Handling Instructions for Chinese Seafood Mix

Our IQF blanched Chinese Seafood Mix should be stored at or below 0°F (-18°C) and then thawed properly when ready to prepare or further cook.  It is best to consume within 18 months of the processed freeze date.  Links to further information concerning the proper handling of seafood: NOAA - Fish Watch: Handling Seafood and A Consumer Guide to Safe Seafood Handling.

Thawing Chinese Seafood Mix

Thawing is accomplished by placing the product in a sealed plastic container or bag and placing in the refrigerator (33 to 39°F) for 12-24 hours.  However, quick thawing can be accomplished by placing Chinese Seafood Mix in a colander and running under cold water until thawed (3-4 minutes).  This is our recommended thawing method.  Chinese Seafood Mix that is not consumed promptly after thawing needs to be refrigerated between 33 and 39°F and totally consumed in 3-4 days.

Important Instructions for Chinese Seafood Mix

Consuming our Chinese Seafood Mix immediately after proper thawing yields the best quality.

The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act now requires that all foods that are not raw agricultural commodities and that contain a major food allergen be labeled to clearly identify the name of the food source form which the allergen is derived. (21 CFR U.S.C. 343(w)(1)).  The act defines eight foods, and any ingredients derived from these foods as major food allergens:  Fish, Crustacean Shellfish, Milk, Eggs, Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Wheat & Soybeans.  The name of the food source that must be listed on the label for fish or crustacean shellfish must be the specific type of fish or crustacean shellfish.  The market names of species of fish and crustacean shellfish should be used to identify the food source of these two major food allergens.  If you intend to re-pack these seafood products, be sure the allergen is declared in either one of two ways:

1)  Within the list of ingredients
or
2)  In a separate “Contains” statement immediately after or adjacent to the list of ingredients.

Consult the Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Fourth Edition, Chapter 19 for more detailed information on the labeling of food allergens.

Cooking Tips

Our Chinese Seafood Mix is blanched and therefore partially cooked.  This allows the mix to be readily used in ceviche preparations as well as a host of hot preparations such paella, soups, and stir fry.  To save time, frozen Chinese Seafood Mix can be directly added to hot recipes after rinsing off the protective ice glaze.  Links to seafood marinara mix cooking tips and recipes.

China

With more than 1.3 billion people, China is today the world’s most populous country. With a growing economy fueling an appetite for seafood, China has begun importing seafood for in-country consumption, as well as exporting a great deal of its production.  In fact, since 2002, China has continued to export more fish and fishery products than any other country in the world, with Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea as its main export markets.

Chinese distant water fishing activities started in 1985 when China gained access to new fishing grounds through agreements with foreign countries. China operates vessels in West Africa, the North Pacific, and tuna longline vessels in the South Pacific.  In addition, squid are harvested in the Japan Sea, the South Atlantic, and the North Pacific under Chinese-flagged vessels.

Carp are also commercially important, as are bream, shad, eel, catfish, rainbow trout, salmon, mullet, mandarin fish, perch, sturgeon, and murrel (snakehead).  Commercial shellfish include Saltwater & freshwater shrimp, river crabs, and mollusks such as mussels, clams, scallops, oysters, and freshwater snails.

With one-fifth of the world’s population, and an official government policy to promote aquaculture, China has today become an aquaculture powerhouse, now producing more than two-thirds of the world’s aquaculture species.  Fish and shellfish are grown in freshwater and saltwater environments.