How to Buy Fresh Fish

Posted by Judy on 12 August 2011 in Learn | 0 comments

Photo credit: Justin De La Ornellas

It is easy to feel overwhelmed at the fish counter. You stand there wondering which is tastiest? Which is healthiest? Which is the most sustainable choice? Farmed or wild-caught? Perhaps due to this confusion, a large percentage of people walk away and do not buy or cook fish at home. Of those people, many will either eschew fish completely or only ever order it in a restaurant.

What is unfortunate about this situation is that fish, particularly those high in omega-3 fatty acids can provide substantial health benefits. Furthermore, fish is easy to cook at home and delicious when prepared correctly. To help demystify the world of fish and encourage those of you who may feel intimidated by the idea of it, I have prepared a two-part series on how to buy and cook fish. Today we will discuss fish and how to purchase it.

A Few Fish Facts

Fish accounts for 42% of supermarket seafood sales, with pollock (used for such items as crab sticks), canned tuna, fresh salmon, flounder, cod, tilapia, and catfish being the most popular.

Fresh fish is not necessarily the freshest fish one can find. Often the fresh fish you buy to prepare at home has been frozen. Fish sold as fresh can be anywhere from one day to two weeks out of the water. Large fishing vessels may stay at sea for two weeks, keeping their catch on ice to sell fresh. Even locally caught fish may take days travelling from boat to truck to wholesaler to retailer to your kitchen.

For top quality, look for “Frozen-at-Sea” (FAS) fish that has been flash-frozen at extremely low temperatures in as little as three seconds onboard the ship. When thawed, sea-frozen fish are almost indistinguishable from fresh fish, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Why Eat Fish?

Fish contains 17 to 25 percent protein and is generally a good source of B vitamins, especially niacin, B12, and B6. Fatty fish are good sources of vitamins A and D. The small, soft, edible bones of fresh sardines and smelts and canned bone-in fish like salmon are valuable sources of calcium. Saltwater fish also contain minerals, including iron, iodine, phosphorus, and selenium. Fish is low in cholesterol (50 to 90 milligrams per 100 grams).

Omega-3s: Omega-3s are types of healthful polyunsaturated fat. They help improve cardiovascular health by controlling cholesterol and reducing blood pressure. They’ve also been linked to brain function and mental health benefits such as lowered rates of depression and dementia.

Darker-fleshed fish that swim in cold, open waters, such as tuna, herring, and mackerel, store fat in their flesh and are high in omega-3s. Freshwater fish from cold waters, like lake herring, lake trout, salmon, and whitefish, are also high in omega-3s. In general, white-fleshed fish, such as cod, tilapia, or flounder, are low in all types of fat, including omega-3s. That’s because they store fat in their livers (as in cod-liver oil). What about omega-3 supplements? You can take them to obtain some of the benefits, but they don’t contain all the other nutrients in fish.

Choosing Whole Fish

- Look for bright, clear eyes. Dull, gray, milky eyes are signs of a fish past its prime.

- Look at the fish. Is it shiny, metallic and clean? Or has it dulled or has discolored patches on it? If so, it is marginal.

- Sniff it. A fresh fish should smell like clean water, or a touch briny or even like cucumbers. If it smells nasty or like anything you would not want to put in your gob, leave it and move on. No amount of cooking will save it.

- Look at the gills. Are they a bright red? If they have turned the colour of faded brick, then the fish is old.

Choosing Fish Fillet

- Look for vibrant flesh. The fish will fade as it ages. If the fillet still has skin, that skin should look as pristine as the skin on a good whole fish – shiny and metallic.

- When buying white-fleshed fish, choose translucent-looking fillets with a pinkish tint.

- When buying any color fish, the flesh should appear dense without any gaps between layers.

- Smell it. The smell test is especially important with fillets. They should have no pungent aromas.

- Is it oozing liquid? If so, that liquid should be clear, not milky. Milky liquid on a fillet is the first stage of rot.

- If the fishmonger lets you, press the meat with your finger. It should be resilient enough so your indentation disappears. If your fingerprint remains, don’t buy it.

Choosing Frozen Fish

- Look for shiny, rock-hard frozen fish with no white freezer-burn spots, frost, or ice crystals.

- Choose well-sealed packages from the bottom of freezer case that are at most three months old.

Other Considerations

- Choose a quality fish market. It should be staffed with knowledgeable salespeople. Fish should be displayed attractively and surrounded by plenty of clean crushed ice.

- Be flexible. The best approach to buying and eating fish is to aim for variety. You’ll consume fish of varying omega-3 levels and from a variety of sources without over-dependence on one. Let freshness be your guide. It’s easy to substitute one fish for another, so if the mahimahi looks and smells fresher than the pompano, buy it instead.

- Consider canned. Canned fish is an excellent budget-friendly option. Keep canned tuna, salmon, sardines and anchovies on hand for fish cakes and salads.

Handling and storage

- Handle properly. When shopping, ask for your fish to be packed with a separate bag of crushed ice to keep it cold.

- Refrigerate whole fish up to two days; fillets and steaks one to two days. Place the fish in a plastic bag, then top with a zip-top plastic bag filled with ice.

- Thaw frozen fish in the refrigerator. To defrost safely and quickly in one to two hours, place the fish in a sealed plastic bag in a bowl of cold water, changing the water often.