Did you know that a lobster or a crab can be bought alive? And that oysters shouldn't be at room temperature? Plus: can we save the leftovers for the next day? Seafood requires a lot of attention.
It is known that the Portuguese are seafood lovers and summer is the golden season for shellfish at home, for tables set with friends and family, which go on for endless hours. But seafood is a very perishable product, with many risks. Therefore, and before going into details, let's go to the basic and generic rules. There is a golden rule when buying any seafood: freshness. And when we talk about freshness, we talk about shopping places. “For example, if I'm going to buy clams or mussels, it's really important that they come from certified suppliers, to guarantee that they've been purified, that all procedures from catching to sale have been followed. The fact that it has that very fresh air, when you buy it on the beach, because it was picked up on time, does not always mean that it is safe. It could have been caught in contaminated waters (hence, often, the temporary ban on catching), not have been properly treated.” Incidentally, there are people who like to catch mussels and that “is a risky practice”.
The warning comes from Paula Teixeira, professor at the Faculty of Biotechnology and researcher at the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry at the Universidade Católica in Porto, who conducts research on food safety in Portuguese homes.
