20 Minute Quick Thaw

Otolith’s Quick Thaw© Directions*

Always puncture, cut or release vacuum seal of fresh/frozen Otolith sustainable seafood before thawing.  Thaw your seafood while in its specifically designed pouch.  Use a sharp knife to make a very small puncture in the top corner of the pouch. [Note: USDA Safe Defrosting Methods]

Place punctured pouch in clean warm water.   Do not allow the warm water to get into the protective pouch.  Replace warm water after 10 minutes .  Most fillets take 20 minutes to thaw.  Filets larger than 3/4 inch thick may take longer.

Otolith’s fish is sushi-grade and may be eaten raw after it has been thawed using Otolith’s Quick Thaw© directions and provided it is kept dry and stored between 34-40 degrees using refrigeration to control the temperature of your sushi-grade fish. 

Raw fish and sushi may be served for up to 2 hours on pre-chilled plates using frozen gel packs beneath the plates to control the plate temperature while serving.  Raw fish should be stored under refrigeration. Using gel packs to control the temperature of raw fish reduces the amount of time fish will remain safe for raw consumption compared to raw fish stored under refrigeration [34-40F].  Do not eat raw fish that has been improperly handled or stored.

Refrigerated Thaw: place open pouch in clean bowl and allow to set in refrigerator for 5-8 hours to thaw depending on the thickness of the seafood.  Thicker fillets or whole fish may take longer.

To enjoy the superior quality and fresh taste of Otolith premium seafood, please consume within 7 days of thawing seafood.  Otolith’s sustainable seafood properly thawed and stored under refrigeration will remain safe to cook and eat for up to 7 days.  While fillets and shellfish may be rinsed with cold water and pat dry with a clean towel before cooking, never soak seafood directly in water.  Always thaw in pouch or open air and remember to puncture package releasing the vacuum seal prior to thawing.

Cooking Directions – Cutting portions before cooking can prevent over cooking thinner pieces provided you remove thinner portions of cooked seafood from the heat source once cooked.  Cook fattier fish fillets at 400 degrees for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.  And cook leaner fish like sockeye, coho, halibut and lingcod at 250F degrees for 30 minutes per inch of thickness. Lower cooking temperatures provide more control while cooking.  Over cooking lean wild fish will cause the fish to get tough and dry. Cut into portions before cooking increases the surface area for added flavors/seasonings and may be used to smaller portions of equal size or thickness for uniform cooking times; cutting seafood into portions before cooking does not reduce the quality of your premium Otolith fish or shellfish provided you make clean cuts using a sharp knife.  For more specific cooking tips and directions, please use the products drop down menu to visit the specific page for each species of fish or shellfish and when searching recipes online use key words “wild” and exact name of the species .

*Recommended by Otolith not the USDA.  Otolith LLP, Community Supported Seafood LLC, their affiliates and/or heirs are not responsible for the improper use of Otolith’s Quick Thaw© technique.  Otolith’s Rapid Thaw© technique was designed to allow for the highest quality and safest consumption of sushi grade raw fish and cooked seafood.  Proper use of Otolith’s Quick Thaw© only allows for the safe consumption of raw fish for no more than 6 hours provided the fish once thawed is continually stored under refrigeration temperatures between 34-38°.  Improper handling of Quick Thaw© fish or shellfish will reduce the amount of time that fish can safely be eaten raw.  Example:  Sushi rolls served on a chilled plate without gel packs should be eaten within 40 minutes or discarded.  All raw fish should be held at a controlled temperature [34-40°] to sufficiently inhibit the growth of dangerous bacteria and other micro-organisms.