Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Seafood (part 6)

Note: This is the sixth part of a multiple-posts about getting and preparing the best food. Please read the earlier posts to get more information.
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food (part 1)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Vegetables (part 2)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Fruits (part 3)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Meat (part 4)
Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Poultry (part 5)

Seafood, like chicken, has increased in popularity in recent years because , in general, it is a good source of protein and supplies less fat and fewer calories than red meat. Many types of fresh, frozen, and canned fish and shellfish are available in supermarkets.

Some kinds of seafood are higher in fat content. Examples are albacore, bloaters, butterfish, bluefish, chub, eel, herring, pompano, salmon, sardine, shad, smelt, sprat, canned tuna in oil, trout, and whitefish. Sardines, anchovies, and canned tuna in oil are high in cholesterol as well as fat. Leaner varieties of fish include sole, flounder, red snapper, turbot, grouper, halibut, and canned tuna in water.

Mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels, scallops) and crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crawfish) are higher in cholesterol than most types of fish, but shellfish generally are low in fat.

Below are hints for buying fish and shellfish.

Fish: The key to good fish is freshness – the fresher the better. Fresh fish do not have an offensive fishy odor. Saltwater fish tend to have a slightly stronger smell than freshwater fish.

The best, freshest fish will have glossy, bright skin with good color. The scales should be shiny and stick tightly to the body of the fish. The flesh should be firm, yielding slightly when pressed gently, but the meat should spring back into place when pressure is released. The eyes of fresh fish should bulge from the head, and the gills should be clear red. Freshness can be tested by placing the fish in cold water. Fresh fish will float.

Fish with sunken eyes, an unpleasant smell, or soft flesh should be avoided. Loose scales, a dull color, or a whitish film covering the skin may mean that the fish has been allowed to dry out. Fish with any of these characteristics should be rejected.

Mollusks: Most of the common mollusks are bought while still alive. Bivalves (mollusks with two shell halves that are hinged together), such as clams, oysters, and mussels, should be bought only if the shell is tightly closed. Bivalves with open, broken, or cracked shells should be avoided.

Live, fresh clams should not float when they are placed in cold water. Mussels can be tested for freshness by trying to slide the two halves of the shell against each other. If they move, the mussel usually is filled with mud.

Tiny bay scallops or larger sea scallops (both members of the bivalve family) usually are sold out of the shell. The part that is eaten is the muscle that controls the hinge of the shell. Fresh scallops should have a sweet smell, and little liquid should be in the container. Fresh bay scallops should be shiny, moist, soft, and light pink in color. Sea scallops should be firmer in texture and filmy white in color.

Abalone is the foot of a large single-shell mollusk. It is popular in California and available fresh primarily on the West Coast. Light-colored abalone steaks that are flexible, shiny, and moist usually are the most flavorful.

Crustaceans: Fresh crabs, lobsters, crawfish, and shrimp often are available in supermarkets depending on the region and the season. Live crabs, lobsters, and crawfish sometimes are displayed in large tanks in supermarkets. Live shrimp rarely are available in grocery stores, but in saltwater areas they often can be found in bait shops or at roadside stands.

When buying crabs, lively ones that have all their claws and legs intact are the best. Crabs that are heavy for their size usually have more white meat inside, and the larger the claw, the more meat it will contain. Crabs that have an ammonia-like odor or a lot of mud on their shells should be avoided.

Live lobsters and crawfish also should be active and heavy for their size. They should be dark blue-green in color. The females usually have sweeter, more tender, more flavorful meat than males. Lobsters and crawfish should have large tails, and the best lobsters have large claws.

Shrimp should also be bought when it is as fresh as possible. Fresh shrimp should be dry, firm, and olive green in color. Shrimp tends to go bad quickly, so smell and texture usually are good indications of freshness. There is little difference in taste
between large shrimp (sometimes called prawns) and small shrimp.

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Tags: seafood