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Shopping for fresh fish. Seafood is readily available to buy chilled, frozen, cured, or smoked. Your fishmonger or supermarket seafood counter will stock a wide selection of seafood. All good fishmongers and counter assistants are happy to talk about the seafood they sell and are often very knowledgeable about how to prepare and even cook seafood, so you should feel free to ask for assistance and information when making your selection.
So what should you look out for when buying chilled fish? Firstly, remember that fish is a very perishable food that has been carefully handled so that when you buy it, it is of the best possible quality. After you have purchased it, you should keep it cool and consume it as soon as possible.
Fish is often available on seafood counters whole, with the head and fin still on. The head of the fish will give you very important clues as to the overall quality of the fish. Excellent quality fish will have bright, bulging eyes, firm, elastic flesh, and bluish, transparent flesh such as this. The fish will smell slightly of the sea, and any slime on the skin will be clear. Good quality fish will have eyes that are flattened, beginning to cloud over, and have flesh that is losing its firmness. The flesh will also be starting to lose its transparency, and the smell of the fish will become stronger. This fish is still very good to eat. Fish of poorer quality is still safe to eat but will not be as enjoyable. It is characterized by sunken eyes, soft and waxy-looking flesh, such as we see here. The fish will have a strong, fishy aroma.
Fish fillets can also be judged for quality, as top-quality fillets will have a translucent, almost transparent appearance, while poor-quality fillets will be opaque and perhaps slightly yellowish in color. When the fish is cooked, it will have either a sweet, meaty flavor and a succulent feel if it is excellent or good quality, whilst poorer quality fish will taste bland and less juicy and feel soft or even cotton-woolly when chewed.
Surprisingly, most fish that is eaten immediately after catching often has a slightly unpleasant metallic flavor when cooked, and it needs to be a day or more out of the water before it becomes really delicious to eat. But oily fish, such as herring and mackerel, should be eaten as soon after catching as possible.
Smoked fish fillets, whether dyed or undyed, should have a nice glossy appearance with a light smoky aroma and should taste both smoky and sweet when cooked without too much saltiness.
Choosing fresh shellfish like oysters and mussels is an easier task, as these are usually sold live from the fish counter. When selecting shellfish, choose shells which are tightly closed and without any gaps or cracks. If the shell is slightly open, it should close when gently tapped. Some shellfish, like scallops, are also sold dead, but if they have been kept chilled, then they should still have a sweet flavor when cooked.
Your supplier will be happy to prepare fresh fish for you and exactly the way you want. If the seafood you want is not available, species of the same type can always be substituted.