I used to buy frozen individual tilapia fillets. DH pointed out that they didn't taste good (muddy). Figured out why - imported from China (pretty much all of it is, but some good stuff is coming in from South America) where the water management is pretty shoddy. Bye bye tilapia, unless I buy it fresh, from Equador etc.

I don't buy much frozen fish at all, but my guess is that packagers can freeze it better than we can to maintain quality.

All the fish/seafood available to me locally is frozen. And it is better than the fresh fish which will be several days old. But I have to drive an hour to get the fresh. From what I understand, frozen fish is usually frozen very soon after catching and usually on the boat.

The quality to me, deteriorates mainly with the more flaky kinds of fish such as flounder and tilapia.
I buy frozen salmon (wild and farmed), mahi-mahi, cod, haddock, tuna and halibut. All are very good grilled, sauteed or baked. I also buy scallops (sea and bay) and shrimp, mussels and crab legs.

The meaty fish can still be partially frozen when starting to cook but the flaky fishes and scallops need to be completely thawed and drained on paper towels other wise they release to much water, especially for sauteing.

I usually avoid fish that have flavorings added, preferring to add my own without preservatives and weird ingredients.

I do pay attention to the country of origin but almost everything here is from China. Some is from India and I won't touch that.

Sue I would much rather have fish that was kept cold and frozen the day it was caught than fish 3 or 4 days old that was just kept cold. All that salmon sitting under glass at the counter gives me the willies when see it.
James

I buy the Costco brand frozen salmon. It says it is farmed in the Atlantic, what ever that means. ItÂs very good. Much better that the fresh they have. The price just went up again so I have stocked up with enough to last for the summer.

Claudia

I often buy frozen hake and other white fish which was caught by Spanish factory fishing boats which do the processing and freezing right on the boat while at sea. Then I keep it in the deep freeze until needed and take it out the night before, keeping it wrapped in the fridge until the next day.

As Jim says...it tastes just like or better than fresh....and as has been mentioned here by the local fish council (and my doctor), it's also safest to eat fish that has been flash frozen as it kills anything else that might be lurking inside. :-)

SharonCb

I buy Alaskan King Crab legs frozen, generally at the Japanese market because they have the best price. I have also bought frozen Ahi tuna for sashimi, and I will consider frozen shrimp, although fresh shrimp are always available, and so that isn't necessary. I won't buy tuna steaks that have been frozen, however, and I won't buy frozen swordfish or salmon. The one fish I can remember having been frozen that I liked was Rainbow Trout, and that was 30 years ago when I lived in San Francisco. The fish monger would come to our neighborhood, and we bought it on the street.

Lars

We are so far from any ocean that "fresh" fish is an impossibility, unless you go to the local "fishing lake" and catch your own lunker trout. They are pretty good on the grille with hickory chips to give a smoked taste, but are otherwise muddy-tasting. So it's all frozen, for me, but I am careful about country of origin. I just wish I could see into the packages of frozen filets, to know what size the pieces are. Some are so eentsy they're not worth cooking!

Ever notice that some frozen fish and chicken has a thin coat of ice?

That's where I got the idea... I freeze the fish or chicken on a cookie sheet, when it's good and frozen I dip it in cold water and freeze it again, a couple of times, then just pop it into a zip lock bag... So far it's worked really good for me, no freezer burn or odd tastes...

Rita

I used to stock the Costco salmon but got tired of it. It's good in recipes with sauces, but not the same as fresh. I still stock Costco frozen shrimp and scallops - those defrost and taste fine. For fresh fish, instead of looking for a particular fish - I go see what's fresh and looks good and is priced-well at the local stores.

If you are concerned about the safety of the fish you eat for health or environmental reasons, the Enviromental Defense Fund has put out a list of good/bad seafood choices. Not all tilapia/salmon/shrimp, etc. is created equal...

Here is a link that might be useful: Seafood Selector

namabafo - thanks for the link, they reference Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood watch, which is my bible.

Trader Joe's has Regal Springs brand frozen tilapia. Looks good, from clean water sources in Indonesia!

Um

Stay AWAY from Trader Joe's frozen Silverbright wild salmon. Nasty stuff....but I may change my mind after I'm done doctoring it up. Pan sauteeing in a flour/cornstarch mixture, topped with a sake/miso/grapefruit sauce.

I sell Tilapia, Product from Thailand, our company is Grand Bay Seafood. Our tilapia all natural non Co Treated. Cage raised not pond raised (will have no muddy smell)I guarantee our product can be compete with Equador and Mexico and Honduras and Indonesia.

I'd like to sell to wholesale, retail, distributor.

If you interested, please call me 011 668 1996 6842

I will never buy any frozen fish from China.i am very concerned about where fish and shrimp are comming from and where raised.i have seen some disturbing videos on the web where in China they inject some kind of liquid into the shrimp to fatten them.wild caught labeled is a lie as far as I am concerned.be very careful out there