Seafood: When Is Frozen Better Than Fresh?
This Frozen Food Day (6th March) consider the benefits of choosing frozen seafood over fresh…
WHEN IS FROZEN BETTER THAN FRESH?
At Amity Fish Co we offer both fresh and frozen top quality Scottish seafood products to our customers – the majority frozen. Why is this?
There is nothing fresher than a freshly caught fish but when many of us don’t have direct access to a catch being landed on the shore, what is the best alternative?
THE JOURNEY FROM SHORE TO DOOR
The journey a fresh fish makes from sea to plate – being caught at sea, landed ashore, transported for processing, and finally distributed for consumer use can take days; meaning a fresh fish can be days old by the time you see it to buy on the shelves.
Frozen products seal in that freshness and flavour (particularly when Fresh-Frozen). Freezing also captures the vitamins and nutrients that will deteriorate over time in a fresh fish, prevents the rise in bacteria and helps maintain the overall quality and composition of the meat.
By choosing frozen, you are guaranteed the flavour, nutrition and quality of a freshly caught fish.
CONVENIENCE
Frozen fish has been processed and is ready for your use! Our frozen seafood has been filleted, de-boned where appropriate and vac-packed meaning when it reaches you, most of the prep is done. You simply need to thaw and decide what to do with it!
Choosing frozen also means you can stock up your freezer in advance with a variety of different fish and shellfish, or some of our popular breaded products, meaning you are ready to create a nutritious and delicious meal at a moment’s notice.
Check out our top tips for defrosting your seafood at the end of the blog.
BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
A great plus point for those of us who are sustainably minded; at Amity Fish Co we make concerted efforts to source our seafood from sustainable sources. Protecting our waters for future generations is important to us and we are proud to declare our haddock products MSC certified, meaning we pass the chain of sustainability on to you, our customers.
And in addition to our own frozen produce being sustainable, frozen products naturally have a smaller carbon footprint – as they are frozen, there is a longer shelf life meaning there is not the same urgency getting produce from shore to consumer before the seafood deteriorates. There is a positive environmental impact when we choose frozen over fresh.
Oh, and did we mention our vacuum packaging is fully recyclable?
VARIETY
Seafood is seasonal. There are times of year certain seafood can be naturally of a lesser quality or simply unavailable. By choosing frozen, you can enjoy the amazing fish and shellfish the Scottish waters have to offer all year round, without taking into consideration the time of year. That’s the beauty of a frozen larder.
Here at Amity Fish Co we are also developing our range of breaded frozen products with your convenience in mind – many now come oven-ready straight from the freezer.
GREAT VALUE
The cost of amazing fresh seafood is subject to supply and demand. We can only predict to a point what will be available at market each week and have no control over its value. Frozen seafood is far more stable in its price point and so savvy buyers may find at times they get more for their money choosing frozen!
So there you have it – frozen doesn’t mean it’s a lesser product and being fresh doesn’t automatically mean better quality.
(That being said, our great location at the heart of Peterhead harbour, working with local vessels and producers means you can be sure your fresh seafood ordered from Amity Fish Co is as fresh as we can get it from our shore to your door!)
What’s your preference?
TOP TIPS FOR DEFROSTING YOUR FROZEN FISH:
FISH Place in refrigerator overnight OR for speed you can use the cold-water method – keeping the fish in it’s sealed vac pac, run under running cold water or place in bowl of cold water, changing the water until fully defrosted. This process can take anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the size of fish)
SHELLFISH (LOBSTER/LANGOUSTINE IN SHELL) Skipper recommends a rapid defrost under cold running water as the shell protects the flesh!
PEELED LANGOUSTINE Leave out at ambient temperatures or in a fridge
IMPORTANT: Cook the seafood as soon as defrosted and keep frozen fish for no longer than 3 months. Do not refreeze defrosted seafood products.
