When it comes to seafood, in addition to the age-old saying "food is the first necessity of the people," people now also aspire to "find joy in their food." Their demands for product quality are constantly rising.
High-quality seafood is hard to find at a high price.
According to FAO statistics, China is the world's largest aquaculture country, with its aquaculture output accounting for 61.7% of the global total in 2014. In China, in 2015, marine products accounted for 51% of the country's total aquatic product output. However, in contrast, during the circulation process of aquatic products, the level of scientific and standardized quality management is still relatively low. This results in a high rate of product loss and spoilage, with the spoilage rate as high as 15%. Furthermore, problems like frozen products being passed off as fresh, and inferior goods being sold as high-quality ones are constantly emerging. This leads to consumers struggling to buy good seafood despite paying high prices.
How to Choose High-Quality Seafood
1. How to choose fresh crab
1) The connection between the limbs and the body. In fresh crabs, the walking legs are tightly connected to the body. When the crab is lifted, the legs do not hang loosely. In stale crabs, the connection points between the limbs and the body will show obvious signs of looseness. When the body is lifted, the limbs (walking legs) can be seen hanging down loosely.
2) The "stomach mark" above the abdomen. Crabs mainly feed on humus. After death, over time, the stomach contents of a stale crab will decompose, causing a black mark to appear on the upper part of the abdomen on the ventral side of the crab's body.
3) Whether the "crab roe" is solidified. The substance in the crab's body known as "crab roe" consists of various internal organs and reproductive organs. When the crab is in the rigor mortis stage, the "crab roe" is in a solidified state. In stale crabs, it is semi-fluid. When the crab spoils further, it becomes thinner, and when holding the crab and turning it over, a fluid state can be felt inside the shell.
4) Look at the gills. In fresh crabs, the gills are clean, the gill filaments are clear, and they are white or slightly yellowish-brown. In stale crabs, the gill filaments begin to decompose and stick together, but the shell must be peeled back to observe this.
2. How to choose fresh shrimp:
Look at the shape. Fresh shrimp have their heads and tails tightly connected to their bodies, and the meat and shell are firmly attached.
Look at the color. Fresh shrimp shells are shiny; female sea shrimp are bluish-white, and male sea shrimp are egg-yellow. Stale shrimp have dull shells, and the shrimp themselves may appear reddish or purplish-gray.
Observe the texture. Fresh shrimp meat is firm, delicate, and elastic.
Smell the odor. Fresh shrimp have a normal smell with no off-odors.
3. How to choose fresh clams:
Look. Clam shells should be shiny. If the color is dull, they are not fresh.
Tap. Gently tap an open clam. If it closes quickly, it is fresh. Also, clams are usually closed. If you see many clams open at a stall, it may also indicate they are not very fresh.
Feel. Pick up a few clams and feel their weight. If they feel heavy in your hand, it means the clam meat is plump. If they feel light, it means the meat is lean and the texture will not be good, so you should not buy them.
Smell. Whether the fresh aroma of the clam is natural. If there is a fishy or foul smell, even if it is faint, it means the clams are not very fresh.
4. How to buy mantis shrimp:
Choose mantis shrimp that are shiny and greenish, as these are fresher.
Look at the shrimp head. If the head is limp and looks like it's about to fall off, it is not fresh.
Look at the shrimp claws. If the claws are red, they are not fresh. They must be green!