With the advent of science, we can keep our food much longer compared to the days before modern freezing techniques and equipment. If you are out to take a poll, asking people about their preference for fresh vs frozen seafood, chances are bright that most of the votes would be in favour of fresh seafood.
But wait! Let us tell you that this idea is a bit outdated. Back in the day, freezing was a slow process that would cause the seafood to lose most of its nutritional benefits, and also changing it’s texture. In the modern fishing industry, we have flash-freezing technology. It is an instant freezing technique, which utilizes ultra-low temperature (approximately around -20 degrees Fahrenheit) to minimize the time duration from being harvested to freezing. Unlike the freezers in our homes, the seafood can be frozen solid within a couple of minutes.
Quality Of Flash-frozen Seafood
As soon as the wild seafood is harvested, the quality begins to decline. So no matter, how fresh is your fresh seafood, it might have gone through some sort of decline from the moment of being harvested to the time it reaches your plate. On the contrary, flash-freezing locks all the freshness, texture, nutritious ingredients, flavour and texture as soon as it is frozen. Therefore, if your seafood is labelled as “flash-frozen at sea”, you can shed all your worries. The seafood will be fresher than the fresh and did not go through any decline while travelling from the dock to the fork.
Despite the advancements, many people are still under the general impression that fresh seafood is better than frozen seafood. But, is there a difference between fresh and frozen seafood, when we judge on the basis of taste, nutritional value, health benefits, seasonal availability or convenience?
Taste
When it comes to taste, both fresh and frozen are on a tie. Blind tasting shows that the frozen fish tastes as great as the fresh fish. It is even difficult to tell which one is fresh and which one was flash-frozen on a blind taste test.
Safety Concerns
If you are going for a sushi or sashimi party, or craving for fish in the raw state for dinner, frozen wins the race. You would be wondering why! Seafood safety experts believe that freezing kills many harmful bacteria or parasites that may be present in uncooked fish.
Availability
On the debate of fresh vs frozen seafood, availability is also a key factor. For fresh seafood, seasonal variety will be available in a particular season. On the contrary, flash-frozen seafood can be available all year-round.
Convenience
When we try out the fresh versus frozen food for convenience, unlike fresh food, you simply have to defrost the needed portion of the seafood and use it. It reduces waste and becomes easy to cook and serve.
Take-away
In a nutshell, fresh or frozen both are equally good. Earlier, people used to prefer fresh over frozen because frozen seafood suffered from the stigma of being highly processed. But thanks to the flash-freezing technology, it is now a revolution in the world of frozen seafood to lock in quality, taste, and nutrients. It may also support your health, wallet, and our planet as well.
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