HOW TO SELECT FRESH FISH

A fish with a firm mucus covering and shiny coating is the first sign of a good-quality fish. The mucus provides protection to the fish in the open ocean by trapping pathogens that would cause disease. Antibodies and enzymes in the mucus actively attack those pathogens to protect the fish. Any visual damage or imperfections on a fish can suggest poor handling, prolonged direct ice contact or variable temperature control.

The eyes of a fish are a determining factor of a healthy, fresh fish. A fish’s eyes should look bulbous, be risen slightly from the head and look moist, bright and clear. There are times when a fish that looks spectacular in every other way can have cloudy, slightly foggy eyes.

This is predominantly due to the fish being chilled too quickly post-harvest.

A fresh fish should not smell fishy. The only smells a fish should have are a light ocean water smell sometimes comparable to mineral driven aromas, such as cucumber or parsley stems. If a fish smalls “fishy”, with an odour comparable to that of ammonia or oxidised blood, then it is best to avoid it.

Iridescent, bright red gills are an almost guaranteed indicator of the freshness of a fish. Fish force water through their gills, where it flows past lots of tiny blood vessels. Oxygen penetrates through the walls of those vessels into the blood, and, in turn, carbon dioxide is released. The redder the gills, the fresher the fish. Where slime and mucus are desirable on the outside of a fish, the gills should be slightly drier and clean of debris.