, or stored above the frost line of the store's freezer. Once you've thawed them at home, make sure frozen fillets pass the tests for fresh ones.
Finally, to avoid cross-contamination, don't buy any cooked seafood that's been stored with raw fish.
From Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.
This _Fishy Choices: Fresh or Frozen? recipe is from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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