Prof. Steve Holzinger A sk anyone, which is better, fresh or frozen seafood, and no one will even blink an eye. I'm not sure this is always so. Just a little while ago I was chatting with Ed Brown, chef of The SeaGrill in Rockefeller Center, and author of The Modern Seafood Cook. Ed only uses fresh fish in his restaurant, and he uses fish from all over the world. I could fly free anywhere in the world.
Air freighting fish can add up to a dollar a pound to the cost.
This puts the cost of much fresh fish in the Filet Mignon class. Using fresh fish from anywhere but a market close to where it was caught adds expense and quality problems. I am lucky. I live five minutes away from the town of Freeport, Long Island, a primary market for fresh fish, where you can buy right off the boat or direct from wholesalers who have very busy retail shops. A few simple ideas let me buy fish as good as Chef Ed Brown gets, and a lot cheaper.