Buying Fresh Fish

Here is buying fresh fish, broken into clear, simple steps. The aim is to keep things simple and reliable. Below, we walk through buying fresh fish step by step.

Before you start

Good fish cooking begins at the counter. Learning a few easy freshness checks makes it much easier to choose well, whether the fish is sold whole or already cut into fillets and steaks.

Fresh, well-stored seafood does most of the work for you.

Step by step

In practice, smell is the most reliable first test. Fresh fish smells clean and mild, sometimes faintly of the sea or cucumber. A strong, sour, or ammonia-like odor means the fish is past its best. A good seafood counter itself should smell clean, with fish displayed on plenty of fresh ice.

The practical takeaway is to pull seafood from the heat a moment early, since it keeps cooking on the plate.

What to check

Worth keeping in mind: whole fish offer the most clues. Look for clear, bright, slightly bulging eyes rather than cloudy or sunken ones. The gills should be red or pink and moist, not brown or slimy. The skin should be shiny, with scales that cling tightly, and the body should feel firm and spring back when pressed.

Small details like salting a few minutes ahead make a visible difference.

Cooking it

More often than not, fillets and steaks require a closer look at the flesh. It should appear moist and translucent, with no browning or drying along the edges and no gaps between the muscle layers. Liquid pooling in the tray, a dull surface, or a mushy texture are signs to pass on that piece.

Serving

Asking questions is part of buying fish well. Counter staff can usually say when a fish arrived, where it came from, and whether it was previously frozen. Many fillets labeled fresh were frozen at some point, which is not a flaw, but it does mean the fish should not be refrozen at home.

Leftovers

Plan to make the fish market the last stop of a shopping trip. Ask for a bag of ice if the drive home is long, keep the package cold, and refrigerate it as soon as possible. Most fresh fish is best cooked the day it is bought or the day after.

Practical tips

Here are a few easy places to start:

• Swap fish of similar texture when your first choice is not available.
• Keep seafood in the coldest part of the fridge, ideally on ice.
• Thaw frozen seafood slowly in the fridge overnight.
• Pat fish dry before it goes in the pan.

The bottom line

Keep it simple, watch the cues, and do not rush the prep. Take it one dish at a time. Each one teaches you how your own stove and pan behave.