how to buy fish at the grocery store

Many grocery stores mail (or email) you coupons based on what you buy. Buy Local . • Handle properly: When shopping, ask for your fish to be packed with a separate bag of crushed ice to keep it cold. While you may think that your fish should have a strong “fishy” smell, a strong odor may actually be a sign that a fish is past its prime. [CDATA[ ;(function(_,q,l,y){l=_.createElement(q);y=_.getElementsByTagName(q)[0];l.async=1;l.src="https://www.quiet.ly/static/js/analytics.js";y.parentNode.insertBefore(l, y);})(document,"script"); // ]]> © 2019 The Healthy Fish, powered by Regal Springs, 6 Lifestyle Habits to Promote Good Heart Health, Why It’s Important to Have Both Farmed and Wild Fish, Frequently Asked Questions About Tilapia, Answered, Getting Hooked: How to Work More Seafood Into Your Kid’s Diet, Understanding the Benefits of a Fish-Focused Diet, Stop the Rumors: Setting the Record Straight About Tilapia, How to Bake, Broil, Grill and Roast Tilapia Like a Pro, Seasonal Cooking: 5 Sustainable Seafood Dinners for Fall. When we're far away from the sea, we never bother with the "fresh" fish displayed in the supermarket. Costco, Kroger, HEB, Sprouts, Walmart and Vons are some of the grocery stores that have a great reputation for carrying high-quality fresh seafood. Remember that farmed catfish and trout are available nationwide, and the methods used to raise either fish are, for the most part, environmentally friendly. The 8 Best Places to Buy Seafood Online in 2020, Salmon, Tuna, Sardines: This Is Your Complete Canned Fish Guide, Seal-a-Meal Manual Vacuum Sealer System Review, How to Throw a Restaurant-Style Seafood Feast at Home, A Beginner's Guide to Cooking Great Fish and Seafood. The exception to the "No Fresh Fish" rule in supermarkets is where there is a local freshwater fishery. You can get great sturgeon far inland in the Pacific Northwest. In order to ensure you’re getting the best possible quality of seafood, make sure you’re buying your fish from a reputable grocery store. Visit dedicated fish markets for fresh fish. Not everyone has access to quality fish markets. Smoked whitefish ("chubs") are another local favorite in some states. Even lobsters, which will be sold live in tanks, lose a lot of quality when they languish in a tank. It will most likely stink, be days old or worse—thawed, pre-frozen seafood. If you’re buying a whole fish, take a good look at the fish’s eyes. In the Northern states, walleye and yellow perch are often available—buy them whenever you can, as they are world-class fish. Shopping for fresh fish at the grocery store can be overwhelming. The friendly folks at your local Costco, Meijer or Kroger want to help you feel confident about the seafood you’re buying. Refrigerate whole fish up to two days; fillets and steaks one to two days. And it is tough to ship live clams, oysters, and mussels long distances without losing quality: It can be done, but you'll know that the quality is high by the price and the smell. In the Northern states, walleye and yellow perch are often available—buy them whenever you can, as they are world-class fish. That’s why we’ve put together a cheat sheet for you to reference next time you go shopping. If you tend to lump your grocery run with the rest of your errands, make sure it’s your last stop on the way home. Maybe you live in the Midwest, or a small town, or in a rural area. The exception to the "No Fresh Fish" rule in supermarkets is where there is a local freshwater fishery. Don’t hesitate to ask your fishmonger any questions you may have about the fish counter, where the fish is sourced from or fish cooking tips. He has expertise in wild foods and has written over 1,000 recipes. It’s essential that fish are handled with proper care, from the time they leave the water- on the fishing boat, through distribution, at the store, on your car ride home and in your fridge. The water-packed stuff may save you a few calories, but it is generally nasty tasting. There, the turnover rate is high and fish is usually fresh and of high quality. Instead, your fresh fish should smell like seawater or cucumber. As for canned fish, look for European tuna or sardines or anchovies; this is an exception to the "buy American" rule. The freshest fish options are in the freezer section. It can seem difficult to know if you’re getting a good quality product, especially if you’re new to buying and cooking fish. We rely a lot on either local smoked fish such as whitefish or trout, or the smoked salmon that's available everywhere. Oily fish such as yellowtail or some tuna are generally unsuited to freezing, and even salmon can suffer if frozen too long. Fish are highly perishable. This means most of the fish and seafood you will buy will come from a mega-mart. A lobster in a tank in Iowa could have been sitting there for weeks. The tuna in bags is generally good, as is American tuna stored in oil. For optimum freshness, cook your fish within 24 hours of purchasing it. Buy frozen, or stick to fish. When you are over in the freezer section, look at the labels. The further the fish travel, the more room for error there is with proper handling. For optimum freshness, cook your fish within 24 hours of purchasing it. Frozen fish, on the other hand, won't be so damaged. All is not lost, however, as there is good seafood to be had at most supermarkets—if you know where to look and what to look for. Hank Shaw is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and author of four cookbooks. Photos: Regal Springs Tilapia / Aleph Studio / Shutterstock.com, cookbookman17, ais3n, Joshua Resnick / Shutterstock.com. This will help ensure that your fish stays as fresh as possible. Saltwater fish and shellfish may smell faintly of the sea, which is okay, but freshwater fish should be close to odorless. The only exception to the vacuum-seal rule is when the package explicitly says the seafood was "flash frozen," which means it was frozen right after it was caught in a super-cooler. The first thing you should look for is an indication that this seafood was caught in America, Canada, Iceland or New Zealand. If the grocery or big-box stores where you shop also have digital coupons on their website, be sure to load any you can use before you head to the store. Our advice? Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. The meat of the fish should be firm, moist and freshly cut without any dry spots. That means no "fresh" clams, oysters, mussels or lobsters. Checking the smell of a fish is key to making sure you’re getting good quality seafood. If the fish’s eyes look cloudy, are sunken, or look dry, the fish may not be very fresh. Thaw frozen fish in the refrigerator. Which, in … //

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