Many agree that eating fish fresh from the port is the way to go. But, with the development of preservation techniques, frozen fish has also become a viable option whenever people would go to buy seafood products.
With the fitness trends that have swept society today, people have been told that fresh fish is always better than frozen. Others have different opinions, though; they would say that both fresh and frozen fish have their own advantages. Gerard’s Bistro offers a brief discussion on the issue.
Fresh Fish
There is no escaping it: fresh fish is as good as it gets. Fish recently caught retains all its nutrients without its taste deteriorating due to storage time. The simple notion of knowing that the meat on your plate was swimming in the ocean or lake just hours ago adds another level of pleasure to the dining experience. It is this concept that puts popular restaurants in Brisbane and other seaside cities in Australia on the map. Fresh fish is not necessarily superior to frozen, but there are dishes that taste better with this ingredient. If you are making sushi, fish carpaccio or a ceviche, then it is always best to go for fresh.
Frozen Fish
You may have heard of the saying “frozen is as good as fresh”. It is actually true. When people ask if the fish is “fresh”, they actually mean if it is of good quality. Fish quality is never increased or improved once it has been caught from the water; it can only be kept as it was during the time it was caught. That is why flash-freezing seafood has been so prevalent over the years.
People living near the coast may always go for fresh, but when you are living more than a hundred miles from the shores, would you still consider eating fresh? Frozen fish do not spoil easily because the extremely low temperature slows the growth of bacteria. With it, the freezing process also preserves the nutrients. The inherent proteins, oils and vitamins in the meat is not affected by the process. Once it is thawed properly, it can taste as good as fresh fish. Dishes where appearance don’t matter much, such as fish cakes, pies or even your usual fish and chips can use frozen ones instead.
