爲什麼要多吃冷凍魚?

Fish can be a pesky thing to buy. For some of us, it's in regular rotation, going into the cart at the supermarket or farmer's market once or twice a week. For others, concerns about not being able to cook it before it goes bad or its often hefty price tag preclude the purchase in the first place.

買魚是件很討厭的事情。有些人會定期購買，一週去超市或農貿市場買一兩次。其他人則擔心，買回來放着可能會變質，到時就沒法做菜了，而且魚的售價很高，這也是很多人不願意買魚的原因。

That's where frozen fish comes into play. A decade ago, the Washington Post asked, "Can Chefs Cozy Up to Frozen Fish?" The article noted its lower carbon footprint, often superior quality (to the fresh stuff that is air-shipped), and Americans' reluctance to buy frozen fish. A full 10 years later, that same publication asserts that technology has shifted to the extent that frozen fish is nowadays often of extraordinary quality, surpassing the fillets you see perched on ice at the market. (A lot of the time, those have often already been frozen, too; it's just not trumpeted on the price tag.)

所以冷凍魚閃亮登場。十年前，《華盛頓郵報》問道，"廚師會選擇冷凍魚嗎？"該篇文章指出，其碳含量更低，質量卻往往更高（相對於空運的活魚），但美國人卻不願購買冷凍魚。十年後，同一份期刊斷言，科技發展至今，冷凍魚已經達到非常高的質量，甚至超過了市場中放在冰塊上的魚片。（很多時候，這些魚片也是被冷凍的；只是未在標籤上說明這一點罷了。）

Although the iconic image of healthfulness for many of us involves everything fresh-maybe a vision of ourselves at a farmer's market, stuffing a tote bag with veggies, a bouquet of kale, and the freshest fillet from the fishmonger-more often than not you're reducing waste, being a better environmentalist, and saving money by buying frozen fillets.

儘管很多人都覺得健康就是要吃新鮮的食物--想想在農貿市場買菜的我們，手提袋裏裝滿蔬菜、一顆羽衣甘藍和跟魚販購買的最新鮮的魚片--但往往買冷凍魚片會減少浪費、讓你成爲更好的環保主義者、而且省錢。

I was wary about this notion myself, preferring to buy less fish in favor of cheaper meats like chicken and pork, until I found myself drawn to the frozen food bins on a recent excursion to Whole Foods. Salmon fillets were selling fresh for $21 per pound. The value packs of six 6-oz. fillets, however, was $19.95. That's more than 50% off.

對這個概念我本人一直持謹慎態度，買魚的次數屈指可數，更喜歡買便宜一點的肉，如雞肉和豬肉，直到最近，我才被全食超市（Whole Foods）的冷凍食品箱所吸引。三文魚片每磅售價21美元。但是，超值包含6盎司魚片，僅售19.95美元。這可不止五折啊！

I kept two fillets in the freezer and defrosted four overnight. (To do so, I took them out of their packaging, which is recommended to avoid bacterial growth, and covered them with plastic wrap on a plate in the fridge.) The next day, I made delicious salmon in my Instant Pot using Melissa Clark's recipe for a savory caramel. I did not notice the difference of fresh from frozen, texture-wise.

留兩塊在冰箱內，我拿出四塊整夜冷凍。（將它們從包裝袋中取出，爲了避免細菌滋生，我將它們放在盤子裏覆上保鮮膜，置於冰箱。）第二天，我參照Melissa Clark的食譜用電壓力鍋做了一頓焦糖色的三文魚，超級美味。在我看來，冷凍魚與活魚在肉質方面並無差異。