Why Frozen?
When we started Shoreline back in 2016, we were surprised by the number of people we met in the Lower 48 who were firm on their preference of fresh fish over frozen. Our first question for them was usually: “what do you consider fresh?” There’s no stigma on frozen fish in the last frontier. In fact, you can bet most households here have a chest freezer full of frozen fish. It’s an excellent way of preserving the freshness of species fished seasonally to enjoy year-round.
Here’s what we love most about frozen fish:
It’s convenient— just pull a piece of salmon from the freezer when you’re ready for it.
It helps to prevent waste. ( No more “questionable” fish that you forgot about in the back of the fridge.)
It allows for the availability of a seasonally fished superfood year-round.
Fish is frozen at peak-freshness to preserve quality and flavor.
It allows hardworking fisherman and small fish companies (like us!) opportunities to market their catch outside of the fishing season.
Frozen fish is just as tasty and there’s research to prove it! Ecotrust conducted a study in partnership with Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center, and Michigan-based seafood certification company, Seafood Analytics to test consumer preference of frozen vs fresh salmon and cod. The study included more than 100 consumers who participated in the blind sensory testing of a range of factors, including appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, quality, overall liking, and purchase intent.
“Contrary to current consumer perceptions, the flash-frozen fish was regarded as either more desirable or statistically equal to fresh fish… In addition, 57 percent of the consumers tested rated the quality of the frozen cod at “above average” to “excellent.”
They also used Seafood Analytics’ Seafood-Certified Quality Reader (CQR) to measure for product quality and freshness and found that frozen products also rated higher in quality and freshness than fresh fish of the same species. You can read more about the study here.