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 improperly prepared, severe cases can even result in food poisoning.
Therefore, it is important to consume seafood in moderation; generally, once a week is sufficient.
Preparation before consumption:
Sea fish
Must be thoroughly washed before eating, removing all scales, gills, and internal organs. For scaleless fish, use a knife to scrape off the greasy parts of the skin, as these areas are often where contaminants accumulate in sea fish.
Shellfish
Before cooking, wash the shells clean with water and soak them in fresh water for 7-8 hours. This allows the shellfish to expel mud, sand, and other impurities from their bodies.
Shrimp and crab
Clean and remove dirty parts like the shrimp vein. Alternatively, use the salting method: soak in saturated salt water for several hours, then air-dry. Before cooking, soak and wash in fresh water.
Alternatively, wash it clean, soak in vinegar for 15 minutes, then blanch in hot water (for a few minutes in boiling water at 100°C).
Dried seafood
During the drying process, some carcinogens can easily be produced in seafood products. It is best to boil dried shrimp, shrimp skins, and fish for 15-20 minutes before removing and cooking them. Discard the water.
Special reminder: Eat fruit 2 hours after eating seafood. What to pair with seafood.
Best practices:
High-temperature heating
Most bacteria are killed by heat. Therefore, when cooking seafood, it is generally safe to stir-fry over high heat for a few minutes. For seafood with hard shells like crabs and shellfish, they must be thoroughly heated, usually by boiling or steaming for 30 minutes before they are safe to eat (heating temperature must be at least 100°C).
Eat with ginger, vinegar, and garlic
Seafood is considered cold-natured in traditional Chinese medicine. Ginger is hot-natured, so eating it with seafood can neutralize the cold and prevent physical discomfort. Raw garlic and vinegar have good antibacterial properties, which can also help kill some residual harmful bacteria in seafood.
Frying until crispy
When fish is made into crispy fish, the bones and fins become soft and crispy. Eating the fish with its bones not only provides a delicious flavor but also supplies various essential amino acids, vitamins A, B, D, and minerals. The calcium in fish bones is particularly exceptional compared to other foods.
Inappropriate preparation methods:
Raw consumption
Raw seafood often contains bacteria and toxins. Eating it raw can easily cause food poisoning. Moreover, sea fish contains relatively high levels of histidine, which can easily lead to allergies when eaten fresh.
Smoking and roasting
The temperature of smoking and roasting often fails to meet the requirements for killing bacteria in seafood. It only kills surface bacteria, while eggs and parasites may still remain in the center.
Hot pot cooking
To keep the ingredients tender, the cooking time in a hot pot is extremely short. The parasitic eggs in undercooked seafood are not killed, leading to a high risk of infection after consumption.
Pickling
Pickling seafood with糟卤 (zao lu), soy sauce, or liquor does not kill the bacteria in the seafood. Even after 24 hours of pickling, some parasite eggs may still survive. This method of preparation is almost equivalent to eating raw seafood and is not good for your health.
Seafood consumption taboos
Do not eat with large amounts of Vitamin C
Shrimp, crab, and other crustacean seafood contain a high concentration of pentavalent arsenic, which is harmless to the human body on its own. However, when consumed with large amounts of Vitamin C, pentavalent arsenic is converted to trivalent arsenic (arsenic trioxide, commonly known as arsenic), which can lead to acute arsenic poisoning; in severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
Do not eat with cold-natured foods
Seafood is inherently cold-natured. It is best to avoid eating it with other cold-natured 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, be mindful of consuming cold-natured fruits like watermelon and pears in moderation to prevent physical discomfort.
Do not eat with beer or red wine
Consuming large amounts of beer with seafood can produce excessive uric acid, leading to gout. Excess uric acid can deposit in joints or soft tissues, causing inflammation.
Who should avoid eating seafood
People with high blood lipids
Shellfish, especially crab roe, have very high cholesterol content. People with high cholesterol and blood lipids should be careful to eat less or avoid this type of seafood.
Patients with arthritis or gout
Seafood such as sea cucumber, sea fish, kelp, and seaweed contain relatively high levels of purines. Frequent consumption by patients can worsen their condition.
Patients with bleeding disorders
Patients with bleeding disorders such as thrombocytopenia, hemophilia, or vitamin K deficiency should eat less or avoid sea fish. The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in fish can inhibit platelet aggregation, thereby worsening bleeding symptoms in these patients.
Patients with cirrhosis
When the liver is cirrhotic, the body has difficulty producing clotting factors, and with low platelet counts, bleeding is easily induced. Consuming fish rich in EPA, such as sardines, herring, and tuna, can cause the condition to worsen dramatically, adding insult to injury.