Fish Purchasing Guidelines:
What to look for when purchasing fresh fish and seafood.
For
Finfish:
- Odor:
Fresh smelling, without being fishy
- Eyes:
Bright, clear looking, full, not sunken
- Gills:
Bright red
- Scales:
Clung tightly to skin
- Fins:
Feel stiff
- Flesh:
Firm, is elastic, springs back when it is touched
- Kept:
Refrigerated on ice that is self draining, not sitting in melted
water
For
Live Mollusks:
- Bivalves:
- Look
for oysters, clams and mussels that have their two shells
tightly clamped together. Ones that come slightly apart
should draw together and close up when touched or handled
indicating that they are alive. Discard any that do not
react when open when inspecting.
- Univalves:
- They
should react when touched.
For
Crustaceans:
- Odor:
no strong smells
- Live
lobsters: shells should be hard, lobsters should be active
- Shrimp
with heads removed: should have shells still firmly attached
to the skin and not loose or falling off
- Live
crabs: should be active
Remember
these are only guidelines or basic information. Contact your local
extension service for more detailed information or the latest
recommendations, or a seafood governmental agency.
Wanting
more information on the web about the above topic? Check out these
online resources for purchasing fish and seafood:
From
the U.S. Department of Commerce Seafood Inspection Program, information
on purchasing fish and seafood:
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/consumer.htm
Seafood Tips: Shopping for fresh fish, from Gorton's Seafood.
http://www.gortons.com/cookbook/pickfreshseafood.php
From
Sea Grant, Graduate College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware,
information on fish purchasing, handling and storage:
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/mas/seafood/fresh.html
For
information on sustainable fishing, looking for quality fish vendors,
and being environmentally responsible when shopping, from the
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF):
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=4021
