Freshness is important when it comes to cooking a delicious seafood meal. Whether boiling a quick fish meal, making a big seafood stew, or indulging in a sushi roll straight out of the restaurant, choosing the right kind of seafood is not just important for flavor but also for your well-being. But with so many options, how do you know you’re picking seafood that’s healthy and fresh? Let’s get a little deeper on how to choose the healthiest seafood for your next meal.
Buyer’s Guideline
1. Know Your Sources: Fresh vs. Frozen
The first decision you’ll face when buying seafood is whether to purchase fresh or frozen. Both options can be equally healthy, but the key lies in how the seafood was handled before reaching the market.
Fresh Seafood:
Fresh seafood ideally should be bought the same day it was harvested, but most grocery store seafood has been refrigerated or stored in ice to preserve its freshness. When purchasing fresh seafood, ensure the correct storage conditions are met — it must be cold, preferably between 32°F and 40°F (0°C to 4°C).
Frozen Seafood:
If you’re not buying seafood from a trusted market or it’s a day or two after harvest, frozen seafood can be a better option. Freezing preserves seafood and often locks in the nutrients. In fact, some types of fish are frozen immediately after being caught, keeping them fresher than their “fresh state” counterparts, which may have spent time in transit or storage.
2. Inspect the Appearance
One of the easiest ways of determining whether seafood is fresh or not is to judge it based on appearance. A healthy shellfish or fish should have bright, clear, and shiny attributes. These are what to look out for:
Fish:
Meat should be firm and juicy, never soft. A proper fish also should have bright, clear eyes (not sunken or dull), juicy and bright pink or red gills, and shiny well-stuck scales. The meat itself should have a translucency glaze — dullness or discoloration means something is wrong.
Shellfish:
For shellfish like clams, mussels, or oysters, the shells need to be closed tightly. If the shell is already open, it may be an indication that the shellfish is dead and cannot be eaten. A shellfish that won’t close when tapped should be thrown away. The flesh inside should also be firm and wet, not dry or wrinkled.
3. Smell for Freshness
A fresh seafood aroma is typically “clean, ocean-like.” When shopping at the market, give the fish or shellfish a light sniff — it should be slightly salty but not fishy or sour. If it’s very pungent or overwhelming, it might be bad or not fresh.
Fish: Fresh fish ought to have the smell of the sea — clean, without any overpowering, pungent smell.
Shellfish: Shellfish must not have a pungent or briny smell. An unpleasant smell normally means that it’s no longer edible.
4. Check for Proper Storage
Once you’ve bought your seafood, proper storage is essential to maintain its quality. Fresh shellfish and fish should be stored in ice if you’re not going to cook them right away. Always grab a cooler with ice if you’re buying fresh seafood so that you can do it and store it properly on the way home. Store fresh seafood in the bottom of your fridge or in the freezer if you’re not consuming it right away.
5. Buy Seafood in Season
Seafood, along with most other foods, also has a season. Where it is available, buy seafood when it is in season — typically this will result in better quality, more suitable prices, and a lower environmental cost. Seasonal seafood is likely to be fresher and can be caught locally, with sustainable fishing practices.
Ask your fishmonger what shellfish and fish are in season or look up seasonal and regional seafood online. Encouraging responsible fisheries and choosing in-season species helps to keep the oceans and ecosystems healthy.
6. Consider Sustainability
When selecting seafood, sustainability matters. Overfishing is a massive issue that affects many sea animals, so there’s value in selecting sustainably caught or farmed seafood. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) labels are reliable certifications for sustainably caught or farmed seafood. Though, currently we don’t have those certified seafood in Bangladesh but it’s in the horizon. Startup company like FISHBYTE, are trying to bring such certified farmed raised seafood in the market.
Sustainable seafood causes less damage to the environment, and also supports fishing communities with sustainable methods. Sustainable fishing also preserves marine biodiversity, so future generations will have healthy seafood to enjoy.
7. Learn the Health Benefits
Seafood isn’t just delicious — it’s also good for you. Sea-catch fishes like Tuna, Sardines, and Mackerel are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for heart health, brain health, and reducing inflammation. Shellfish like shrimp, oysters, and mussels are packed with important minerals like zinc, iodine, and vitamin B12. And most importantly these fishes are still affordable comparatively other available freshwater fishes in the market.
When choosing seafood, consider how you’ll cook it as well. Steaming, grilling, or baking seafood without heavy oils or butter can preserve its health benefits, while deep-frying may add unnecessary calories and fats.
8. Ask Questions
If you’re buying from wet-market, don’t be afraid – ask! When the fish was caught, where it came from, and how it has been stored. A good vendor will inform you of this, which can help you make a good-informed decision. Some shops will even allow you to see the fish or provide you with more information about practices of sourcing and sustainability.
Easy Tips:
Some handy tips on choosing fresh and healthy seafood are:
1. Check the Eyes
Fresh fish should have shiny, clear, bulging eyes. Cloudy or sunken eyes indicate that the fish is not fresh.
2. Smell the Seafood
Fresh seafood should have a fresh ocean smell. If it has a sour, fishy, or bad smell, then it’s likely not fresh.
3. Check the Flesh
The flesh of the fish should be firm, moist, and translucent. The flesh should bounce back when pressed and should not discolor.
4. Inspect Shellfish Closures
The shells should close tightly for oysters, mussels, and clams. If a shell will not close after it has been tapped and is open, it should be discarded.
5. Inspect the Gills
Red or pink gills will be that new fish will possess. Brown, light-colored gills will be that old fish will possess.
6. Look for Ice or Proper Refrigeration
Live fish must be displayed over loads of ice or in a refrigerated display case. If it ain’t cold, then it ain’t fresh.
7. Purchase Local and Seasonal
Purchasing local, seasonal seafood encourages sustainability and ensures superior quality and freshness.
8. Examine the Source
Always ask your fishmonger where the seafood originates and whether it’s sustainably caught.
9. Look for Certifications
If you are buying imported seafood, look for MSC or ASC on responsibly caught or farmed seafood.
10. Store Immediately
If you are not immediately cooking your seafood, store it. Store it cold with ice, and if you can, cook or freeze it within 24 hours of purchase.
By performing these, you can choose the best, healthiest seafood for your dinner each time!
Choosing fresh, healthy seafood does not need to be intimidating. Keeping a few things in mind, you can be certain that each and every seafood meal you prepare is not only delicious but also healthy and sustainable. From learning how to inspect seafood’s appearance and smell to understanding why sustainability is important, the right choices will enrich your meals and contribute to the well-being of our oceans.
So the next time you’re shopping at the seafood counter, shop carefully and pick confidently, aware that you’re picking the best for your taste buds and health. Happy cooking!
Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU
