Proper Care and Handling of Fresh Fish: How to Select at the Market Part 1
By Eric Knudsen
Are you one of those people who really like the taste of fish? We're talking about fresh fish here, not those little breaded squares of “mystery fish” found at fast-food outlets. (Fish sticks don't count, either.)
Do you ever find yourself saying “Eeeewwww”, or otherwise make some kind of sourpuss face whenever someone says, “Want to stay for dinner? We're having fish !” Do your kids threaten to run away from home whenever you announce that you're serving fish for supper?
If your family refuses to eat the fish you prepare --- even the dog won't touch it --- the problem may not be your family's lack of appreciation for fish. The problem just might be the fish itself.
You tried to make it palatable. You really did try your best. In fact, you followed the standard cooking procedures, and adhered firmly to the recipe. (Heck, when it comes right down to it, you're actually a pretty good cook! ) But still, your fish dish tastes, well.... fishy.
Okay, something went wrong. Apparently, something terrible happened to that poor creature, at some point between the time it was still swimming and the moment you (tried to) cook it. And all the assertive spices in the world couldn't mask its undesirable flavor.
Here's what happened, plain and simple:
Either the fish was stored improperly – OR -- the fish wasn't fresh to begin with.
While fish thats been held too long (after being caught) will turn bad after several days, some types of fish will stay fairly fresh for up to a week, before it begins to turn “rank”, and develops that tell-tale “fishy” odor.
Obviously, if something doesn't taste good, or has a less-than-desirable odor to it before it's cooked, we don't want to eat it. But fresh, high-quality fish is not fishy tasting, nor does it smell fishy. Quite the contrary; fresh fish has only a very faint, briny smell to it, if it has any smell at all. Good quality fresh fish will often have a slight cucumber aroma to it, or smell a bit like the sea.
By the same token, fresh fish does not have a “fishy” taste at all. Again, this is a common preconceived notion that many folks have about fish. These silly notions are due to the fact that these folks have never really had a good piece of fresh fish.
This is precisely why we, as Americans, don't eat enough fish. Aside from the fact that an awful lot of people are lousy cooks, even more people don't know how to handle fresh fish properly. But, it's no surprise, is it? After all, they don't teach these kinds of things in school, now do they?
Of course, these are lame excuses for not eating more fish. The truth is, we should all be getting far more fish in our diets, and far less of the garbage we consume in such great quantities – stuff like hot dogs, french fries, super-sized cheeseburgers, and deep-fried Twinkies! When was the last time you saw fresh fish tacos being sold at a baseball game?
We can (and should) improve our diets, keep our weight down, and improve our over-all level of health. We can begin to get on the right track by consuming more fresh fish. The trick to accomplishing this feat, is to get folks to replace much of the fatty proteins in their meals with satisfying portions of low-fat fish and seafood.
Part of the problem is that too many Americans don't seem to want to eat foods unless they're topped with bacon, smothered in cheese, or swimming in ranch dressing.
Unfortunately, peoples diets won't likely change to include more fish, unless the fish handling issue gets addressed. No one wants to eat food that tastes bad, which is why so many folks tend to pass on healthier broiled fish dinners, opting for barrels of fried chicken instead. If the people responsible for handling that fish stopped screwing up their jobs, more diners would be eating more fish dinners.
Numerous studies reveal that people would be healthier if they replaced much of the red meat, fried foods, and other high fat proteins in their diets with fresh fish and seafood. Things like lowered cholesterol levels, lowered blood pressure readings, and increased levels of physical energy are just a few of the health benefits that can be attributed to eating fewer high fat foods, and more meals of fresh fish.
The following section will give you some helpful tips on how to buy the best quality fish for you and your family, so that you can enjoy the health benefits that fish has to offer.
Tips on Buying Fresh Fish at the Market
Most fish markets that deal exclusively with seafood will turn their products over quickly, and that means the fish they're selling really won't get a chance to spoil. Such markets receive shipments of fish two or three times a week, especially in more populated areas with high volume sales.
These markets should provide consistently fresh fish, so that you don't need to worry about buying fish that's been lying around too long. After all, it's their business to do so. If they didn't provide the freshest and highest quality fish and seafood they could, their businesses would suffer. Word of mouth travels very quickly, even in big cities.
Many grocers and larger supermarkets carry an abundance of very good quality fish, and enjoy multiple deliveries each week, just like the specialty fish markets do.
Still, it pays to know what to look for, when choosing fresh fish and seafood, regardless of where you buy. Plan your fish dinners ahead of time, so that you cook the fish soon after purchasing. A day or two is about as long as you want to wait. Try to cook the fish the same day as you bought it.
Ask a market employee exactly when the fish came in. If it has been more than two days, you may want to pass on that fish, as it is likely a week or more old. You have to account for the time that the fish was caught and handled at the docks --- and, for the time it was briefly stored at a holding facility, and then shipped to a main market ( like the Boston Fish Market) .... and finally, shipped to your supermarket.
Fish that's more than a week old starts to get that tell-tale “fishy” odor. When buying whole fish, look for clear eyes, bright, shiny skin, and a deep red color of gills.
The color of the flesh will vary among species. White-fleshed fish should have an opaque appearance, almost translucent. Fish with more color, like salmon and tuna,should have a rich deep color, with no gray. The skin should be free of blemishes. The flesh should be firm, but springy to the touch; when you press your finger into the flesh, it should resume its former profile. If there's an indentation where you pressed, the fish is of less than optimal freshness.
Ask the attendant or clerk for a pair of latex (food handler's) gloves, so that you can thoroughly inspect the fish. Don't buy any fish unless you can inspect it. Hold the fish about 6 to 8 inches away from your face --- it should not have an overly “fishy” odor. Instead, it should have a faint, clean or slightly “briny” smell to it --- if any at all.
If you approach a fish market or seafood department, and it smells like a old wharf in the dead of summer, don't walk --- run away! These odors are caused by bacteria that is generating on the fish, and too much of it will make you sick, even if it's cooked thoroughly.
Fish at the market should be lying over a bed of crushed ice --- not laying in a pan, or sitting in water. Never buy fish that's been lying in water! After purchasing your fish, ask the attendant to pack the fish in a double plastic bag with some crushed ice. This will keep the fish chilled by the time you get it home.
When you get home, be sure to transfer the fish into a perforated pan with a drain pan underneath, preferably stainless, and put more crushed ice on top. Don't wrap the fish tightly! This will induce spoilage. Cover loosely with foil.
The correct holding temperature for fresh fish and seafoods are between 33 and 40 degrees --- the cooler the better. Keep fish fresh by monitoring the crushed ice and the drain pan. Replenish ice every 6 to 8 hours, and empty the drain pan at the same time.
To check shell fish, like clams, mussels, and oysters for freshness, be sure that all shells are closed --- with your finger, tap on any shells that remain open. If they don't close up, don't buy them.
Dead shellfish will often have a foul odor. If the shell remains open even after tapping on it, the shellfish is dead. Refuse any shellfish with open, cracked, or broken shells.
Lobsters should always be bought live. Also, they should be lively and swim off, when prodded inside the holding tank. Their shells should hard, and dark in color.
Be sure to check out Part 2 of this article, which will discuss more on how to handle and store fresh fish at home.
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Eric Knudsen is a freelance writer, who believes that people would be a lot happier, and the world would be a better place to live, if everyone ate more fish.
