The Truth About Fresh vs Frozen Seafood
My dad sells produce for a living, and he was talking to me about corn. “Have you ever bought fresh corn out of season? Do you notice how it’s not that sweet? The frozen stuff is always sweet because it’s frozen on farm when it’s in season!” When I asked him, “What about when corn is in season, do you go fresh or frozen?”. He responded, “Oh, you’d be an idiot to not buy fresh”. The same rule applies with seafood.
Buying fresh not just tastes better, but it also supporting fishermen who don’t catch products that are so heavily sought after that they need to freeze tonnes of product to ensure people can have the product year round. Fresh products are naturally going to be in season and are less likely to travel a great distance, reducing green house gas emissions. Again, from a quality perspective, there’s nothing inherently wrong with frozen seafood. For a lot of products, they’re frozen on boat to capture most of the nutritional benefits and the product quality can be quite good! However, seafood fresh off a boat that was out for the day, is going to taste far superior to frozen seafood, period.
"Fresh products are naturally going to be in season and are less likely to travel a great distance, reducing green house gas emissions."
One caveat to this rule is that some products should be frozen to preserve quality and extend shelf-life. Squid, whole shrimp, and lobsters are good examples of this.
Fresh seafood is not cheap. Just like buying apparel from a company that ensures fair wages for workers, environmental materials, and superior quality, these processes are not cheap. Just as you should question jeans made abroad that sell for only $5.99, you should question a fillet that’s travelled across to world to get to your market for $5.99/lb. Guilt-free seafood comes at a premium, so how much are you willing to pay to not need to turn a blind eye.
If you want to find guilt-free seafood delivered right to your doorstep, E-Fish.com is the place. Reach out by email if you have any questions about the products sold on our website, we will be happy to tell you the story behind each and every product.