All chefs will advise you to "go for the catch of the day", but how can you tell if fish is fresh or not? Three tips from Professional Secrets:
How can you tell if fish is fresh?
This is one of the most common questions we get at Professional Secrets on the topic of the art of cooking fish. The answer is (of course) available under "Choosing fish" on our website, but we still thought we should write something about it:
Go for whole fish
To start with, buying a whole fish is a good idea. This allows you to get a good impression of the ingredient you are actually buying, you get more flavor for your money, and you also get some fresh fish leftovers for making broth. Filéing fish can be tricky, but it's an art that will come with practice.
Three signs of fresh fish:
- The eyes are the first to dry out – they should be clear and shiny. Not grey, foggy and/or shrunken.
- The gills – dare ask your fishmonger to display them – should have a fresh and reddish look. Fresh blood is a sign of fresh fish.
- The entire fish should be shiny and pretty and it should have a fresh smell of sea.
To everything about choosing fish
