All food products require proper handling and storage to remain at peak quality, but seafood in particular requires extra consideration to remain fresh. From the moment it leaves its fisherman’s boat until processing and distribution at your establishment, all seafood must be handled and stored appropriately to preserve its freshness. Follow these simple tips to reduce spoilage, foodborne illness and lost sales.
Keep Cold Seafood should be kept at 40 degrees or lower (using a refrigerator thermometer to monitor), wrapped tightly to prevent ice crystals from melting on it, for optimal flavor and texture for up to two days after storage.
If the seafood has not been consumed within its intended use period, it should be frozen immediately to maintain optimal quality for an extended period. When storing frozen products separately to prevent cross contamination. If packaged in overwrapped trays that require refreezeing before freezing to keep its quality consistent and ensure optimal longevity of quality.
Cleanliness
Work areas and utensils used with raw seafood must be thoroughly cleaned between uses to avoid cross-contamination of harmful bacteria and reduce cross contamination of any kind. Also, always wash hands after handling raw seafood to help limit spread of foodborne illness.
When purchasing fresh seafood, select it near the end of your shopping trip and bring a cooler with ice in order to transport it home in optimal temperature conditions. Once home, refrigerate immediately and store in its own compartment of your refrigerator if possible – or place on cake rack inside a shallow pan filled with flake ice in order to maximize space usage if using an integrated fish compartment in your fridge.
If a container cannot be secured, wrap your seafood in plastic, foil or moisture-proof paper before placing in the fridge. Avoid placing fresh or live seafood next to vegetables or meats due to odor transference; canned and pouched seafood must have their label read to confirm it has an appropriate expiry date. Incorporating proper refrigeration techniques will help retain freshness for longer and save both money and time in the long run; in addition, keeping up with high standards for storage and handling will allow customers to enjoy delicious, flavorful seafood year-round!