Supermarket fish?

[joej627]

OK guys,

What is the protocol for supermarket fish?  My Kroger has pretty good looking wild-caught frozen stuff.  I think I saw Ecuador on some mahi-mahi.  I want to eat some stuff other than salmon. 

-JOE

[eveheart]

What is the protocol for supermarket fish?  My Kroger has pretty good looking wild-caught frozen stuff.  I think I saw Ecuador on some mahi-mahi.  I want to eat some stuff other than salmon. 

Realizing that restaurant sashimi is always frozen-then-thawed in my area, and I eat that sashimi when I go out to eat (rarely), I'll be a hypocrite and say that I won't eat frozen-and-thawed fish at home due to the disagreeable texture. As you are aware, there are members here on both sides of the freezing fence, so I suggest you read the pros and cons and decide for yourself. Science, availability, and personal preference can factor in with different conclusions for each person.

I find unfrozen fish in abundance in high-end markets and ethnic markets. If you want unfrozen fish and  have a variety of markets in your area, you can look around and see what else is available.

[TylerDurden]

 I find that freezing and then thawing  raw  wildcaught seafood makes it taste much less good afterwards  than when freezing and thawing  raw grassfed meat. Worst case was some prefrozen scallops I bought once, which seemed almost chemically-changed compared to the unfrozen variety.

I hope your salmon is wild, not farmed?

[CatTreats]

If the seafood was very fresh and then frozen, it seems that the flavor isn't really ruined. But that might just be me. The best salmon I had was literally JUST cut from the fish moments before I arrived, and it was incredible. I bought more than I would be able to use (just because it was so delicious and fatty) and was forced to freeze some so nothing would be wasted. It wasn't as "fresh" tasting, but still very, very good. And it tasted better and more "fresh" than the non-frozen piece that had ended up sitting in the fridge for a few days. The fat seems to spoil pretty fast when it comes to seafood, so freezing feels like a better option if it can't be eaten within a day or so.

[joej627]

Whatever I get would be wild-caught yea.  I'm still up in the air about this stuff too.  I agree that eating fresh would be best.  Raw meat that has been frozen is still a "dead" food per se yes?

[TylerDurden]

As regards raw meat most people would be fine with eating prefrozen meats but would always keep looking out for nonfrozen alternatives.

[eveheart]

Raw meat that has been frozen is still a "dead" food per se yes?

No, not dead. Perhaps diminished would be a better word. For example, freezing a cell that contains moisture would cause the water to expand, changing the cell structure in a way that would not show up as a change in taste. There are other microscopic changes, too, which have been discussed in the other threads about freezing.

[CatTreats]

Let's just say freezing hardly damages the food in comparison to heating. Also, I would prefer to eat pre-frozen versions of good foods, than have to abstain from them completely. If I had to eat everything completely fresh, I would literally be stuck eating wild-caught fish and plants. No shellfish, no organs, no wild game meats, no beef. I will definitely take what I can get. Frozen doesn't bother me enough, yet.

[joej627]

No, i agree that freezing is far less harmful to living stuff than heating high heat.  It seems the rule of the game is go for it if wild-caught and looks fresh.  I have a nice fish market somewhere way downtown.  But i don't have the time, money, or energy to drive an hour a few times a week to purchase nice stuff like oysters, clams, etc.  I want to try to get more into that in the near future.

[Sorentus]

For me i prefer frozen beef heart over fresh, i havent had the chance to compare to oher organs but i tried ground fresh and frozen and fresh is a huge difference.

[CatTreats]

It seems the rule of the game is go for it if wild-caught and looks fresh.

That's my rule. If you trust the fish monger or shopkeeper, you can ask what's fresh from this morning. The little market that I go to will let me in on whatever was the most recently cut (like that salmon I mentioned). But in general, if it looks vibrant and fatty, and is wild-caught, and I start to salivate while looking at it, it's fair game.

[CatTreats]

That's my rule. If you trust the fish monger or shopkeeper, you can ask what's fresh from this morning. The little market that I go to will let me in on whatever was the most recently cut (like that salmon I mentioned). But in general, if it looks vibrant (and fatty hopefully) and is wild-caught - and especially if I start to salivate while looking at it - it's fair game.