Cooking Tips

Bake in greased baking dish at 450oF. Cover fish with sauce or topping to keep moist. Broil no more than 4 inches from heat source. Baste; do not turn. Grill on greased rack approximately 4 inches from hot coals or use a barbecue basket. Poach in enough liquid to barely cover fish in wide, shallow pan. Boil liquid; add fish; cover tightly and simmer. Liquid may be water, milk, or wine. Add seasonings such as fresh herbs, lemon, or salt & pepper. Steam in a deep pot. Place fish on a rack 2 inches above boiling liquid. Cover tightly. Pan fry in 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch hot canola or olive oil. Coat seafood with seasoned flour, bread or cracker crumbs. Ten minute rule: Cook fish 10 minutes for each 1 inch of thickness measured at the thickest part. BROILED FISH 

1 pound fish steaks or fillets (halibut, salmon, 

snapper or tuna) Salt & Pepper Herbs: chopped parsley, thyme, basil, or tarragon Lemon juice 1 tablespoon olive oil

Lightly grease broiler pan. Squeeze lemon, to taste, on fish and brush with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper, and choice of herbs. Broil until fish is light brown and begins to flake but is still moist; allow 10 minutes per inch thickness. Serve with your choice of sauce. Serves 4.

We value interest, questions, and comments. 

Please feel free to contact us. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversees fisheries management in the United States, and through the 1946 Agricultural Marketing Act, provides a voluntary inspection service to the industry. The NOAA Seafood Inspection Program offers a variety of professional inspection services which assure compliance with all applicable food regulations. In addition, product quality evaluation, grading and certification services on a product lot basis are also provided. Benefits include the ability to apply official marks, such as the U.S. Grade A, Processed Under Federal Inspection (PUFI) and Lot Inspection. The services provided by NOAA include the following: 

• Establishment Sanitation Inspection • Process and Production Inspection • Product Grading • Product Lot Inspection • Laboratory Analyses • Training • Consultation 

www.seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov 

USDC Seafood Inspection Program 

NOAA Fisheries Service 

1315 East West Highway 

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 

Phone (301) 713-2355/(800) 422-2750 

Fax (301) 713-1081 

USDC Natio

P
Cover the pan with 

refrigerate. Drain afish under cold watchange the ice. If thafter being rinsed, ibe using the fish wimmediately. To do pat very dry with pin plastic wrap, squtightly in aluminum fish frozen at home To store fresh fish, cold water and pat finfish as close to 3twice as long at 32 When fish sits in itmore rapidly. To prwhole fillets or steanot overlap. Set the a shallow pan. If it necessary to keep tmore than 24 hoursthe pan with crusheIt’s always best to cpurchase. If that’s nyou store it. Always thaw fish aThawing at temperexcessive drip loss aroma and appearaStoring Your Sea

Seafood Made Safe & Easy Purchasing Seafood Step up to the seafood counter or frozen fish case, and you’ll see an enticing display of one type of seafood after another. How do you choose? A good first step is to wait until you are at the store before deciding which type to buy. Go ahead and plan your menu for seafood, but wait until you are at the store before deciding the exact type of fish. Here you will be able to select the freshest items in the case, and take advantage of what’s on sale whether fresh or frozen. It’s easy to tell when seafood is fresh. Just follow these general guidelines. 1. When purchasing whole fish or fish fillets, look for 

firm flesh. If you press the fish with your finger and it leaves an indentation, it is not the highest quality, even though it still may be good to eat. Also look for shiny flesh. Dull flesh may mean that the fish is old. On fish fillets that have been previously frozen, of course, flesh may not be as shiny due to the freezing process, but are great to eat. 

2. Check to make certain that there is no darkening 

around the edges of the fish or brown or yellowish discoloration, especially if these areas appear dry or mushy. If you are still uncertain about how fresh the fish is, ask to have it rinsed under cold water and then

smell it. Fresh fish should have no fishy or ammonia smell. 2. Fillets or steaks should be solidly frozen in the 

package. 

1. Whole fish should be free of ice crystals, with no 

discoloration. 

3. Live clams, oysters, and mussels may have slightly 

gaping shells and should close tightly when tapped. If not, the shellfish may be dead and should be discarded. Live crabs and lobster legs should show leg movement. Leg activity will lessen if refrigerated, but legs should show some movement. 5. Make sure there are no open, torn or crushed edges 

on the packages. 

3. There should be no evidence of drying out, such as 

white spots, dark spots, discoloration or fading of red or pink flesh. 

4. There should be no signs of frost or ice particles 

inside the package. If ice crystals are present, the fish has either been stored for a long period or thawed and refrozen. There should be no liquid, frozen or thawed evident in the package. 

Most frozen fish today compares in quality to fish directly out of the water. Fresh catches are immediately processed and frozen at very low temperatures, frequently right on board the vessel. When buying frozen fish keep in mind the following guidelines:

6. Avoid packages that are above the frost line in a 

store’s display freezer.