by Nan C Avery

Created on: August 02, 2009

We know fresh fish has so many nutrients that we all need. We check grocery stores and elsewhere to find the freshest fish we can to make a healthy meal that is good and satisfying. Here is secret that will help you find the freshest fish available. By fresh, we mean fish that has been caught and hasn't been traveling for a long time to get to the market. The sooner the better when fish is caught in the sea and arrives to our plate. The "freshest" isn't necessarily the "bestest". We don't want just fresh fish (which could be any kind) but we also want a fish that we like.

This is the secret: if you regularly or irregularly frequent a seafood specialty restaurant and you love their fish dishes, ask them who their supplier is. They will tell you and more than likely, you will be able to buy from the supplier. Usually the supplier is close by and it is easy to contact them, as well as drive to them.

Here is what the supply house buyers look for when buying fresh fish. The buyers tell us that odor is important. If it smells "fishy", it is more than likely ready for its watery grave. Here are the ways some fish smell "fresh". A halibut smells kind of like wine that has been aged in oaken barrels. When you smell a whitefish, it is like cutting open a nice fresh cucumber. An interesting study by the USDA's Fish and Wild Life Service showed that inspectors for fish use their noses for freshness. They are now working on a new electronic nose that can detect the smell more accurately.

Another way most buyers check for freshness is by eye clarity but Wally Leniak of the Pitt Company (a fish supplier) says, "Eye clarity is useful on about half of all fish species. Deeper caught fish such as grouper will have cloudier eyes".

Gills, the fish suppliers report, should be deep red since they are the oxygen exchange for the fish. Once again, if it's brown, it's old.

The fish suppliers ask the following questions of the fisheries:

What method is used for catching the fish?

Is the fish killed immediately or stunned? (stunned is better because it is still alive so it will stay fresher)

How soon do the fisherman gut and bleed the fish?

How much ice does the boat carry? In other words, how many pounds of ice to pounds of fish ratio are there?

What is the transport temperature to markets.

The fish buyers in supply houses to restaurants are experts on fish as well as the buyers in restaurants. That is why, if possible, you should go to a known fish supplier. Or, if there are none in your community, these are the questions you should ask of the grocery store fresh fish department.

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