Fish And Shellfish

Buying Fish And Shellfish

The surface of a whole fish should glisten but not look slimy. Ask the fishmonger to show you the gills; they should be bright red with no tinge of brown. The eyes should not be sunken, but don’t worry if they are clouded over, because the eyes of some fish lose their shine soon after they are caught.Fish fillets and steaks are often sold in plastic wrapped trays. Look for fish that appears moist and has no gaps in the flesh, which should feel firm through the plastic. The meat of dark fish, such as tuna, should not contain any rainbow streaks.Mollusks (including clams, mussels, and oysters), must be purchased alive because their viscera deteriorate quickly once dead.






Tightly closed shells indicate the mollusks are alive, but if you tap a gaping shell and it closes, it’s also fine.Don’t buy mollusks with broken shells. And if a clam or mussel feels especially heavy, it could be filled with mud, so discard it. Mollusks sold out of their shells, like scallops and squid, should be as sweet smelling as an ocean breeze. And the siphons of soft-shell clams should retract slightly when touched.



Crustaceans, including crabs and lobsters, should be purchased alive from a store with a large turnover and appear lively. Fresh shrimp should also be subjected to the sniff test; black spots on the shell mean the shrimp are over the hill.

Storing Fish And Shellfish – Fish-On-Ice

Keep fish and shellfish as cold as possible. Have the seafood you purchase packed in ice, or place it in the same bag as your frozen food.
Store fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator, where the temperature is between 35° and 40°F. Or store on ice: Fill a baking dish with ice, and place the wrapped seafood on top, replenishing the ice as needed.


You can also cover frozen artificial ice packets with a kitchen towel and place the wrapped fish on top.
It is especially important to keep oily fish, such as mackerel and bluefish, as cold as possible. Their high fat content means they can go rancid quickly at less than- ideal temperatures.


If you must freeze seafood, be sure it is very fresh, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to three months.
Shellfish should also be placed in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Store live clams, mussels, and oysters in a large bowl covered with a wet towel; use within one day. Refrigerate crabs in a tightly closed heavy duty paper bag poked with a few air holes; cook within one day of purchase.

Cooked Crab And Lobster

Lobsters should be cooked on the day of purchase because they don’t last long once out of water. Keep them well wrapped in a wet cloth or in several layers of newspaper in the refrigerator.



Cooked crab and lobster should be eaten within one day of purchase. Shucked oysters and crab meat are often pasteurized, which extends their shelf life but decreases their flavor.

Cooking Success – Clams-Cooked

Here’s the simple secret to cooking fish successfully: Don’t overcook it. Cook it until the flesh is just opaque throughout; it will continue to cook after it has been removed from the heat.Before cooking fillets, especially thick ones, run your fingers over the flesh to feel for any stray bones. Remove them with tweezers set aside for that purpose.



To check fish fillets or steaks for doneness, use the tip of a small knife to separate the flesh in the thickest part; it should be uniformly opaque. To check whole fish, make an incision at the backbone to see if the flesh is opaque or insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part near the backboneit should read 135° to 140°F.When cooking clams, mussels, or oysters, scrub the shells well under cold running water to remove any surface sand and grit