How to Pick, Store and Prepare Fresh Fish

How to Pick, Store and Prepare Fresh Fish

Buy

How to buy a fresh fish is a "knowledge" and "skill". The freshness of fish is very important especially when you use it for steaming. Fresh fish will give sweet taste with tender meat, but on the other hand, it will give fishy smell and chewy meat.

When you buy fish, look for fresh-smelling whole fish with shiny skin, reddish pink and moist gills, clear and bulging eyes; avoid fish with sunken eyes into the head. A fresh fish flesh should "bounce" back when you press it lightly.

If you are buying fish fillet, look for those with moist. And frozen fish, get tightly sealed frozen packages. Avoid exposing fish under hot sun or weather for long hours, recommend to store them in the shortest time possible. Remember to look at the expired date if you are buying canned fish.

Store

Remove fish from plastic wrap as soon as you get home, as plastic will encourage the growth of bacteria which make the fish smells bad. Discard the fish as soon as it gives bad odor. Refrigerate all fresh and smoked fish immediately, and keep the frozen fish in the freezer until you are ready to use. If you won't cook the fresh fish in the next 2 days, keep it in the freezer as well. Store canned fish in a cool place, and be aware of the expired date.  

Prepare

To prepare a whole fresh fish, rub it with lemon juice and then rinse it under cold running water. The lemon juice will convert the nitrogen compounds which bring bad odor to fish to compounds that can be broken apart and rinsed easily with running water. You can wash or soak your hands into lemon juice to get rid of the fishy smell as well.

For frozen fish, recommend to leave the fish in room temperature for hours until it is defrosted. Frozen fish is not recommended for steaming as the meat will be a bit chewy, it will taste good if used for frying. Soak the salted fish in water for about 4 hours to remove the excessive salt before you cook.

It is highly recommended to keep one chopping board for raw fish, meat, and poultry, and one for the rest of the food as to prevent transfer of microorganism from raw ingredients to the food which you might eat raw such as vegetables and fruits. Wash the utensils and cutting board thoroughly with soap and water

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