{"id":29640,"date":"2015-09-04T11:15:43","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T15:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=29640"},"modified":"2022-01-20T09:18:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T14:18:20","slug":"shop-best-seafood-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/shop-best-seafood-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Seafood Safety: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Shop
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You know fruit and vegetables have the most flavor during the months when they\u2019re being harvested. It might be surprising, though, that the same is true of seafood. \u201cMany species are migratory, meaning they\u2019re available fresh in various regions only at certain times of the year,\u201d says Jeff Ludwin, meat, poultry and seafood specialist at FreshDirect.<\/p>\n

\u201cTuna and swordfish travel south to warmer climates in winter, for instance, and then swing back<\/a> up to the northeast and Canada in the summer.\u201d Sustainability practices, such as catching regulations and government quotas, also help determine how much seafood is available in each area throughout the year.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the big deal if you\u2019re consuming seafood out of season? It will have been frozen at some point, which can harm the quality and maybe even lower the nutrition benefits<\/a>. Read on for Ludwin\u2019s advice about why fresh is best \u2014 and how to ensure you\u2019re getting the catch of the day.<\/p>\n

Skip Frozen Fish<\/h3>\n

Better flavor and texture are the most obvious reasons to opt for fresh fish. Get seafood from the freezer, or that which has been previously frozen, and it likely will be bland and mushy or break apart easily when cooked. Another thing to consider: When you eat seafood in season, you\u2019ll avoid ingesting extra chemicals. \u201cPreservatives and other additives are often added to frozen varieties to help maintain their quality,\u201d says Ludwin. \u201cScallops and shrimp, for instance, are treated with sulfites to prevent them from deteriorating.\u201d Note: Scallops are one of the few types of seafood in season nearly year-round, along with mussels, so getting them fresh should never be an issue.<\/p>\n

Stay away from any seafood with a strong fishy odor. If it was just caught from the ocean, it\u2019ll smell like briny saltwater instead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shop by Region<\/h3>\n

Live near the water? You might already know what times of year your favorite seafood starts appearing in abundance. But seasonal seafood is available everywhere, even if you live in a landlocked state. Many supermarkets get fresh, never-frozen fish shipped in from the coasts several days a week. Check a calendar like this one from Wegmans Supermarkets<\/a> or Alaska Seafood<\/a> to know which region currently has your seafood of choice in season. Then ask your grocer where their fish was caught and when they received it to ensure it\u2019s fresh off the boat.<\/p>\n

Farm It Out<\/h3>\n

Keep in mind that seasonality comes into play only with wild species (those that have grown in their natural habitat). Farmed seafood (that which has been raised in a tank or other manmade facility) \u2014 including salmon, shrimp, and tilapia \u2014 is available fresh year-round. The health benefits of farmed versus wild fish have been debated, with research suggesting that the former contains more chemicals<\/a> but higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids<\/a>. Recently the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch<\/a> organization included both in its list of healthiest seafood. Check the packaging or ask your grocer to know which variety you\u2019re purchasing. Whichever you pick, make sure you\u2019re getting a fresh catch.<\/p>\n

Pick and Choose<\/h3>\n

Finding seafood that\u2019s in season is just the first step to guaranteeing freshness. Next you\u2019ll want to carefully choose your fish to get the best quality. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking at a whole fish, the gills should be dark red, not dull brown, and the eyes should be clear and not cloudy,\u201d says Ludwin. Pay attention to the texture of the flesh: It should feel very firm and bounce back if you push on it. Finally, stay away from any seafood with a strong fishy odor. If it was just caught from the ocean, it\u2019ll smell like briny saltwater instead.<\/p>\n

For more information about the seasonality of your seafood, plus recipes and tips about choosing top quality, check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s website <\/i>FishWatch<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just like fresh produce, seafood should be consumed seasonally, too. Use our guide to net your favorite fish when it’s at peak freshness and at its nutritional best. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":29649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11],"tags":[137,51,71,246,347,359],"class_list":["post-29640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","tag-fish","tag-food-choices","tag-nutrition","tag-seafood","tag-tax1family","tag-tax2breastfeeding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}