Sarah Harper, Fishmongress at Quality Seafood Market, writes a monthly article for Live Oak Pharmacy on seafood as an essential part of whole body wellness.
There is a lot of helpful information available on how to purchase fresh seafood, but I rarely read any articles that address what to do with the seafood once you leave the market (i.e., how to safely transport and store it). This blog post aims to fill that void.
Transit – If your commute from the seafood market to your home takes more than 20 minutes, then be kind to your fish and ask your monger for an ice pack to keep it cool on the ride home. Even better, come prepared with a cooler and your own ice packs. Just remember not to leave your cooler in the hot trunk while you’re doing all your pre-seafood market shopping. When heated in the sun, a cooler will hold its temperature and act more like a portable oven than a fridge for your fish!
Packaging – Before refrigerating your fish, remove the fillets from their original packaging, wrap them with plastic wrap, and place them on a plate or tray in the coolest part of your fridge (back of bottom shelf) underneath an ice pack. Before freezing fillets, remove them from their original packaging and seal them in vacuum-pack bags using a home food saver. If you don’t have one of these, wrap the fish in plastic, then tightly in freezer paper or a freezer bag, pressing all the air out as you go. Try to store fish fillets in the coolest part of your freezer (near the back cooling unit) so that they freeze as quickly as possible, minimizing the number of ice crystals that form inside the flesh.
Live Shellfish – Be sure that your shellfish have adequate access to circulating air in transit. Ask your monger to use a mesh bag or to puncture some holes in a plastic bag so that the shellfish can “breathe.” Lobsters and crabs should be wrapped in wet newspaper (soaked with saltwater) before being placed in a box or cooler; this helps keep their gills moist. When you get your shellfish home, place it on ice in the coolest part of the fridge. Do not allow water to gather around the shellfish, as the chlorinated tap water will kill them. You may also want to cover your shellfish with a damp towel to keep them moist. Oysters should be laid flat, with the “cup” side down, so that if they open and close they don’t spill out all their delicious oyster liquor!
Shelf life – The shelf life of fish depends on a variety of factors, among them are the oil content, the time it has spent out of water, the time since it was filleted, and whether or not it was properly handled. A fish stays fresher the longer it stays whole (with an exception of the viscera, which should be removed as soon as possible). Your fishmonger should be able to give you the best advice on how many days your product will last if properly stored over ice in a home fridge. If your market does its own processing (like Quality Seafood Market!), then you’re in luck. If you don’t like the looks of a certain fillet, they may fillet you a fresh one. If you don’t live near a reputable fresh seafood market, then this table should give you a general idea of how long to keep seafood in your home fridge. Before cooking your fish, rinse it, pat it dry, and give it a good sniff test. If your fillets have gone sour or have a faint chemical aroma, it’s too late and you should be headed back to the market for newer, fresher seafood!
Raw Cooked
Whole fish (gutted and gilled) 3-4 days 3-4 days
Fish fillets or steaks 1-2 days 3-4 days
Live shellfish (crustaceans) 1 day 2-3 days
Live shellfish (mollusks) 1-2 days 2-3 days
Shellfish (processed) 1-2 days 2-3 days
Learn more about fish at Quality Seafood Market. The opinions expressed by our guest bloggers do not necessary reflect the opinions of Live Oak Pharmacy. The opinions expressed by guest bloggers are their own, unless otherwise stated. No financial agreement exists between guest bloggers and Live Oak Pharmacy.
Last year you voted us “Best New Local Business” and now the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin Reader’s Poll is back! This is your chance to tell Austin what’s what. We’d love to have your support again as “Best Drugstore/Pharmacy.”
2. Fill out the paper ballot inside current issues of the Chronicle (page 74 of June 24 issue).
One ballot per person either online or by paper ballot. Stuffed ballots will be eliminated and yes they do check and do eliminate votes each year because of this.
This Saturday, Nathan is headed to Ft. Worth to present at the TPA annual conference. All of us at Live Oak Pharmacy are proud to announce that Nathan has been selected to receive the Texas Pharmacy Association‘s Smart, Healthy Living Award!
“This award recognizes an individual, organization or company judged to have made outstanding contributions to advancing pharmacists’ ability to improve patient outcomes. This honor recognizes exceptional achievement in public awareness, counseling and pharmacy services aimed at empowering patients to improve their health.”
And while this award is for Nathan it’s really for each and everyone of you! Our patients, our customers, our community and the physicians and their staff. Here’s to Smart Healthy Living in Austin, Texas!
Live Oak Pharmacy is Austin’s Downtown Pharmacy and is proud to have Dr. Nathan Pope, Pharm.D. winner of the Smart, Healthy Living Award as our co-owner and Director of Pharmacy. It’s not business as usual at Live Oak Pharmacy. It’s Smart Healthy Living at Live Oak Pharmacy! Come in today and see why the Texas Pharmacy Association awarded Nathan this honor and why readers of the Austin Chronicle have voted Live Oak Pharmacy Austin’s Best New Local Business!
The Summer Solstice is an instant in time when the Earth’s axial tilt is most inclined toward the sun in the northern hemisphere, and when summer traditionally begins. However for those of us here in Austin, it feels as if summer started quite a while ago! Here are some summer tips from Live Oak Pharmacy to enjoy the season!
Stay hydrated! Most of use don’t drink enough water as it is. Fill your water bottle up half way and put it in the freezer. Then add water to it throughout the day to keep it cold and enjoyable!
Use sunblock! All it takes is 30-minutes in the sun to get a sun burn!
Don’t forget the lips! If you’re going for that shiny lip this summer, put a base coat on on lip sunblock to keep those puckers from burning up!
Spending the day outside? Keep a little first aid kit handy! Ask us about Help Remedies – they’re the perfect size to take on the go!
Live Oak Pharmacy is your summer fun pharmacy! We’re located in downtown Austin on 5th Street just two blocks east of MoPac! Stop in today and find out why readers of the Austin Chronicle voted us best new local business!
Live Oak Pharmacy is Austin’s Pet Friendly Pharmacy! If you missed our Yappy Hour with Austin Urban Vet Center you missed a lot of fun! Check out the pictures from last night’s event here!
Did you know that we are Austin’s pet medication compounding experts? We can turn medicine time into treat time for your dog or cat. In fact we’ve compounded medications for a duck, snake and rat too! And when you transfer your pet’s medication (or yours) you’ll get a $15 Gift Coupon to spend at Live Oak Pharmacy! Download your coupon here!
Want to keep up to date on all the barktastic and meowriffic events and ongoings at Live Oak Pharmacy? Check out Bark and Branches on Facebook today and like our page!
It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777! It’s a grand, old flag; fly it high!
Live Oak Pharmacy commemorates your health and wellness as your Austin Pharmacy. Come find out why the reader’s of the Austin Chronicle voted us Best New Local Business! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Yesterday was National Cancer Survivors Day. The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a “survivor” as anyone living with a history of cancer - from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of his or her life.
We also invite you to view the trailer for the upcoming film Cancerpants. “Cancerpants – a story told through the eyes of Rochelle “Ro” Poulson is about life, love and a young woman’s journey with breast cancer. Ro faces each day as it comes, and is grateful for the lessons she learns along the way. Cancerpants shows how the struggles, losses, triumphs and joys of breast cancer affect not only those diagnosed but their family and friends as well.”
If you or someone you care about is facing cancer, please take a moment to learn more about the LIVESTRONG Cancer Navigation Center. The LIVESTRONG Cancer Navigation Center, located in East Austin, provides a range of free services for anyone affected by cancer. This includes people diagnosed with cancer, their families, friends, loved ones and the health care professionals who work with them. We help people with any cancer type and at any stage of treatment. Assistance is available in both English and Spanish.
Live Oak Pharmacy is an Austin Pharmacy. Good health and wellness starts with having a great health care team and that means having access to a pharmacist that cares! Stop in today and while you’re at it, bring your four legged and furry friend in because we are Austin’s Pet Friendly Pharmacy too! Come find out why the reader’s of the Austin Chronicle voted us Best New Local Business! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, which launched the modern movement for greater tolerance of gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual people in the United States, Gay and Lesbian Pride Month recognizes the impact that members of the GLBT community have had on the world.
But LGBT Pride is more than a month. It’s a daily part of life. Having a pharmacy that understand and welcomes the LGBT community is important as well. To learn more about specific LGBT health concerns, come in today and visit with our pharmacist. Also check out the National Coalition for LGBT Health at http://lgbthealth.webolutionary.com.
Austin’s Pride has been moved this year to Saturday, September 10. To learn more about the ways you can get involved with Austin Pride visit: http://austinpride.org.
Live Oak Pharmacy is an Austin Pharmacy. We are also your LGBT Austin Pharmacy! Good health and wellness begins with being proud of who you are! Stop in today for your health and wellness needs. And while you’re at it, bring your four legged and furry friend in because we are Austin’s Pet Friendly Pharmacy too! Come find out why the reader’s of the Austin Chronicle voted us Best New Local Business! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Sarah Harper, Fishmongress at Quality Seafood Market, writes a monthly article for Live Oak Pharmacy on seafood as an essential part of whole body wellness.
Just in case you missed it, Helene York (director of strategic initiatives for Bon-Appetit Management Company) published a superb article, “In Defense of Tilapia,” in The Atlantic last Friday. Her article debunked two stereotypes that often mislabel tilapia: it’s unsustainable and it’s not ashealthy as other fish.
With respect to sustainability, critics of tilapia claim that its soy-based feed could be used more efficiently if it were fed directly to humans. This is a valid argument, but when you compare tilapia feed to the volume of grain-based feeds eaten by livestock, the feed-conversion-ratio of tilapia farming is relatively small. In short, eating tilapia has less of an environmental impact (in terms of feed) than eating beef, pork, or chicken.
In addition, Chinese tilapia farms are under criticism from organizations like the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their use of antibiotics and growth hormones. But York aptly points about that the blanket “red listing” of all Chinese tilapia actually hinders those farms that are raising tilapia sustainably. Leading by example – York spearheaded an investigation of the tilapia farms that contracted with the Bon-Appetit Management Company and discovered that they weren’t using antibiotics or growth hormones – she argues that it’s partially the consumer’s responsibility to check the facts, to ask questions of their suppliers, and to find out the truth about how their fish is raised.
York concludes her article by silencing critics who claim that tilapia is somehow less healthy because it doesn’t have as many omega-3 fatty acids as other fish. Citing Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, York points out that tilapia is low in omega-3’s because it’s inherently lower in fat than other fish. That’s a good thing, right? In the end, consumers may overtly choose tilapia because of its low price point or its “non-fishy” taste, but inadvertently they’re choosing a source of protein that’s leaner than some other fish, chicken, pork, or beef. Rather than splitting hairs over which fish is best, let’s continue to encourage consumers to choose heart healthy sources of protein that have as little environmental impact as possible.
Learn more about fish at Quality Seafood Market. The opinions expressed by our guest bloggers do not necessary reflect the opinions of Live Oak Pharmacy. The opinions expressed by guest bloggers are their own, unless otherwise stated. No financial agreement exists between guest bloggers and Live Oak Pharmacy.
Live Oak Pharmacy is an Austin Pharmacy. We are also your fun Austin Pharmacy! Come find out why the reader’s of the Austin Chronicle voted us Best New Local Business! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Don’t go overboard for the whole month, but don’t deny your sweet tooth a little enjoyment in June. The best practice for good nutrition is to eat a healthy variety of foods each day and exercise regularly. That should leave room for the occasional chocolate bar or cookie in your diet.
Live Oak Pharmacy is an Austin Pharmacy. We are also your fun Austin Pharmacy! Good health and wellness includes chocolate every now and then so stop in today to pick up some up along with other health and wellness needs. And while you’re at it, bring your four legged and furry friend in because we are Austin’s Pet Friendly Pharmacy too! Come find out why the reader’s of the Austin Chronicle voted us Best New Local Business! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
