Tips for Seafood Chefs

Seafood is always best fresh even though we sometimes have to freeze.

Seafood can be refrigerated or held in an ice chest for up to five days. The best temperature range would be 34-36 Fahrenheit. Keep the ice chest drain open and be sure to keep an eye on the remaining ice daily.

For best flavor and texture, always bag your seafood in zip-locks to prevent drying and water-logging until you are ready to cook.

When sauting, take care to preheat your pan to desired cooking temperature. Placing seafood in a cold pan and then beginning to cook can lead to overcooking.

Use a thermometer when frying. Oil should be 375 before introducing seafood and small batches fry up better than filling the cooking container. The oil will cool when you drop in your seafood and you may have to increase the heat for a few minutes. Never let it reach a temperature above 375 while cooking.

Overcooking is a big no-no! A lightly caramelized surface when sauting or frying to light golden-brown is usually enough but varies with thickness. Always test with a fork; fish fillets should flake easily and shrimp should be uniformly white throughout. Overcooking kills flavor and toughens texture.

When preparing to cook fillets, for best flavor, remove all dark-colored flesh along the lateral line and carefully remove dark meat on the side next to skin in very thin slices.

Take special care to search for small bones in fillets before cooking, especially when serving youngsters.

Always rinse oysters well before battering. Nobody likes grit in their fried oyster po' boy sandwich.