Coles Brand Meat and Seafood Senior Product Developer Adam Milosz says the stand out seafood dinner winner is prawns.

"Prawns are the most popular seafood item at Christmas and product sales increase each year," he said.

He said the reason for their popularity is that they are the most convenient to cook and eat, especially if you purchase cooked prawns.

"We know that prawns are a planned purchase and most people tasked with catering for the big day will leave their purchase of prawns until just a few days before Christmas," he said.

So when it comes to choosing fresh seafood what should you remember? Here are Adam's tips:

• When buying fish, you can identify freshness through the colour of the skin and plump, clear looking eyes.
• Fish should have a nice glossy sheen and the gills of the fish should be a bright deep red colour.
• When buying prawns look for an even colour, high gloss and minimal damage to the shell and the legs, as this will indicate how well the prawns have been treated once caught.

And what's the best way to cook seafood? See Aussie chef Curtis Stone's tips for cooking seafood in the video below.