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Consumer Tips for Handling Seafood Safely Purchasing Seafood Always purchase seafood from a dealer that maintains high quality. Maria's Fresh Seafood Market is regularly inspected and approved by the FDA, HACCP and the military. When you leave the seafood market, keep your seafood cold. Leaving groceries in the car on a hot day speeds up spoilage and may make seafood unsafe to eat.
Storing Fresh Seafood Place seafood immediately in the refrigerator when you get home from the seafood market. Wrap fresh seafood in "cling wrap" or store in air-tight containers. Store fresh, pasteurized or smoked seafood products refrigerated at 32 to 38° F. Refrigerate live clams, oysters, mussels, crabs, lobsters and crayfish in well ventilated containers. Cover the containers with a damp cloth or paper towel. Do not store live shellfish in air-tight plastic bags or containers. Storing live shellfish in salt water shortens their shelf life. Storing them in fresh water kills them Keep "live" shellfish alive. Do not cook or eat shellfish such as clams, oysters, mussels, crabs, lobsters, and crayfish that have died during storage. Live clams, oysters and crayfish move their legs. Dead shellfish spoil rapidly and develop off-flavors and off-odors. Storing Frozen Seafood Store frozen seafood products immediately in the freezer when you get home from the seafood market. Store them in their original moisture and vapor proof package. Frozen seafoods packaged in over-wrapped trays should be repackaged in "cling wrap," plastic freezer wrap, freezer paper or other moisture and vapor proof material before you store them in the freezer. Keep frozen seafood products frozen at 0° F or below until ready to use. Thawing Frozen Seafood Many frozen seafood products do not need to be thawed before being cooked. Follow the processor's directions for preparing frozen seafood. Thaw frozen seafood in the refrigerator (about 18 hours per pound) or under cold running water (about 1 hour per pound). Do not thaw frozen seafood at room temperature or under warm, running water. Thinner parts of the seafood thaw faster than thicker parts, and the outer edges may start to spoil before the center has thawed. Handling and Preparation Don't cross-contaminate! Food poisoning and spoilage bacteria can be spread from live and raw seafood to cooked seafood products. Handle raw and cooked seafood products separately. Thoroughly wash and rinse knives, containers, and cutting boards between handling raw and cooked seafoods. Keep raw and cooked seafoods from coming into contact with each other. Cook fish and shellfish thoroughly. Fish is cooled when it begins to flake and reaches an internal temperature of 140° F. All raw foods contain bacteria. Handle seafoods as you would any perishable food. Keep seafood properly refrigerated, cook adequately and handle with safety in mind.
Raw Seafoods Many consumers enjoy raw or lightly marinated seafood products such as sashimi, sushi, cerviche, gravlax, cold-smoked fish and raw shellfish. Eating raw seafood (and raw meat, poultry or dairy products), has a greater food safety risk than eating properly cooked products. Purchase raw shellfish carefully. Follow these tips to reduce risk:
High Risk Individuals Individuals with chronic liver disease or compromised immune systems should avoid eating raw or partially cooked oysters. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises that oysters may contain the bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus. Vibrio vulnificus can cause severe illness and death for individuals suffering from liver disease, stomach disorders, blood disorders or immune system deficiencies. Since cooking destroys Vibrio vulnificus, consumers with these conditions can enjoy cooked shellfish preparations.
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