Answering Two of the Most Common Questions About Fish Labelling
Buying fish seems like a simple task until you are met with a variety of unfamiliar labels at the fish market. From “flash frozen” to “sushi grade,” it can be difficult to make an informed purchase unless you are well versed on all these terms.
Our team at Farm-2-Market has provided all the details you need to know about these seafood labels so that you are prepared next time you order seafood online.
Understanding How to Read Fish Labels When Ordering Seafood Online
1. How do seafood labels inform how long you should freeze your fish?
If you have ever frozen fresh fish after picking it up from your local market, you have probably noticed a serious loss of flavor and texture by the time you cook it. Similarly, many seafood companies which sell pre-packaged frozen fish fail to use proper freezing methods in order to preserve freshness and flavor.
There are two factors that need to be taken into consideration when freezing fish. Once caught, the fish should be frozen as quickly as possible in a custom, extreme-temperature freezer. The faster fish is frozen, the less time it has to form ice crystals which break down the fish’s natural fibers. This quick freezing method is called flash freezing, and shoppers should always look for this label in the description when buying frozen fish.
Another factor that helps seal in the fish’s natural juices and important nutrients is vacuum-sealing. This type of packaging prevents the fish from losing moisture or developing the dreaded freezer burn. At Farm-2-Market, all of our frozen products are both flash-frozen, and vacuum-sealed so that our customers can order seafood online and stock up on fish for several months.
2. How can you tell if fish is safe to consume raw?
Most people make the mistake of trusting a “sushi grade” descriptor as a reliable measure of whether or not seafood is safe to consume raw. Unfortunately, any seafood provider can list an item as “sushi grade,” and this does not necessarily mean it has been approved as a top-quality product. The FDA provides a few temperature guidelines for storing fish which is advertised to be used for raw seafood recipes, however, this is not enough to ensure freshness and food safety.
At Farm-2-Market, we deliver fresh fish straight to your door and we guarantee responsible food packaging so that you can enjoy our sushi-grade products without worrying about dangerous parasites. Contact us today to order fresh seafood online!