Although seafood is rich in nutrients, it should not be consumed in excess. Due to marine pollution, seafood often contains toxins and harmful substances. Overconsumption can easily damage the spleen and stomach, leading to gastrointestinal diseases. If not handled or cooked properly, severe cases can even result in food poisoning. Therefore, it is important to consume seafood in moderation; once a week is generally sufficient.
Preparation Before Consumption:
Sea Fish: Must be thoroughly washed before eating, removing all scales, gills, and internal organs. For fish without scales, use a knife to scrape off the greasy parts on the skin, as these areas are often where pollutants accumulate.
Shellfish: Before cooking, wash the shells clean with fresh water and soak them in fresh water for 7-8 hours. This allows the shellfish to expel mud, sand, and other impurities.
Shrimp and Crab: Clean and remove dirty parts like the shrimp vein. Alternatively, use the salting method: soak them in saturated saltwater for several hours, then dry them in the sun. Before cooking, soak and wash them in fresh water.
Fresh Jellyfish: Fresh jellyfish contains a lot of water, has a thick body, and also contains toxins. It needs to be pickled with salt and alum three times to dehydrate it three times, which allows the toxins to be completely excreted with the water. It is edible after this treatment. Alternatively, wash it clean, soak it in vinegar for 15 minutes, and then blanch it in boiling water (100°C for several minutes).
Dried Seafood: The drying process of seafood products can easily produce some carcinogens. It is best to boil dried products like shrimp, dried shrimp, and fish for 15-20 minutes before removing and cooking them. Discard the water.
Best Practices:
High-Temperature Cooking: Most bacteria are susceptible to heat. Therefore, cooking seafood with high heat for a few minutes is generally safe. For shellfish like crabs and clams with hard shells, thorough heating is essential; they usually need to be boiled or steamed for at least 30 minutes to be safe (heating temperature should be at least 100°C).
Consuming with Ginger, Vinegar, and Garlic: Seafood is considered "cool" in nature, while ginger is "hot." Eating them together can neutralize the coolness and prevent physical discomfort. Raw garlic and vinegar also have good antibacterial properties, which help eliminate residual harmful bacteria in seafood.
Making Crispy Fish: When fish is made into crispy fish, the bones and become soft and delicious. Eating the fish with its bones provides not only a rich flavor but also essential amino acids, vitamins A, B, D, and minerals. The calcium in fish bones is particularly notable and cannot be matched by other foods.
Improper Methods:
Eating Raw: Raw seafood often contains bacteria and toxins, which can easily cause food poisoning. Additionally, sea fish contains a relatively high amount of histidine, which can easily cause allergies when eaten fresh.
Smoking and Grilling: The temperature of smoking and grilling often fails to meet the requirements for killing bacteria in seafood. It only kills surface bacteria, while eggs and parasites may remain in the center.
Hot Pot Scalding: To keep ingredients tender, the cooking time in a hot pot is extremely short. In undercooked seafood, parasite eggs are not killed, leading to a high risk of infection after consumption.
Pickling: Pickling seafood with rice wine, soy sauce, or other seasonings does not kill the bacteria in it. Even after 24 hours of pickling, some parasite eggs may still survive. Seafood prepared this way is almost equivalent to eating it raw and is detrimental to health.
Four Taboos When Eating Seafood
Do not consume with large amounts of Vitamin C: Crustaceans like shrimp and crab contain a high concentration of pentavalent arsenic, which is harmless on its own. However, when taken with large amounts of Vitamin C, pentavalent arsenic is converted to trivalent arsenic (arsenic trioxide, also known as arsenic), which can lead to acute arsenic poisoning; in severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
Do not consume with "cooling" foods: Seafood is inherently "cool" in nature. It is best to avoid eating it with other "cooling" foods, such as water spinach and cucumbers. You should also avoid drinking cold beverages like soda, iced water, or ice cream immediately after a meal. Additionally, limit or avoid eating "cooling" fruits like watermelon and pears to prevent physical discomfort.
Do not consume with beer or red wine: Eating seafood with large amounts of beer can produce excessive uric acid, leading to gout. Excessive uric acid can deposit in joints or soft tissues, causing inflammation.
Who Should Avoid Eating Seafood
People with high blood lipids: Shellfish like snails, clams, and crabs, especially crab roe, have high cholesterol content. People with high cholesterol and blood lipids should be cautious about consuming or avoiding these products.
Patients with arthritis or gout: Seafood like sea cucumbers, sea fish, kelp, and seaweed contain a high amount of purines. Frequent consumption can worsen the condition.
Patients with bleeding disorders: Patients with thrombocytopenia, hemophilia, vitamin K deficiency, and other bleeding disorders should eat sea fish sparingly or not at all, as the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in fish can inhibit platelet aggregation, thereby worsening bleeding symptoms.
Patients with cirrhosis: When the liver is cirrhotic, the body has difficulty producing clotting factors. Coupled with low platelet counts, this can easily lead to bleeding. Consuming fish rich in EPA, such as sardines, mackerel, and tuna, can急剧 worsen the condition, making a bad situation even worse.