Lynne's Country Kitchen
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BECOMING A SMART SEAFOOD SHOPPER

FINDING A FISH SELLER YOU LIKE AND TRUST

To find a reputable seafood vendor or to make sure the one you've been patronizing is trustworthy, ask the vendor lots of questions. Where do the fish come from -- direct from suppliers or as pre-cut pieces from buyers? How frequently does the manager order fish? Are fish ordered in large or smaller quantities, and do the quantities purchased sell out quickly enough so that fish are fresh? Does your fishmonger know (and tell you) what is freshest that day?

Look at the market's overall cleanliness, appearance and smell. Counters should be clean. Cooked fish (such as shrimp or smoked salmon) should not be touching raw fish. You should not notice a strong fishy odor, which is a sign of spoilage.

Note how fish are stored. Fish are best kept on ice. Whole fish should be partially buried, and filets should rest atop beds of ice (with adequate drainage for melting ice). Fish is one of the most perishable of foods losing quality for every degree stored above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. When shopping in a supermarket, buy fish last.

DECIDING WHAT KIND OF SEAFOOD YOU WANT TO EAT

The way you want to prepare fish or the recipe you plan to use will in part determine the kind of seafood you choose. But usually there are a variety of fish species with similar flavors and textures to choose from, so you can substitute a well-managed species for a depleted one, such as farmed striped bass for red snapper or orange roughy. (See Making Fish Substitutions below).

CHECKING FOR FRESHNESS AND QUALITY

Whole fish should have a clear, glistening surface as though it were still alive. A fresh fish will look good, without noticeable brown spots or blemishes (these indicate beginnings of decay). Fish should have only a very mild, delicate briny smell, like seawater, but not a strong fishy odor. Flesh should be firm and elastic to the touch, not mushy; exposed flesh should be translucent.

FOR SHELLFISH, FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES FOR BUYING THE FRESHEST

Some fresh shellfish, particularly mollusks (like oysters, clams and mussels), must be alive when sold because their internal organs begin to decompose once they die. If edible parts are removed and separated from the guts, they may be stored longer. Mollusks should never be sold or stored wrapped in plastic or in a closed plastic bag, as they need to breathe until ready for cooking.

Lobsters and crabs should be alive or frozen; the best ones are fresh from the ocean, not from a tank, where they may have been kept for several weeks or more. Fresh shellfish will be lively. Shrimp are usually frozen and often precooked. Look for a full shell and firm meat. Except for black tiger shrimp (which are an Eco Worst choice), shrimp should not have black spots or rings or other dark areas. Snails and conch may be alive or precooked.

CONSIDER FROZEN FISH

With recent technological advances, fishing fleets are able to clean and flash-freeze fish virtually moments after they are caught. The process of flash-freezing, used for Frozen at Sea (F.A.S.) fish, instantly freezes the water inside fish tissues, thus preserving juices and maximizing flavor and texture when cooked.

Well-frozen fish may, in fact, be in better shape than fish that have sat out in a hold at sea for days before being sold as fresh.

To determine if a fish has been properly frozen, as with fresh fish check its appearance: it should be somewhat shiny and have no white freezer-burn spots. It should be hard as a rock, showing no evidence of previous defrosting (although just defrosted F.A.S. salmon is a reasonable choice, if used immediately).

EDUCATING YOURSELF ON SUSTAINABLE FISHING PRACTICES

Ask your seafood vendor lots of questions; even though he or she might not know all the answers, the more you ask, the more the vendor will recognize the need to provide better information about sourcing and fishing practices.

Is the fish farmed or wild caught?
If it is farmed, in what type of production system?
If wild caught, where was the fish caught - what type of fishing gear was used?
Are there more environmentally friendly alternatives?
Are there other similar fish to choose?
Is this fish really a... (red snapper, Pacific salmon, etc.)?

MAKING FISH SUBSTITUTIONS

Substitute wild Alaskan salmon for farmed salmon. (Atlantic salmon in U.S. stores and restaurants is always farmed.)

If you live in New England and want to serve cod, serve hook-caught instead of trawl-caught Atlantic cod.

If you live on the West Coast, sablefish/black cod is a good replacement.

Farmed striped bass can be used as a substitute for many species of depleted fish such as Pacific rockfish, groupers, snappers, orange roughy and Patagonian toothfish (often called Chilean seabass).

Catfish can also be substituted for orange roughy.

For meaty warm-water fish like grouper, try mahimahi instead.

Most shrimp production outside the U.S. entails considerable habitat destruction or bycatch. If you want to serve shrimp, California trap-caught spot prawns (also excellent frozen) and northern pink shrimp from Newfoundland are the best choices.

Dredging or dragging for shellfish can damage the seafloor habitat. Replace dredged mussels, oysters and scallops with farmed shellfish raised off-bottom on ropes or racks.

U.S. Farmed crawfish make an excellent and less expensive replacement for spiny lobsters, which are overfished in many places.