Buy and Prepare Seafood Safely

Fish fillets, orange slices and asparagus

Properly preparing seafood

You want your seafood dinner to be as safe and nutritious as possible. Follow our tips to proper seafood preparation — for maximum flavor and health.

Safety first:

Always wash your hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw seafood.
Do not reuse dishcloths or sponges that you have used to clean raw seafood.
Wash counters, utensils, plates, cutting boards, and other surfaces touched by raw seafood with hot, soapy water before using them again for other foods.
Unless thoroughly iced, raw, or cooked, seafood should not be left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. That time includes preparation and time on the table!
Before cooking, rinse seafood under cold water to remove surface bacteria.
Always marinate fish and shellfish in the refrigerator — never at room temperature.
Discard marinade after use, or, if you plan to use it as a sauce, boil it before serving.

Seafood safety — top priority at Giant Eagle^®

Giant Eagle^® shares your concerns about the safety of fish and seafood. We make sure all Giant Eagle^® Seafood Department products follow the United States Department of Commerce (USDC)-sponsored HACCP plan for freshness.

What is HACCP, and why is it important?

You can choose Giant Eagle^® seafood with confidence. We are Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certified — meaning our seafood passes every quality checkpoint, "from the time it is caught to the time it is bought." When you see the HACCP seal, you know you are getting the highest quality seafood available.

HACCP (Hah-sip) predicts food safety risks and prevents problems before they happen.
HACCP checks product quality at every level of handling, from catch to kitchen.
The HACCP program is certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce.