What To Know When Buying Live Lobster And Other Seafood

By Debra Reed


Eating seafood dishes is quite indulgent and yet surprisingly healthy owing to their low fat content compared to land based proteins such as chicken, beef, or pork. While this is all well and good, the challenge for any foodie is knowing how to buy the best of these ocean based products. If you are curious on what you should look out for when shopping for fish and other related items, this helpful guide should point you in the right direction.

Lobsters are big and formidable crustaceans that also happen to be delectable crowd pleasing items when cooked in certain dishes. Selecting a live lobster is rather easy since the ideal choices are those who curl up their tails when picked up. But should you opt for the frozen route, make sure that the lobster is really frozen solid before you decide to buy one or more of them.

Shopping for fish, regardless of their breed or variety, can be tested in two ways. For the fresh catch of the day, the odor must be close as possible to seawater. Funky aromas indicate that the selections on hand are not good. If choosing those that are packed in ice, select pieces that are frozen solid but without the presence of freezer burn that manifests as white spots on the exterior surface.

If you are in the mood for cooking a hearty and steaming pot of chowder, you must seek out some nice clams for the occasion. The best ones sold in the marketplace are those that are still alive after being harvested, and closed shells are a good sign. Although if there are any open ones, tap them gently and if the immediate reaction is closing tightly, then those clams are still good.

Far from being just harvested for precious pearls, oysters are also very valuable for their meat. Often consumed raw or paired with minimalist dressings such as lemon juice, oysters are also great when cooked in a wide variety of ways. When buying oysters in bulk, ensure that you should use them hours after their purchase to retain optimal freshness and flavor levels.

Love them or hate them, shrimps are pretty nice when served grilled or stir fried with some vegetables. That being said, there are some things you should look out for when shopping for shrimp, and that is firmness of texture and a pleasant odor of the ocean when inspecting them. You can either buy them as they are or have them taken out of their shells with the heads removed.

A relative of the lobster is another member of the crustacean family which is the crab. Their soft and delicate meat primarily found in their claws and main body is perfect for salads as well as soups. Fresh crabs with hard shells are often sold alive, so double check to make sure they move around in their enclosure before you buy several ones for consumption.

A rising star in the culinary world comes in the unexpected form of the sea urchin. Chefs and diners alike praise the innards of this forbidding sea creature for possessing complex flavors with a delicate texture. The meat of this particular seafood is called uni, and the best indicator of high quality is if it shows off bright colors of either orange or yellow.

Exploring your culinary options can be thrilling when you choose the surf over turf. The points mentioned in this guide can help you be more aware of what is the best options for you. Your menu plans will certainly achieve a degree of clarity and sophistication when you incorporate the best seafood in your meals.




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