Seafood 

 Quality 



Lessons in 

 handling 



By Nancy Davis 



A seafood dealer pulled a 

 glistening bluefish from an ice- 

 filled box and raised it high in 

 the air. 

 "You can't find any better 

 quality than this," he said. 

 He was right. 



Earlier that day, a fisherman had 

 caught several hundred pounds of 

 bluefish off the coast of Cape Hatteras. 

 As soon as the fish were netted, they 

 v^ere iced down in the boat's hold. 

 Within a few hours, the fish were 

 delivered to a dealer where they were 

 rinsed and packed in fresh ice. 



The next day, bluefish was featured 

 on the menu of a Morehead City 

 restaurant. And more than likely, it 

 tasted as though it had just been 

 pulled from the water. 



"That fish had all the characteristics of what I think is quality," says 

 David Green, Sea Grant's seafood extension specialist. 



It was kept at the proper temperature, rushed to its destination and 

 handled properly on the way, he says. 



Such freshness is no accident. From the time seafood skims the 

 water until it reaches your table, every step counts. 



So before you take a bite, stop and think. Why does that fish or 

 shrimp look, smell and taste the way it does? 

 Green and Sea Grant food scientist Frank Thomas say that seafood 

 quality is determined by a variety of factors. Their 

 story begins while the fish and shellfish are still in 

 the water. 



BIOLOGY. Even before seafood is harvested its 

 quality has already been affected by biological 

 factors. 



At certain times of the year, a particular seafood 

 may not be at its best. Green says. During spawn- 

 ing, for example, fish and shellfish may have watery, 

 soft flesh that contains less fat and protein than at 

 other times of the year. 



The species size, sex, maturity and habitat also 

 can affect its quality. 



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