Easy Summer Foods And Cool Summer Food Ideas

There is something about summer that makes people yearn for seafood. Especially for people who have just been through a harsh winter, summer time seems perfect for enjoying that lobster and the succulent crabmeat at home or in the outdoors. For many, who want to get adventurous and go fishing for their own produce, or opt for shopping at the local market because it promises fresh fish, it’s time to maintain caution and not fall prey to sea food poisoning and infections. From buying, to storing and cooking sea food, some guidelines must be kept in mind to avoid hazards and make the most of summer and sea food.

Guidelines to enjoy seafood in summer without falling prey to disasters

Buying and Storing Tips:

• If you purchase sea food from a store, check for the license, refrigeration facilities and sanitation of the store and packaging of sea produce.
• Fresh fish usually has a mild sea breeze odor. A strong odor usually suggests that the fish is unfit for consumption.
• Check for shiny eyes and bright red or pink gills for fresh fish. The scales are another indicator of freshness. The closer they cling to the body the fresher the fish is.
• Shell produce such as mussels, crabs, lobsters, must be bought live and must be checked for source of origin. This can often be done by checking the shipper’s tag that comes with the shell produce.
• Odor is the easiest way to check for freshness. Mussels, oysters, scallops have a mild breezy odor. If they smell otherwise, the most likely reason is they are not fit for consumption.
• Frozen sea foods such as fish, shell produce must be checked for its packaging. Shell fish must be packaged in moisture proof containers and fish must be well frozen and free of ice crystals and freezer burn.
• Sea food is very sensitive to temperature. Fish rots faster as temperatures soar. It is advised to refrigerate sea food immediately on purchase. Fresh fish must be stored at the lowest temperature of the refrigerator.
• Frozen fish must never be refrozen after part use. Shell produce must be stored in containers, which are not air tight and covered with damp cloths.
• Once sea food is opened from its packaging, use it immediately or at the most within 2 days.
• During outdoor recreation, it is advised to keep raw sea food in ice boxes.

Cooking Tips With Cool Summer Food Ideas

• Do not thaw frozen sea food immediately. Give it a day’s time in the refrigerator before microwaving it to leaving it to thaw naturally.
• Marinated sea food must be refrigerated and not left outdoors.
• Before cooking any sea produce wash it in cold and running water to rinse off the bacteria.
• Cooked sea food must place at a distance from raw sea food to avoid bacterial contamination since raw sea food has abundant bacteria.
• Cooked sea food must be consumed immediately or at least within the next 24 hours, until which it must be frozen or kept at the lowest temperature in the refrigerator.
• All raw sea food carries bacteria and other pathogens. For those who enjoy raw seafood like sushi, it helps to check for source of origin to ensure good quality produce to avoid any poisoning and infection.
• Raw sea food must be refrigerated until the point of consumption. It must be washed thoroughly under running water. Raw sea food kept out in the open for more than an hour must be avoided.