Wondering About The Freshness Of Sam's Club Fish

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Here is what I just emailed to them. I will post their reply as soon as I get it.

Hi,

I have always read that fresh fish should be consumed within 24-48 hours of being delivered at the store where it is sold (and preferably within 24 hours).

Last night (September 7), my husband purchased fresh tilapia at our local Sam's Club. The sell-by date clearly listed on the package is September 11, a full 4 days away.

If I had been in your store on September 11 and seen that package of fish, I would have assumed that the fish had been delivered either that day or the day before. This places the quality and freshness of fish at Sam's Club in serious doubt. Fish that has been sitting in a refrigerated counter for 4 days is not fresh.

The sell-by date for fresh fish should be the day it is delivered to the store, not 4 days later. It starts to smell after only 2 days.

I hope you can fix this problem before someone becomes ill.

[Nancym]

I'm reading a book called "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee. Lots of science-y stuff in there. Anyway, various types of fish can be kept longer than others. Vacuum sealing and keeping them on ice can extend the shelf-life into the range of weeks for some varieties.

[lovegrov]

Shelf life of fish depends entirely on how quickly it's chilled and how cold it stays. Fish that's been in a store four days CAN still be fresh enough to eat, although you certainly wouldn't do sushi with it. When I buy "fresh" fish, I either eat it that day or freeze it immediately.

richard

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I'm reading a book called "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee. Lots of science-y stuff in there. Anyway, various types of fish can be kept longer than others. Vacuum sealing and keeping them on ice can extend the shelf-life into the range of weeks for some varieties.

This was neither vacuum-sealed nor on ice.

Shelf life of fish depends entirely on how quickly it's chilled and how cold it stays. Fish that's been in a store four days CAN still be fresh enough to eat, although you certainly wouldn't do sushi with it. When I buy "fresh" fish, I either eat it that day or freeze it immediately.

richard

This was in a plastic-wrapped styrofoam tray placed in an open refrigerated case. I suppose that it's POSSIBLE that it would still be safe to eat after 4 days--but not likely. As I am feeding 3 children, I need to know that it is definitely safe. I have had trouble at a supermarket with fish that was on one of these styrofoam trays--although I unwrapped it as soon as I got home to marinate it, it was already stinky (as in rotten).

[Lisa]

We sometimes get fish (salmon, tuna) from Indonesia.......ugghh. And I am sorry to say, I am thinking sumomi. I don't buy.

We do buy salmon from Sam's, but we buy it frozen. Season it, Smoke it on the "green-egg" and it is soooo good. No restaurant could touch it.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

We sometimes get fish (salmon, tuna) from Indonesia.......ugghh. And I am sorry to say, I am thinking sumomi. I don't buy.

We do buy salmon from Sam's, but we buy it frozen. Season it, Smoke it on the "green-egg" and it is soooo good. No restaurant could touch it.

What is "sumomi" and what is a "green-egg?"

[Nancym]

Yeah, that doesn't sound good.

My book says ice is very important for fish. It lasts twice as long at 32' and refrigerators don't get that cold. Freezer is too cold.

"In general, well iced fatty saltwater fish -- salmon, herring, mackerel, sardine--will remain edible for about a week, lean cold-water fish--code, sole, tuna, trouble--about two weeks.... a large portion of these ice-lives may already have elapsed before the fish appear in the market."

Cooking to avoid the fishy smell:

The Fishy smell you get from cooking is from a volatile molecules formed by fatty-acid fragments reacting with TMAO. You can fight the TMAO reaction with green tea, onion, bay, sage, clove, ginger and cinnamon. Acidity also mutes the volatility of fishy amines and aldehydes that farmed freshwater fish sometimes accumulate from blue-green algae.

They suggest rinsing the fish well.

Also the target temperature in fish is critical. There are some enzymes that activate at moderate temperature that can turn your fish to mush. Very complex stuff.

Lets see what they say about Tilapia:

Tilapia can become mushy when cooked slowly or held at 130-140.

Gosh, no wonder I'm so intimidated by cooking fish.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I usually marinate my fish in wine and/or lime juice for a half hour or so. Ginger works wonders in eliminating the fishy odor, but doesn't work in Italian or Greek recipes. It's yummy in Asian recipes, though!

[mamaw]

Sam's fish usually is farmed raised. I don't eat any farm raised fish bad for your health... We only buy wild caught fish. If it doesn't say wild caught don't eat it.........

mamaw

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Why would farm raised be bad for your health?

[mamaw]

They are fed junk to make them grow , to give them good color. & so on. Right now I'm brain fogged out & I can't think of the hormones & stuff ..... sorry allergies & brain fog not a good combo today.There is a topic about this on here somewere--- I think maybe about fresh wild salmon or farmed raised salmon..Again I'm sorry for being so clueless today.

How is your shoulder doing? Hope it is better & you are back with your passion.... Now evrytime I see pics of the symphony, I think of you & wonder if your in the pic....

Are you going to the Columbus Conference?

mamaw

[mamaw]

Fiddle-Faddle

I just did a google search on wild salmon versus farm raised salmon & alot of info comes. Try health castle.com

Farm raised salmon containes PCB's & are given alot of antibiotics because they are in small quarters being raised so that in its self makes them more sickly so hence the antibiotics come into play. I order all my fish from Alaska direct. I have bought from WHole Foods the day it comes in & freeze it.I still have a supply from my journey there last summer. We caught alot of salmon & halibut.I'm hoping I don't have to mail order for months yet...........

mamaw

[bluejeangirl]

Fiddle-Faddle

I just did a google search on wild salmon versus farm raised salmon & alot of info comes. Try health castle.com

Farm raised salmon containes PCB's & are given alot of antibiotics because they are in small quarters being raised so that in its self makes them more sickly so hence the antibiotics come into play. I order all my fish from Alaska direct. I have bought from WHole Foods the day it comes in & freeze it.I still have a supply from my journey there last summer. We caught alot of salmon & halibut.I'm hoping I don't have to mail order for months yet...........

mamaw

I agree Mamaw. I'll never eat farm raised salmon. I don't see where its good for you. I'll be even more graphic. All those fish trying to swim in this small area but can't. They end up practically eating their own poop because how do you clean that out. Anything penned up are stressed and if humans get sick under stress doesn't make sense animals and fish do? So your eating sick fish that are fatty because they can't move and swimming in a toilet They do dye them so they at least look good. Oh well,... sorry if I spoiled you dinners.

I'll shut up now.

Gail

[mamaw]

thanks for helping brain fogged mamaw out on this I agree Gail & your graphic description was right on.. yucky or not its true....

mamaw

[Fiddle-Faddle]

And all this time, I 'd thought I was feeding my family healthy food . We eat fish 2-3 times per week, but with 5 big eaters, we could never afford wild salmon. I've been either going to Sam's Club or down to the strip.

My shoulder is improving, thanks for asking Shoulders are ridiculously slow to rehab (they say not to expect full range of motion or strength until 5-6 months after surgery), but I'm definitely moving in the right direction. I have a blog about it on the PSO website. (Am I allowed to post that here?)

What Columbus Conference are you talking about?

[mamaw]

Fiddle-Faddle

glad you are doing better & moving forward.....

To buy Alaskan wild caught fish is not that bad. No its not cheap but we are talking about feeding loved ones here.....In fact at times you can get it fairly easy & at a good price. I bought a whole hugh salmon for $10.00 . It made plenty of 6 to 8 oz. meals for my family. Of course I did pay for shipping too.

Halibut cost more but we like salmon (sockeye better). Alaskans say halibut is the best!!

The yearly celiac conference in Columbus Oh is Nov.5,2006. It cost $30.00 per adult which includes a care pkg, lunch & snacks plus speakers. They have things for youth also. It goes in age groups as to what they will be doing for the day.Last year the middle age kids made pizza , this year I think it is foods from Food-Tek, and a movie. I didn't pay a ton of attention to the kids part as this is my daughter's birthday so we leave the kids at home with my family.It's our weekend together to share.......

There is alot of foods being sold & alot we can't get back here at home. I actually love that part of it .. I stock up whenever I get a chance......It also is alot of learning & plain fun. You meet lots of people. I met a dentist from this area last year that was just dx'd.It's kinda like a club so to speak.....

For us it is well worth the couple hour trip. I guess four hours!!!!!I shop at the Raisin Rack while I'm there , they have a great selection....

If you google Children's Hospital of Columbus it will certainly give more details ........

Hope you can make it.

mamaw