Thursday, July 24, 2014

Information One Should Know About Seafood

By Sharron Cantu


Redondo Beach CA is known for being rich in various forms of aquatic life. Seafood refers to any kind of sea life that is considered by human beings as food. These organisms can be either plants or animals. In the animal category, the major groups are the fish and shellfish. Shellfish include different species of echinoderms, crustaceans, and mollusks. Dolphins and whales were formerly included in this group of food but they are being excluded because their consumption happens rarely these days.

People in various regions worldwide consume several varieties of sea plants as food. Such plants include seaweeds and microalgae. The sea also has its own kind of vegetables called sea vegetables. Sea life cultivated or reared for human consumption is raised n ponds and other manmade water sources. The process is called mariculture or aquaculture. The process is called fish farming in the case of fish. On the contrary, the harvesting process is called fishing.

These organisms are primarily fished to make human food although they may also form food for fish and other farm animals. Large deposits of most minerals required by human bodies exist in these organisms. Examples of such minerals include fats, proteins, vitamins, iron, zinc, and phosphorus. Aquatic life forms the bulk of the diet for the coastal population. All the important nutrients required by the body are derived from them. Flesh from sea life is not grouped as meat even though some vegetarians do not include it in their diets.

After fishing, the animals and plants should be kept in a cold place preferably the coldest part of the refrigerator. Creatures that need to be alive at the time of cooking such as lobsters, mussels, clams, and oysters must be kept in clean water. Proper ventilation must be ensured to allow them to breathe and stay alive. Cooked and raw foods should be kept separately to avoid contamination.

If the food is frozen, it must be allowed sufficient time to defrost before cooking. In case time is a limiting factor for proper thawing to occur, they should be placed in a polythene bag and placed in cold water. It should take a few hours for the defrosting to finish.

Soap and hot water should be used to wash hands after and before touching sea creatures. One must ensure that all surface bacteria are removed before cooking. This may be achieved by washing using cold water. Keeping cooked food separate from raw one helps in preventing cross-contamination which is a common but very dangerous issue. Proper disposal must be done to contaminated foods because they cause serious health problems when eaten.

There are many ways of preparing and conserving aquatic foods besides refrigeration. Some of them include baking, grilling, broiling, canning, poaching, microwaving, stir frying, pan frying, and steaming. Some of these methods are applicable to specific creatures while others can be used on multiple creatures. Aquatic food can be served in combination with many other foods, vegetables, and ingredients.

There are many other purposes for which these organisms can be used. For instance, fertilizer can be made from some of them. Also, substances such as spirulina tablets and fish oil are derived from sea life.




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