Wednesday 27 February 2013

Role of Seafood Suppliers in Getting Your Fresh Seawater Fish

Who Are Seafood Suppliers?

Procuring seafood has to be done at its source, which is any water source. Seafood is also grown in farms all around the world, but getting the seafood close to a place where it is accessible to people is the job of seafood suppliers. A seafood supplier in conjunction with a few people like farm owners, transporters and retail outlets to ensure that you get the seafood of your choice in a store near you. Seafood suppliers are responsible for ensuring that seafood is delivered to all supermarkets and stores for consumption in the freshest possible way. Without these suppliers, your plans of having your favorite seafood may not materialize.

What Happens Out At Sea?

There is a lot of planning that goes into the supply chain of seawater fish. Most of the seafood comes from out in the sea and a small percentage from fish farms. Exotic and rare seafood are the ones that are usually bred in farms and seafood that are in abundance in the sea are caught by fishing boats that roam the seas. The fish that is caught by the fishing boats are sorted out and the small fishes are put back into the sea. A fish has to meet a particular weight or size required to be allowed for consumption. Once sorted, the fish are preserved in refrigerated areas in the ship till it reaches the shore. Strict parameters are set for icing the fish and storing them in refrigerated containers so that the fish do not start to decompose. If the fish are intended to be frozen, then the catch is flash-frozen on the ship immediately after sorting. This ensures that the fish retains its flavor and freshness till it gets to the packing facility.

Sorting and Packaging Offshore

• The seawater fish that has been captured and stored gets offloaded at the offshore facility where sorting and packing of the seafood takes place. It is from this facility of a seafood supplier, seafood meant for consumption is distributed.
• In the sorting and packaging unit the seawater fish are sorted according to the type, size and weight.
• They are then washed and cleaned with fresh water before they are sent to the packing section.
• Some of the fish are used to make fillets and steaks and another lot is sent out to stores as a whole fish.

Transportation of the seawater fish from this facility to the store is done through refrigerated vehicles of the seafood supplier. At all times during transportation and storage the temperature of most seafood is kept at 27 F.

Retail Outlets

The job of a seafood supplier is to get the seafood to the retail outlets that he caters to. Once delivered to the retail outlet, it is the responsibility of the store to ensure that the fish is stored at the right temperature and care is taken to preserve the freshness of the product. It is from these stores that we pick up the seafood of our choice and enjoy having them, thanks to the flawless services of a seafood supplier.

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Vietnam Seafood Recipes

Use of White Shrimp in Vietnam Seafood Recipes

Vietnam is a river rich country and this means that there are a lot of rivers flowing within Vietnam. With such huge water resources, it is no surprise that the availability of fish is in abundance. You can get both marine and fresh water fish in Vietnam and due to ease of availability, seafood is cheap and fresh. Vietnam is one of the leading producers of white shrimp and this has led to shrimps being added to the cuisine of Vietnam. Some of the famous Vietnam Seafood recipes will be discussed in detail here.

Caramel Shrimp

This is one of the most tasty and popular of the Vietnam Seafood delicacies.
Ingredients required: White shrimp, caramel syrup, red chilies, vegetable oil, garlic powder
• Heat the vegetable oil in a fry pan and add some chilies and garlic powder. Fry them for about a minute.
• Add the shrimps, stir for a while and then add pepper powder.
• Slowly add the caramel milk while stirring and then add salt to taste.
• Let this mixture boil for another 30 seconds and your caramel shrimp is ready.
This is a relatively easy and quick dish that can be made. It goes well when served with plain boiled rice.

Vietnam Seafood Mix

This is a mix of different seafood items that you can find. Shop for some of your favorite seafood and keep them aside. You will have to grill your seafood for a better taste and this grilled fish can be served with a fish sauce. You can use white shrimps, crabs, any fish or mussels for the seafood mix.

Ingredients Required: Mixed seafood, unsalted butter, olive oil, carrots, onions, pepper corn,

• Boil three or four teaspoons of butter along with some olive oil in a medium sized pan.
• After about a minute add onions, chopped carrots and pepper corns.
• Cook till the carrots and onions become soft and do not forget to keep stirring. To enhance and bring out the taste of the sauce, it is essential to keep stirring.
• After about 10 minutes add small pieces of seafood and some fish bones. This will add more flavor to your sauce.
• When the desired consistency is attained, you can take the pan off the flame and keep it aside.
• Take the seafood mix and put them onto a grill.
• Marinate the seafood mix with some lemon juice before grilling. This will help to soften the fish and also add a bit of flavor to the seafood mix.
Garnish the sauce that you have prepared with cream and small vegetable pieces. Now serve the grilled seafood mix along with the sauce that you have prepared. Your Vietnam Seafood Mix is ready.

Importance of Vietnamese Seafood

The major advantage of a Vietnamese cuisine is that it does not contain unhealthy food preparation methods. They tend to be low on oil and fatty substances and thereby being a lot healthier. You can browse the internet to find more Vietnamese seafood recipes that you can try at home. Vietnamese seafood recipes are renowned worldwide due to its simple nature and ease of preparation. They tend to be delicious and very light and this is a unique combination in any cuisine.

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Frozen Seafood-Is Frozen Seafood Better Than Fresh Seafood?

Is Fresh Seafood Really Fresh?

This is a question that has always got me thinking. We talk about fresh seafood that is available in the local market and in some supermarkets. But is this seafood really fresh. For that we need to first define what we mean by fresh. A fish that has never been frozen is what I term as fresh fish and for that you will need fish that comes right out of the water. When transportation of fish is needed, then you can be rest assured that there is some sort of freezing process that is involved to keep the fish as fresh as possible. However most of the frozen seafood is flash frozen and that means the frozen fish you get are frozen on the fishing boat immediately after capture.

Advantages of Frozen Seafood

Let us have a look at the advantages of frozen seafood that you may not be aware of.
• Most of the frozen fish available in the market are flash frozen and that means they are frozen immediately upon capture
• Flash freezing assures you highest quality seafood and is bound to taste better.
• Frozen fish are checked for quality and only the ones that satisfy the quality check are put out for sale.
• As the fish are frozen immediately upon capture, the process of decomposition of fish never takes place.
• Frozen sea foods are known to preserve the proteins in the fish much better than the so called fresh fish.

Disadvantages of Fresh Fish in Markets

Proper fresh seafood will be only available to people who are near to the fishing area and only during the fishing season. You need to go fishing in order to get fresh fish or you may have to get the services of professionals to help you get some. There are a lot of disadvantages to the so called fresh seafood that are available.
• Seafood once harvested will start to decompose in a short time and will continue to decompose throughout the transportation phase.
• Any fish that has to be transported will have to be refrigerated and in most cases the refrigeration will not be up to standards.
• Enzymes that are in the muscles of the fish will start to break down the flesh of the fish and this process can affect the quality of the fish.
• If the fish is left exposed to the sun, some freshwater fishes will release toxins and this can be harmful to you.

What to Look Out for When Buying Frozen Fish?

As with any product, you need to be aware of what you need to look out for when buying frozen seafood. Go for the products that are available in a vacuum sealed pouch as they are better. Never buy fish in a Styrofoam package or the ones which has thick ice on top of it. Such products are not flash frozen and hence the quality may be compromised. Do read the label to understand the date of packing and expiry date to ensure that you get the best. So contrary to the fact that frozen seafood is not as fresh as the ones in the market, one can be assured of quality when it comes to frozen fish.

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