Finding the Freshest Seafood Restaurant
Seafood is becoming more and more popular in every restaurant and different varieties are becoming easier to find in the stores. Chefs want simple but healthy meal options for their restaurants and seafood is perfect for this. Seafood is an essential part of a healthy diet, it is versatile, very easy to prepare, and costs very little meaning it is one of the best foods to purchase.
Buying fresh seafood Washington DC can be a challenge, knowing exactly what you want to buy and how to cook it can seem over whelming. There are some simple things you can look for when buying fresh seafood. The skin should be firm to touch or bouncy, and the fish should be bright looking or shiny. The fish scales need to be intact and the eyes still looking alert and bright. Most importantly fish should not be slimy or smell of fish at all and be moist inside and out.
There are clear differences between fresh and frozen seafood, and some restaurants only prefer frozen fish rather than fresh but the choice is entirely up to the consumer. Fresh fish is fish which has been caught and never frozen, straight from catch to market to consumer. It would have only been chilled at a very low temperature but never low enough to freeze.
Frozen fish are frozen on board the fishing boat. They are frozen within minutes of catching them. The fishermen are experts at what they do and can fillet, clean and freeze a catch very quickly. Using this method freezes all of the flavor and juices inside the fish. If you are buying your seafood frozen then ensure it is fully frozen, and once defrosted do not re freeze. If you want to thaw your frozen seafood then do so in a refrigerator overnight, this will keep the flavor still present until cooking begins.
The best places to purchase either your fresh or frozen seafood is at a fish market, this can guarantee you the freshest fish there is. It will come directly from the fishing boats to the market and the fishmonger can advise you on which fish are the best to purchase and even how to prepare and cook it.
If you cannot get to a fish market then your local store might have a fresh fish counter in it. Feel free to ask the fishmonger working the counter when the fish was caught and how it was packaged, they will know if the fish was frozen onboard the fishing boat or if it came direct to them. They are there to give you advice so never feel like you can’t ask those questions.
If you are buying frozen fish at the store ensure it is fully frozen, and never buy the fish which is stored above the chill line in the freezer. If the fish has freezer burns or white discoloration then again do not purchase it.
You can also purchase frozen fish online, this is becoming more and more popular as people are finding they can order their fish, have it clean, filleted, and packed on ice and delivered to their restaurant with no fuss. Whatever method you use, enjoy your fish by visiting a local seafood restaurant Washington DC.
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