Freezing seafood, like pretty much any other food type, is a great way for fishing companies and food manufacturers to ensure a more consistent supply. It also facilitates ease of transport to more places where their products can be enjoyed by more people. In the olden days, a fresh catch could only be enjoyed by seaside communities but with the advent of food processing like freezing, pretty much anything, even highly perishable items, can be transported easily.
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1. Frozen Seafood Recipes
Freezing seafood, like pretty much any other food type, is a great way for fishing
companies and food manufacturers to ensure a more consistent supply. It also
facilitates ease of transport to more places where their products can be enjoyed by
more people. In the olden days, a fresh catch could only be enjoyed by seaside
communities but with the advent of food processing like freezing, pretty much
anything, even highly perishable items, can be transported easily.
Though some textural quality may be lost especially for small delicate crustaceans like
shrimp, freezing during peak season when there’s an abundant catch ensures more
nutrients than if these are caught off season. Countries that have a long coastline
usually have facilities for processing their products. Canning, salting and smoking are
other ways to preserve seafood but freezing them raw or cooked retains the original
flavor and texture the most.
Using frozen fish fillets, shrimps, scallops is a convenient way to keep ample stocks in
the kitchen and not have to buy them in smaller quantities fresh. It is also practical for
restaurants and caterers especially in quantity food production as some products can
be purchased in various stages of preparation like pre-peeled and deveined shrimp,
which can be bought in different sizes. Fish fillets and calamari (squid rings) can be
bought already breaded and ready to fry. Crabmeat is available pre-cooked and
removed from the shell, a process that is quite tedious to do. Buying and measuring
ingredients for recipes is also made easier because you know exactly how much you
are getting as opposed to fresh wherein there’s a lot of loss from peeling, trimming,
etc.
Using a frozen product doesn’t necessarily mean you are cutting corners or
compromising quality. It is merely maximising what’s available given factors such as
price, freshness and your intention to use the item. For making soups, stir fries, fried
rice, crab cakes and other dishes where seafood is an accompaniment or accent flavor,
you can use frozen. However, for raw dishes like sushi, sashimi and ceviche, wherein
you want to achieve the straight-from-the-sea texture and flavor, then it is wiser to go
to your fishmonger instead.
2. A few tips when using frozen: for those watching their sodium intake, go slow with
processed seafood products as these can have high salt content. You may also have to
adjust cooking time. Lastly, be creative in crafting dishes. Combine frozen with fresh
ingredients like vegetables and fruits, starches and proteins to achieve depth of flavor
and textural contrast.
Broccoli Tomatoes with Rice Wine-Oyster
Sauce
Broccoli, Tomatoes, Oyster- food at its best and very healthy at the same time. As we
know broccoli is very rich in calcium and very nutritious and so are the health benefits
of tomatoes as well. Try this amazing recipe and you would love to add wine to all you
preparations.
Servings: 3
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Recommended Wine: 1 tablespoon shaohsing wine - or dry sherry
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon ginger - finely chopped, 3 cups broccoli florets -
cut into bite-size pieces and stems cut into 1/4-inch slices, 1 cup cherry tomatoes -
halved (about 10 tomatoes), 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon shaohsing wine - or
dry sherry, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation Instructions:
Pour olive oil in a pan and add ginger and fry it till tender.To this add broccoli fry for
about couple of minutes.Add tomatoes and fry for about 30 seconds on high flame.To
this add Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce and swirl it into the pan; cover and cook for 30
seconds.Stir-fry until the vegetables are just tender but the broccoli is still bright
green, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sesame oil.Serve immediately.For the Rice Wine-Oyster
Sauce:Whisk rice wine (or sherry), oyster sauce, sugar and salt in a small bowl.