I just might ruffle a few feathers or perhaps I should say scrape a few scales the wrong way, but I want you to know that there's nothing wrong with buying frozen fish. Of course there are a few guidelines and you need to be armed with some pertinent information. But sometimes buying frozen fish can be preferable to buying never previously frozen fish. Which isn't exactly the same thing as fresh.
Yes, I'm geeking out on you again. But I've just returned from Alaska. I went fishing with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI to friends). During the time our rods weren't out to sea we sat around and discussed all sorts of valuable information regarding Wild-Caught Alaska Seafood.
The quality of seafood can begin to decline immediately after being caught. Flash freezing it as soon as possible helps retain the quality and seals in "freshness". When fish are flash frozen at sea while still on board the boat it has the capability of retaining most of the great qualities of straight from the ocean fish. Notice I said straight from the ocean and not fresh. Because I'm trying to let you know that the word fresh (as with local, organic and wild) can be misleading. Because in terms of the retailer fresh may simply mean never previously frozen. If you live in Indiana fresh from the ocean is a relative term. There's no ocean in Indiana. So never previously frozen fish traveled a great distance under unknown conditions. It's probably terrific and I'm not trying to worry you. But as good as it may be, frozen at sea might just be better. Besides many seemingly fresh fish have actually been flash frozen and then thawed by your fishmonger.
I'm sorry for all the qualifiers. But it's a complicated subject. I don't want you to think that I don't love straight from the ocean fish. In fact ASMI brought in two chefs (Dan Enos & Patrick Hoogerhyde) to cook up plenty of straight from the ocean fish for us while we were in Alaska. It was some of the best stuff I've eaten in my life. If I could only eat straight from the ocean fish I probably would. I mean why not, right? But never previously frozen fish has some of the same problems for me as local, organic and wild. Sure it's preferable in its purest form (probably), but you just can't feed the entire world or be even be guaranteed the best possible product strictly using these monikers.
Which brings me to to the question "just what the heck can you do with frozen seafood"? Well, pardon the smart-ass in me– but you can sauté, roast, broil, steam, poach or grill it. You can thaw it first, overnight in the refrigerator– or you can Cook it Frozen. That's right frozen like a brick! There's even an app for that. So I won't get all geeky about the details, except to say it's super easy and can be an amazing time-saver or even make you look like a genius when impromptu parties pop up at your house. I sautéed a fillet for my lunch today. That's right I've been home less than 24 hours and I'm craving wild Alaska seafood (again). I just didn't have time to thaw my salmon. So it went into the pan frozen. It really did.
But the entire trip was not just about Greg geeking out of fish facts. Nope. There was fun to be had too. We stayed at The Talon Lodge. A spectacular experience. There was a great group involved too. Besides the two chefs I mentioned and the generous folks associated with ASMI, I got to hang with some very cool bloggers. Getting to actually know a few of the online food lovers who inspire me everyday is always a thrill. Because putting a face to that inspiration just confirms what I've always believed. The online food community is just as geeky as me when it come to tasty tid-bits from the sea.
So here's to my fishing buddies: Kristy Bernardo / The Wicked Noodle, Susan Bronson / A Less Processed Life, John Donohue / Stay at Stove Dad, Aran Goyoaga / Cannelle et Vanille, Marla Meridith / Family Fresh Cooking, Béatrice Peltre / La Tartine Gourmande, Helen Rosner / Saveur Magazine GREG

Left to right: Patrick, Dan, Marla, Aran, Greg, Kristy, Susan, Helen, Béatrice and John
The photos of the chefs cooking and the group dining are courtesy of Bertram Whitman / ASMI
"Cook It Frozen" Seared Alaskan Salmon serve 2 CLICK here for a printable recipe adapted from Alaska Seafood
- 2 (6 ounce) frozen fillets of salmon
- 2 t olive oil
- 1 pn each kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 T fresh herbs (such as rosemary, tarragon or thyme)
Rinse seafood under cold water to remove any ice glaze; pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
Heat a heavy-bottomed or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of salmon with olive oil. Avoid butter, sunflower or corn oil as they will burn at high heat.
Place salmon into the heated pan, skin side up, and cook, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes, until well browned. Turn the fish over and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Cover the skillet tightly and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook an additional 6 to 8 minutes , or until cooked through to your liking. Just before serving sprinkle with herbs.







Comments
Just cooked using this method.
I just put this recipe to the test. I usually bake my Sockeye but WF is out of fresh and only has frozen. I stumbuled on this recipe through foodgawker and thought I'd give frozen Sockeye a try. It beats my expectations, the only thing I may have done wrong was let the fish sit in the pan while my veggies were steaming. It was alittle dry for my tatse. But overall the fish was delicious and the taste is substantially different from baking. I deviated from the recipie and used coriander seed powder, thyme, oregano, salt, and marjoram.
A+ method, excuse my spelling.
Thanks to God for fish.
Ryan
Here Fishy
If it weren't fro frozen fish I'd have no fish at all! I've often said that I come from seafood and shores and moved to meat and mountains. My father was a commercial fisherman...hello fresh fish nearly everyday of my life, now I'm retired in Montana and well, I still love my fish and have learned that frozen is pretty darn good. Fresh is still king, but to do without...I just couldn't. Honestly if it's going to be shipped far inland frozen ends up being better than fresh...
Ahh Alaska....the last state I need to visit, wish I was there.
Thank you for sharing this
I completely agree and I am so glad you shared this information with people. I try to explain this concept to people all the time. It can be the same thing with frozen verses fresh veggies. These days with flash freezing techniques if you are buying the right product sometimes you are better off buying frozen items especially if it is off peak. I would love to always buy fresh fish but sometimes it isn't the best option, both financially and health wise. In this day and age we expect our fishmonger to have access to varieties of fish that might not be local to use. We are just so use to having everything on demand no matter what the season or where it originates from. I find developing a good relationship with your local fishmonger helps you make the best decision, mine has recommended that for some of the varieties I like to stick to frozen as it has to travel a long distance and will be much fresher to have been frozen on board the ship rather then chilled and shipped.
Way Cool!
As a time saver, this is priceless! I'm not always the best meal planner and if I can skip the thawing process, heck yeah! I'm all in!
Timely!
I have two frozen salmon fillets from my mother in law and haven't cooked them just because I didn't want to deal with thawing it.
Who would've known
I absolutely never thought of cooking fish from frozen. What a great time saving technique! I often buy frozen fish to save time by not having to stop off by the store every time I want to make it but I've always thawed it first. Next time I won't.
Huh....
I've never thought of cooking frozen fish (without thawing it first), this is something I must give a try, especially with a lone pescatarian in my midst who requires single portion fish cooked on a regular basis.
"Fresh"
Of course you are right on Greg! I only know this because I have friends who deep sea fish, but that said, I just did a post on Pan Seared Fish with Chermoula Sauce and using 'flash frozen from the boat' fish may at times be less expensive but also taste fresher than "fresh", whatever that may mean! Best! L
I grew up very near the Gulf
I grew up very near the Gulf Coast so fresh seafood was readily available. We had several markets whose owners drove to the gulf to get the day's catch and bring it back. However, when we moved further inland getting that lovely fresh seafood became more difficult. After purchasing "fresh" seafood from local markets several times with disappointing results, I started buying frozen instead and I'm a happy girl! I'd much rather have a product that I know was frozen soon after catch than what's in the "fresh" case and has been there for gosh knows how long.
Yes Sir!
Absolutely! Thank you for sharing with me. Ryan went to Alaska last summer and he brought home 50 pounds of salmon. It was so very good.
Noth'n fishy about it!!
Greg- I couldn't agree more!! Thanks for spreading the truth :) Hope your trip was all kinds of crazy-fun!!
Your trip to Alaska sounds so
Your trip to Alaska sounds so fun! I hope to go there some day :) Though I generally do prefer to buy fresh fish I am a lot less picky these days (budget and all) so sounds pretty good :)
Frozen is cool!
I actually don't mind buying frozen fish. In my opinion your probably not going to get "fresh" fish unless you buy it from a seafood market right from the boat, that's what fresh means to me. Buying frozen at least gives me a little peace of mind as to when the break down process was stopped. With seafood, every second counts. Of course I'd love to know when my fish was frozen through a stamp on the packaging, that's be kinda cool!
Seriously? Seriously? I'm
Seriously? Seriously? I'm really jealous of this trip to Alaska. How marvelous that must have been... oh and that fresh salmon. I can't even imagine how wonderful that fish was. Yes, I am seriously jealous.
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