Tips on Buying Seafood

To me, knowing how to buy seafood is important, because low quality ones can get people sick from eating them.

I believe most of us tend to buy seafood from the big stores.  Some of us love waking up before the sun rises to tramp the wet fish market so that we get the better choices of the day, just like an executive chef of a restaurant.  And then there are the few who get seafood supplies via online.

No matter where you get them, you need to be able to tell if the seafood is fresh, okay to eat, so-so, or plainly inedible.

Here are some tips that should be indispensible when buying seafood.

a) Look at the eyes of the fish – The good ones should be bright and clear, not reddish, cloudy or sunken.

b) The gills of a quality fish should be dark red, not brownish.

c) The flesh of a fresh fish should be firm and quite elastic (does not leave a sunken mark) when you poke it gently.

d) The fish should definitely smell like the sea (at its freshest state) not the “fishy” odor.

e) If you are buying fillets, choose your fish first, then have it filleted by the attendant.  That way you ensure the freshness of the fish.

e) As for shellfish, choose the ones that are closed before cooking, and throw away the ones that are closed after cooking.

f) I prefer to buy shrimps or prawns with the shell intact. The shell lends its flavor to any dish, more than the flesh itself.

As with learning new things, people may take some time to know what is considered good quality seafood.  Hopefully, with the tips above, we could lessen the chances of making mistakes.