We found this item on a restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator shelf. Beautiful scallops, wrapped in bacon…but not iced properly. The ice melted, leaving the scallops and bacon soaking in water. The bacon absorbs the scallop water and, when cooked, becomes rubbery and flavorless…not to mention that the scallops become water-logged and flavorless. To properly refrigerate seafood, it should sit wrapped in plastic in a perforated pan with a deeper drip pan below to catch any drippings. A separate, sealed bag with a liberal amount of ice should be placed on top of the seafood. There should be enough ice to completely cover all of the seafood but not enough ice to crush it. Fish should be iced several times a day, especially at closing and again when opening. Just because fish comes from the sea doesn’t mean it should soak in water. That’s just plain gross.
Ray Camillo – Founder & CEO, Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting
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