Frozen fish and seafood

[lagatta]

There have been several "frozen fish and seafood discussions in the Dockside Dining subcategories and threads: no surprise that K2, lizzyfaire, tod, DonC, moi-même and other regulars have posted on experiences, good and less good with frozen fish and other seafood.

Both lizzyfaire and K2 suggest this trick:

Post by lizzyfaire on Jan 12, 2014 at 5:49am
I buy quite a bit of frozen fish, lagatta. Sometimes, I go so far as to place the fish between several sheets of paper towels, below and on top (or clean white kitchen towel), then onto a plate, with a weighted plate on top of it. I find the compression helps to gently rid the fish of water. A few hours in the fridge like that and you end up with firm, white fish that doesn't weep when you cook it.

It is wonderful to find truly fresh fish at a fishmonger's, on a dock or from a boat, with a clean marine odour. But sometimes "fresh" fish is actually thawed, or not the freshest, and frozen can be the better choice.

www.epicurious.com/ingredients/is-frozen-fish-better-than-fresh-fish-article
Some of her references are US-specific, but I can certainly think of equivalent good choices in European places I've stayed long enough to do some "self-catering", and I'm sure people from elsewhere might as well. (Tod had a particularly funny story about "stolen fish").

I've had luck in nearby Southeast Asian shops, and also find that Portuguese groceries here carry good-quality frozen fish at a reasonable price, and mixtures of fish for stew.

[Deleted]

At least in France (but I suppose in most other places), it is obligatory for shops and fishmongers to indicate if they are selling thawed items.

[Deleted]

I can count the times on one hand that I have eaten frozen seafood.
The one exception being salmon because it's not native to the areas which I lived.
Almost every place I have lived, coastal areas of the US, all have fresh seafood available year round.
Of course it's only what is in season.

My mother would freeze bay scallops because their season is so very brief and it always nice to have these marvelous sweet morsels available at varying times of the year.
She also froze clams that were minced and seasoned in order to prepare  "deviled clams" or clams casino.

I often see mussels available on some restaurant menus here and am always assured they were "just flown in".
I don't buy it.
I have become violently ill on two separate occasions from bad mussels.

[Deleted]

Mussels that have been spending their time 'fresh' on a plane are much more likely to make you sick than mussels that were frozen at the source and brought in frozen. My parents were going through mussel withdrawal in Florida until I located frozen mussels at Wal-Mart -- and they were excellent when I incarnated them as moules marinière. I seem to recall that they were from New Zealand, unless I am confusing them with the frozen mussels sold at my Chinese supermarket -- which I don't buy since they are available fresh here at all times.

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Regardless, I will never eat them again unless I raked them out of the water myself.

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I've been sick as a dog twice as well after eating mussels. But I eat them as a main dish at least 25 times a year and have them in starters/salads at least 50 times more. Yes, they are very cheap here.

[kerouac2]

I bought a whole red snapper (scaled and gutted) at the Chinese supermarket. I am intrigued the fact that they normally come from the Gulf of Mexico or the coast of South America, but the one I bought comes from Indonesia. So I looked it up and there are indeed some species that live in Asia, particularly in the mangroves. I must assume that mine just came from a dodgy fish farm, though.

I think I'm going to just wrap it in foil and put it in the oven with some ginger and onion slices and some chopped Thai chillies.

[kerouac2]

later that same day...

[tod2]

You have given me an idea for my two whole fish sitting in the deepfreezer.!

[kerouac2]

Anyway, it was pretty good. Naturally, if one is used to boneless fish (or headless fish), it can be slightly annoying to deal with it. When I was little, I did not touch such things until my mother had worked on the fish and put acceptable parts on my plate. And then I grew up. (It is particularly useful if you live alone or live with someone who is not shocked by pulling at the fish with one's bare hands, which is reasonably the only way to deal with certain varieties. Then there are the civilised fish like salmon, trout or rays where a fish fork and fish knife will work wonders without dirtying yourself.)

[whatagain]

I had Igloo frizen fish sticks yesterday.
Myst have been more than 20 years...
Not as good as in my memory.