Abstract
We examined several thawing methods for frozen fish (swordfish: Xiphias gladius) to investigate their effects on the palatability of grilled fish. We compared five different fish thawing conditions: 1, with a microwave oven (100 W output and intermittent irradiation); 2, at room temperature; 3, in tap water; 4, in a chilled low-vacuum chamber; and 5, in a refrigerator.
When the internal end-point temperature was fixed at -1°C, thawing by intermittent irradiation with a microwave oven took the shortest amount of time and produced the least drip loss. Thawing in the chilled low-vacuum chamber took the longest amount of time, but resulted in a low drip loss and normal hydration of the muscle fibers. This latter method also led to a high cooking yield and palatability of the grilled fish. Grilled fish thawed in tap water was evaluated as having low juiciness because of the large drip loss.
