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Fresh or Frozen At Sea?

July 2nd, 2010
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Fresh or Frozen At Sea?
By Ruth Levy
Most people want to purchase the freshest seafood possible.  But how does one define fresh?  The government is very clear that fresh is a thermal state of being, (never having been below 32 F for an extended period of time) and that fresh is not a quality designation.  Yet in the vernacular fresh means good quality.  And with seafood,’ Fresh’ rules!
Adding to the confusion is the term “Fresh Frozen”.  This is a complete contradiction of thermal terms, but makes ‘perfect’ sense if Fresh is a being used as a quality statement.  Seafood in its raw, untouched form is pretty easy to discern if it is good or not.  If the seafood smells bad, it is old and not good.  Decomposition, which occurs as part of the aging process, causes smell.  The concept is that if you can stop decomposition then you can capture quality or ‘freshness’.  What is the one of the easiest ways to stop decomposition?  Freeze the product.

Frozen at Sea, FAS, is the fastest way to stop seafood from deteriorating.  Once the seafood is caught and on board the factory vessel, it gets processed and immediately frozen.  This can occur within minutes or hours of the fish or shellfish being caught.  Often times the product has never had a chance to go through rigor mortis.   When this product is thawed under refrigeration, it has all the characteristics of just caught seafood and is almost ‘fresher than fresh’.

There are many seafood species or products that are Frozen at Sea.  Some of the finest eating seafood is processed this way and its ‘freshness’ is truly captured.  Items such as South African Lobster Tails, Patagonian Toothfish (Chilean Seabass), Cape Capensis Fillets, & Sashimi Swordfish Loins are just a few of the many seafood items that have superb quality because they are FAS. These products have been handled quickly and properly from ocean to freezer and their ‘freshness’ exceeds the non-frozen, chilled versions of the same product.

When evaluating the best option for your seafood needs, remember that in many instances, FAS seafood offers the finest quality available.  Just because a product has never been frozen, doesn’t mean it is the best or ‘freshest’ product in the marketplace.

 

 

 

General State of Seafood

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