Fish are delicate creatures and begin to deteriorate as soon as they are lifted from the water. If you are hoping to cook yourself and your family a delicious fish dish, choosing a fresh fish is the key to make huge difference ! Here is a quick guide on how to pick a fresh fish just in 5 steps:
1. Check The Fish SCALE
The scale of fish must be intact and close fitting which makes it looks bright and shinny. Dry, dull flesh and loose scales are signs of not fresh enough.
2. Look at the EYES
The eyes should be clear and protruding. Sunken or cloudy eyes indicates the fish is out of water for quite sometime.
3. Feel the FLESH
When hold the fish, it should feel firm and you lightly press the fish, the flesh should bounce back, leaving no indentation.
4. Inspect the Fish GILL
Bright Red is a sign of fresh blood, if there is sticky mucus that is even more fresh. The gills tend to darken over time and turn into brown or even black color. Also the blood may drain out over time.
5. Avoid over strong fishy smell
Fishy smell from fish is normal but not too strong ones. The fishy smell of the fish gets stronger over time especially at the gill and stomach part of the fish.
Summary
In short a fresh fish should looks very alive. Sometimes, when the fish is caught, it got injured in the net or mishandled by the fisherman. This can be check from tear of fins and tails. Furthermore, a fish that have been frozen for a long time will cause the tail to be dry and brittle.Also take a look at the gills, which should be red. An old fish won’t have “any blood,” said Maltese. “It’s going to be all drained out.”
Hope this article is useful. Feel free to comment for any questions.
Thank you !
Reference
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-choose-fresh-fish/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cbk90HBv8s