Is the fish fresh? Millions of restaurant-goers have posed that all-important question before giving the waiter their order. Whether eating out or at home, most people prefer fresh over frozen fish.
Even though at-sea freezing technology has improved the quality of fish, “fresh” will always sound better than frozen. And it’s true that frozen fish, especially fish frozen at home, can either turn rubbery or watery when the cells are damaged. What’s more, many “frozen fillets” from Mrs. Paul’s and others are pollock, one of the cheapest and blandest fish around. Not exactly a recipe for gourmet dining.
But the discriminating shopper can find a few gems in the freezer case.
Fishing for omegas
Seafood isn’t just something to eat when you’re tired of chicken. A mounting body of research suggests that the omega-3 fats in fish can reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks.
Roughly half a million Americans die of heart attacks each year. Half suffer sudden death–that is, they die within an hour after the attack begins. In most cases, the heart stops beating because the electrical impulses that control its rhythm go awry. More than half the victims have no history of heart disease.
In two major studies, the risk of sudden death was half as high in people who ate fish at least once a week compared to people who ate it less than once a month or never.
(No similar studies have been done on fish oil supplements, which contain omega-3s.) And in monkeys, dogs and rats, it’s tougher to induce an irregular heartbeat if the animals are fed fish oil instead of other fats.
Not all seafood is equally good at protecting the heart. The evidence is strongest that fatty fish (such as salmon, sardines and herring) are protective. They have more omega-3s than lean fish. But a large study found a lower risk in people who ate any fish, so lower-fat fish such as flounder, haddock and sole (even the lowly pollock) may also help.
But beware: The fish you buy in restaurants or supermarkets may be fried in artery-clogging, hydrogenated oils laden with trans-fats, or may be smothered in cheese, butter or other saturated fats. And that can undo any benefits from omega-3s.
The take-home message for freezer-case seafood: Go fishing, but be ready to throw some of it back.
Our “best bites” had no more than 10 grams of fat in a 3- to 4-ounce serving. We limited the saturated fat to no more than 2 grams (or 1 gram if the product contained partially hydrogenated oil). Our sodium cut-off was 480 milligrams per serving. You can use these benchmarks to evaluate brands that this survey doesn’t mention.
It isn’t the seafood that makes those limits a challenge. It’s the added oils, salt and other flavorings. Here’s a rundown of our best bites and some of our not-so-bests.
(Call your local supermarket to check availability of the brands mentioned. Dr. Praeger’s products are available in some Jewel-Oscos. Mrs. Paul’s, a well-known national brand, is “in limited distribution in independent stores” in the Chicago area, according to the brand’s St. Louis owner, Aurora Foods. Phillips products are sold in some Dominick’s and Treasure Island stores and Costco, as well as seasonally at Jewel-Osco.)
Crab, scallops, shrimp
Phillips Maryland Style Crab Cakes match the savory taste of the ones you can get in the mid-Atlantic Phillips Seafood chain. To turn a crab cake into dinner, put it on a bun or roll and serve it with your favorite low-fat coleslaw plus a baked potato.
Adding potato, a salad and sauteed broccoli can also turn delicious Mrs. Paul’s Select Cuts Fried Scallops into a meal. They’re worlds better than their popcorned, buffaloed or stuffed neighbors in the freezer bin. “Popcorn” means tiny (which means more oil-soaked breading), “buffalo” means highly spiced (which means super-salty) and “stuffed” means layers of cream and cheese sauce (which provide saturated fat).
Burgers, sausages and so on
Salmon is rich in good fats and low in bad ones. So why not grind it up and make it into burgers, sausages, hot dogs or other convenience foods? Good idea. Too bad it doesn’t always work.
We found only a few salmon burgers that knocked our socks off. President’s Choice, a private label sold through the Jewel-Osco chain, led the pack. (Its White Albacore Tuna Burgers with Mozzarella were irresistible as well.) Ocean Beauty’s burgers–both salmon and tuna–are almost as tasty, if you choose the three flavors with “100 percent fillet portion” on the box, but Ocean Beauty is not sold in the Chicago area.
AquaCuisine’s salmon sausages–you can choose from Smoked Hot Italian and Smoked Garlic, Basil & Sun-Dried Tomato–get an “A” for creativity but a “C” for taste.
Nuggets, sticks, tenders
If you’re cooking for the over-12 crowd, fish sticks may never cross your shopping list. That’s just as well. A five- or six-stick serving of most brands has 3 or 4 grams of saturated fat and possibly an equal amount of undeclared trans fat.
Mrs. Paul’s and Van de Kamps sell baked fish sticks that can get good and crunchy without deep-fat frying. If your kids insist on that fried taste, look for hard-to-find Dr. Praeger’s Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks. They’ve got half the fat–and twice the taste–of regular fried sticks.
Battered, breaded or stuffed fillets
If you can bake a fish stick, you can bake a fillet. Mrs. Paul’s Healthy Selects and Van de Kamps Crisp & Healthy fillets come in Original, Garlic and Lemon Pepper varieties. The breading is crunchy–some would say dry–but with bland pollock, that’s about all you taste. That’s why you may want to go for a seasoned breading. Our favorite was Mrs. Paul’s Lemon Pepper.
If you want a genuine fried fish flavor, Dr. Praeger’s fillets get it using non-hydrogenated canola oil.
Unbreaded fillets
One bite of most unbreaded fillets and it hits you: This is the kind of cafeteria, low-end restaurant flavor that used to give fish a bad name. The fat and salt levels may be acceptable, but why bother? Sure, it’s tough to dress up pollock, but even some brands of frozen “grilled” salmon were disappointing.
The two exceptions: Gorton’s Classic Char-Grilled and Lemon Butter Grilled Salmon. They trounced the competition, including Mrs. Paul’s Grilled Salmon and Gorton’s (and everyone else’s) grilled pollock. The bad news? Gorton’s says it doesn’t sell either salmon product in the Chicago area.
