by Annmarie Kostyk

Created on: June 05, 2010

There is a certain way to ship everything and seafood is no exception.  The way you ship seafood, however, could literally mean life or death for those planning on eating the seafood at its destination.  Seafood not kept at the proper temperature can cause severe illness and may result in death.  Here are some suggestions on how to ship your seafood safely.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the seafood you are purchasing should be extremely fresh.  Of course, the fishmonger should always be consulted as to what is fresh that day.  Also pay attention to the basics.  Does it smell fishy?  Seafood should not smell fishy.  The seafood should be firm and damp looking.  If you are looking at an entire fish, the gills should be pink, the eyes clear, the scales attached and the skin shiny.  For shellfish, they should all be closed.  That means they are still alive.  For lobsters, they should be moving around or trying to fight you when you take them out of the tank.

To ship seafood, the same rules hold try for all of the seafood previously mentioned.  It doesn't matter if you seafood goes by plane, truck or car.  It needs to get there in one day.  That's 24 hours.  Do not try to save money and go with second day air.  It must ship next day.  To pack the future dining pleasures, you need to make sure they are first wrapped properly by your fishmonger.  Tell him or her you are shipping you seafood.  Depending on what you are buying and shipping will depend upon whether you receive your goods wrapped in paper and or plastic.  If they are wrapped in paper, you also need to have it wrapped in a plastic bag around the paper to keep it dry.  You don't want to freeze parts of the fish or kill the crustaceans.  Next, you will need an insulated Styrofoam cooler, a bag with ice (It will be melting by the time the package is received.) and some frozen gel insulation packs.  Make sure the seafood is completely surrounded by ice and the gel packs when packing it in the insulated Styrofoam cooler.  Tape the cooler up very well.  When you get to your shipping destination, make sure they mark the package as perishable.  Also make sure that whoever you are sending the package to will be home to receive the seafood.  They should have to sign for it.  It should, under no circumstances, be left to sit.  Even seafood sitting in the winter sun for a few hours can mean trouble.

As soon as the seafood reaches its destination, it should be unpacked immediately and refrigerated.  It should be eaten within 24 hours.  If you have received shellfish as a gift, make sure the shells are all closed before you cook them as well.  If the shells are open, they are dead.  You don't want to eat them like that.

Although a little time consuming, it is easy to pack and ship seafood.  Don't be afraid to do it, just do it correctly and you won't have any problems.  Problems happen when people use short cuts.  Enjoy your seafood!

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