The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers seafood safety tips that are especially important in hot weather when food-borne bacteria can multiply faster.

• Thaw frozen seafood gradually by placing it in the refrigerator overnight. To thaw quickly, seal it in a plastic bag and immerse in cold water. If cooking immediately, microwave it on defrost and stop while the fish is still icy but pliable.

• If traveling, carry the seafood in a cooler with cold packs or ice, and keep it at 40 degrees or below. Keep the cooler in the shade with the lid closed.

• Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Lacking a food thermometer, consider these tips: Fish should be opaque and separate easily with a fork. Shrimp and lobster flesh becomes pearly and opaque. Scallops turn opaque and firm. Clams, mussels and oysters will open their shells during cooking.

• Never put cooked food back on a platter that held raw food. Never reuse marinade that contacted raw food unless you boil it first. Don’t leave cooked seafood out of the refrigerator or cooler for more than two hours, or one hour when temperatures are hotter than 90 degrees.

• Uncooked spoiled seafood can have an ammonia odor which becomes stronger after cooking. Don’t eat seafood that has an ammonia odor.

— Anne Aurand, The Bulletin