Use Your Nose When Shopping For Fresh Fish

Selecting the best and freshest fish in your supermarket is a skill many shoppers haven’t acquired. The impression is that if it’s displayed on ice, it must be fresh. That is not always the case.

Steve Swanson, national account manager of Pacific Sea Food Co., one of the country’s largest fisheries, spends a lot of time traveling around the country teaching chefs to select the best fish possible.

He recommends using common sense and your nose when buying fish in the supermarket.

“The seafood department should never smell like fish, and should appear clean and tidy,” Swanson says.

“The fish display should be neatly arranged without any overlapping of species - there should be a distinct and obvious separation.”

Cooked seafood should be kept well separated from raw product and its juices, Swanson says.

The bottom line: “If it doesn’t look fresh, it probably isn’t.”

Here are Swanson’s suggestions for ensuring you get the freshest fish:

When buying whole fish: Look for the skin to be shiny, with bright metallic colors. The eyes, which are the best way to determine freshness, should be moist, clear and bright. The flesh should be firm and elastic and have a translucency - that is, a shiny and clear look. The fish should have a pleasant smell, like the ocean or slightly like seaweed or salt water.

If you want to make sure you are getting the freshest fish possible but can’t stand the thought of filleting the fish yourself, ask the counter worker to do it for you. Remember that the yield (usable portion) of the fish will vary greatly from species to species. Always ask the approximate yield before you make your selection.

When choosing a fish that already has been filleted or is in a steak form, again look for translucency and bright, shiny colors. The colors will vary from species to species, but there should never be any spots or browning. Check the edges; this is where discoloration or drying will begin.

Ask questions: When was the product delivered? Was it previously frozen? One of the most important tools at your disposal is the knowledge of the seafood department manager.