This document provides information about selecting and maintaining fresh fish and seafood. It defines the differences between fish and seafood, noting that seafood comes exclusively from saltwater and includes shellfish like crab and lobster. Several types of fish are identified as healthy options, including tuna, mackerel, salmon, and sardines. The document offers guidelines for choosing high quality fresh or frozen fish and seafood based on attributes like odor, color, texture and packaging. It also provides tips for proper storage and cooking times to preserve the best taste and texture.

1. Fish & Seafood
Fresh is always the best kind…

2. Fish versus seafood
• Fish can be from fresh or salt water
• Sea food ONLY comes from the sea (salt
water) and they all have a Shell.
• Seafood are called crustaceans such as
lobster, crabs and shrimp, clams and mussels.

3. Some fish are…
• Very healthy with Omega 3 oils etc.
• Dangerous to eat with mercury
poisoning etc.
So which fish are healthy to eat?

4. Tuna

5. Mackerel

6. Rainbow Trout

7. Sardines

8. Wild Salmon & canned pink

9. Oysters

10. What to look for when buying…
• Shiny, bright and metallic, with tightly
adhered scales
• A fresh "sea-weedy" odor, but no strong or
"fishy" odors
• Bright, clear and full eyes, with black pupils
and transparent corneas
• Bright red or pink gills, with little visible
mucous or slime

12. Fresh or Thawed Fillets and Steaks
• Fresh mild "sea-weedy" odor
• Firm, elastic and moist flesh with almost
translucent color
• Clean, carefully executed, trimming, boning
and skinning
• No bruising, blood spots or browning

13. Smoked fish
• Bright, glossy appearance
• Firm texture
• No signs of mold, dried blood or salt crystals
• Clean, smoky odor

14. Live Lobster, Crab and Crayfish
• Cold and sluggish, but showing some leg
movement
• Shells are clean without dark blotches or
cracks
• Lobster tail curls under body when picked up
• Weight seems heavy for size

15. Live Oysters, Clams and Mussels
• Shells are hard, unbroken and reasonably
clean
• Shells tightly closed or close when touched
• The bottom shells of oysters should be deeply
cupped

16. Fresh-Shucked Oysters
• Meats are plump and immersed in their liquor
(natural juice)
• Liquor should be clear or slightly opalescent
(slightly milky) but not cloudy or gritty
• Meat color is creamy
• No strong odors

17. Fresh or Thawed Scallop Meats
• Firm and slightly translucent meats
• Color is creamy white, to tan, to pinkish
• Strong, but sweet and briny odor

18. Fresh or Thawed Shrimp
• Firm flesh completely filling shell
• No blackened edges or black spots on shells
• Shell and flesh should not feel slippery
• No strong odors

19. Fresh or Thawed Squid
• Very firm flesh
• No tears in skin
• Skin is cream colored with purple to reddish-
brown spots
• Yellowing and pinkish coloration are signs of
aging

20. Cooked Lobster, Crab, or Shrimp
• Bright red shells
• Meat should be moist
• No strong odors
• Picked lobster meat is snowy white with red
tints
• Crab meat is white with red and brown tints
• Shrimp meat is white with red or pink tints

21. Surimi Seafood
• Moist and firm
• Meat is opaque with an off-white color
• The meat's surface should have red or pink,
shellfish-colored tints
• No strong or unpleasant odors

22. Frozen Seafood
• Solidly frozen with glossy surfaces
• No signs of frost on seafood or package interior
• Flesh is evenly colored with no white patches
(sign of drying) or orange coloration (sign of
rancidity)
• Packaging is undamaged with no signs of thawing
and refreezing (package still as original shape, no
frost on the inside)
• No strong or unpleasant odors

23. Maintaining quality
• Make seafood your last purchase and put in a
refrigerator–as soon as possible.
• Store seafood in the coldest part of your
refrigerator (bottom back) and as close to 32°F as
possible.
• To hold seafood at a colder temperature, store it
in a resealable plastic bag nested in a pan of ice.
Ice regulates its own temperature at exactly 32°F.
• Use unfrozen seafood within two days of
purchase or freeze it.
• Remember that cooking destroys bacteria.

24. Taste and texture

25. Cooking Times
The cooking times for fish are generally the
same: 8 to 12 minutes per inch thickness,
regardless of the method (bake, broil, grill, pan-
fry, poach), except microwave. Most fish is
"done" when the flesh is opaque and flakes
easily. Exceptions include swordfish and
monkfish which does not flake.

26. How Much to eat Per Person:
Whole/round fish: 3/4 to 1 lb.
Dressed/cleaned fish: 1/2 to 3/4 lb.
Steaks/fillets: 1/3 to 1/2 lb. Cooked
meats: 1/4 to 1/3 lb.

27. The end
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