Your “fresh” Fish Has Probably Been Frozen Too
“Fresh” sounds so cute, right? Fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh bakery. And if you want to taste sea delicacies: fresh fish. But most of the fish on the counter was most likely frozen before it hit the store. And even if it wasn’t, it’s not automatically better than what you might find in the freezer aisles.
What you will find on the counter of “fresh” fish
You probably think of fresh fish as things that have just been fished out of the ocean and delivered straight to the store. But as a labeling term, “fresh” simply means not frozen.
This means that the fresh fish on the counter may not be “fresh” in the sense that it was brought straight from the boat. Fresh fish can be several days old when it arrives in the store and not as tasty as it was on the first day. This delay also means that fresh fish won’t last long after it’s in the store, and the seller may have to throw away some of it if it doesn’t sell quickly enough.
To solve this problem, shops often buy frozen fish, ideally one that has been flash-frozen as soon as it is caught (often while still on the boat). The flavor is well preserved and there is less waste because they can only defrost what they expect to sell. It’s also more environmentally friendly in other ways: frozen fish can be transported by truck or train rather than by plane.
How to buy the best frozen fish
You can apply the same logic to what you buy for your kitchen: buy frozen food and defrost it as needed. It will taste just as good, if not better, and usually a lot cheaper.
Depending on where you shop, the counter may have a better selection than the frozen section. But if the sign says the fish was previously frozen, consider whether they can sell you more frozen fillets.
When you look at the labels, “quick frozen” and “quick frozen” fish will taste the freshest. The fillet must be completely frozen when you buy it , with no liquid in the package. And ideally they should be vacuum sealed or covered in ice. Avoid anything that contains ice crystals or freezer burns, as these are signs that the fish may have thawed at some point; fish that is re-frozen may be soft.
If you have a long drive home, put them in ice so they don’t freeze. If you want to get creative, there are companies that will deliver you high quality frozen fish .