The freshest fish are those that you buy whole. These fish have to be cleaned, scaled, skinned, and filleted for you if you don't do it yourself. It may seem like a bother, but the difference in flavor and nutrition will be worth it.

Instead of buying fish that is frozen solid in your supermarket, start to seek out your local fish market. They are the people in your community that provide the freshest ingredients for you to display your art in cooking. Supermarket fish were most probably caught half way around the world, frozen on the boat, preserved in some way, and eventually shipped to your grocery store. What you don't know is whether that fish had defrosted and was frozen again. You don't know where it swam, you don't know how it was handled.

Look your fish in the eye to tell if it's fresh. Hopefully, you're considering the many benefits of driving a bit further to a fish market and have your fish taken from the ocean, not the freezer. The first way to tell the freshest whole fish is to examine the eyes. They should be clear and convex. Once the eye gets cloudy and begins to dry out, it sinks into the socket. It's quite obvious.

Gills discolor quickly when not processing oxygen. The gills on your fresh fish should be bright red. The freshest fish display a clean, consistent color when you examine the gills. As soon as they stop doing their intended job (because of the death of the fish), they start to discolor.

Your fish should smell like the ocean. If it just came from the ocean, it should still smell like it. When tissues start to decay, the fish will put off an ammonia or sulfur smell. Don't every choose a fish that smells fishy. Anything fresh from the ocean should have a clean, salty smell.

Buy fresh fish that is closest to the point of being caught, and the end result of all your cooking will be greatly improved.

Where are you buying your fish now? Please leave a comment.

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