Good sustainable seafood is amazing! But if you’ve ever had less-than-amazing seafood, it can have that unpleasant “fishy” smell or taste. Primarily that happens when seafood comes above 4 degrees celsius for any length of time. Improper handling of seafood can happen at any time along the lengthy, convoluted industrial seafood supply chain, but it often happens when people thaw premium quality seafood improperly. In addition, improper thawing can lead to food borne illness! Unpleasant and dangerous! Read on for how to properly thaw your seafood so that it maintains its optimal quality!
The ideal way to safely thaw a vacuum-sealed fillet is to remove it from the freezer and put it directly into the fridge, and it should thaw overnight. Our packages of shrimp and spot prawns should be thawed right before consumption; just pop the block of ice into a colander, and run cold water over it. If you thaw packages of shrimp frozen in seawater in your fridge overnight, you might have a mess in your fridge when you wake up!
If you are in a hurry, seafood that is sealed in plastic can also be safely thawed in a large sink filled with cold water. Remember to replace the water frequently so that is stays below 4 degrees Celsius at all times.
If your seafood is not sealed in plastic, do not place it in cold tap water to thaw. The seafood will absorb the tap water causing it to become water logged and mushy. If you must thaw seafood directly in water, you can create the same salinity as sea water by adding about 6 teaspoons of salt to each litre of water.
Remember . . .
Never throw a fillet in a sink of water before going to work and come home 10 hours later!
Never thaw seafood on the counter at room temperature!
Never thaw seafood in warm water!
We personally put so much care and attention into the handling of every single piece of fish from the time we pull it out of the sea until the time in lands in your hands. If you put the same care and attention into thawing and cooking it, you will enjoy some of the best seafood you’ve ever tasted!
