How Should Seafood Be Stored? Good Questions

Q: I have been told by my mother and others that under no circumstances should seafood be stored directly on ice, but rather that there should always be a barrier (i.e. fish in plastic bags nestled on ice; fish on metal tray on ice), since direct contact with ice/water will degrade the texture of the seafood.

Yet I often encounter seafood placed directly on ice in markets or at the fishmonger. Can you clear this up for me?

Sent by Catherine

Editor: We checked with On Food & Cooking and Cook's Illustrated to see if we could find an answer for you. As far as we can tell, fresh fish and other seafood should be stored on or under ice in the refrigerator to keep it as close to 32° as possible, which maintains its freshness and flavor for several days.

However, water can leech the flavor of fresh seafood, so it's important to keep the fish away from melted ice water. You can replace the ice frequently, use a storage container that allows for drainage of melted water, or protect the fish from direct contact with water in a zip-lock bag or plastic wrap. (Live shellfish shouldn't be wrapped in plastic or they will suffocate.)

Does anyone else have anything to add?

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(Image: Kleer Ice Supplies)

Comments (4)

The best way to go is to get one container with holes in it to allow drainage, and put that inside a slightly larger container to hold the water that drains off. Colander filled with ice and fish, in a bowl in the fridge works great.

"Fish mongers" and sellers use salted ice, which doesn't melt the same way that normal ice does. I've worked for seafood companies for years, and when I was on the retail end we had to use very specific ice to display fish. It was never actually stored in/on ice either- it was merely for display. It's the same thing with commercial fishing boats- they go to an ice tender, rather than trying to supply their own (this goes for sport fishing very often as well). It's of course a bit different with storing vs. displaying when the fish is in the round.

Where I live on the West Coast, the rule of thumb is to buy the day you eat. That way the fish is fresh and you don't have to think about storing.

Thank you all for the answers! Good to know that ice water is the main issue.
@PrettyKitty, I usually do eat fish the day I buy it, so this question was mainly about seeing fish displayed directly on ice in local markets, and if this is affecting the quality of the fish that I am able to buy in my neighborhood.
@Renai Marie--if you didn't store the fish on/in ice, but used ice in the display, how did you store it? On a sheet on ice, or covered in plastic wrap?