My seafood has ice crystals on it. Is this freezer burn?Updated 10 days ago

Freezing methods used in the seafood industry often involve flash-freezing fish with a mist of fresh water to help lock in moisture. This glazing process will form a thin layer of ice on the seafood, and over time, ice crystals may form. This helps to maintain the quality and freshness of the seafood while it’s being stored in your freezer. Upon thawing, the seafood will look as if it’s just been pulled from the waters.

Freezer burn can be a result of the frozen seafood partially thawing and then refreezing. Since there is moisture loss when the frozen seafood warms, ice crystals form, and the quality of the product will be reduced. Freezer burn does not render the seafood unsafe to consume. Freezer-burned foods may also present grey and brown spotting to give a woody or leather-like texture to the product. Freezer-burned, white-fleshed fish and shellfish products such as shrimp or scallops may take on an opaque white appearance. Freezer burn can be prevented if products are tightly wrapped in plastic to prevent moisture loss during storage.

Temperature fluctuations can lead to dehydration and deterioration. The rate of deterioration depends on how the fish was packaged, frozen, and the temperature it is held at for extended periods in a freezer.

At FultonFishMarket.com, we quickly super-freeze our seafood at extremely low temperatures, up to -70°F. By super-freezing the seafood at peak freshness, we lock in quality, texture, and nutrients. This is in sharp contrast to seafood that is slow-frozen or twice-frozen.

In order to ensure your seafood arrives frozen, we package everything within a thermal-insulated liner in a corrugated box with dry ice to keep your seafood cold. Shipments with dry ice will remain frozen during transit and will arrive frozen. The food itself comes in a variety of packaging types based on the item(s) in your order. This information can be found on our product pages.

Once your FultonFishMarket.com box arrives, open it and inspect your seafood. Then, follow our seafood storage and handling instructions to store your seafood properly.