October 6, 2014 — We have all heard it: we need to be eating more fish. Cooking fish at home is relatively simple and always more affordable than ordering it off a restaurant menu, but gauging the freshness and quality of fish can be tricky for home cooks: Where did this fish come from? When was it caught? Is that color natural?
“I think the consumer should be a little suspicious of whatever fish they’re buying from at any market in general,” says Chef Ed McFarland, of Ed’s Lobster Bar in New York City.
“That’s not to say that the fish that you’re getting in the supermarket is bad,” he explains. The problem is that the shrink-wrapped filets you see stacked in a row of Styrofoam simply leave too much mystery. “It’s generally something from the large tail, so it’s mass-produced product….They’re buying in such bulk that really, I don’t think they’re inspecting the way they would at a local fish store would.”
“In the beginning the only option really is a fish monger,” he concludes.
Shopping at a market that has its own fishmonger—McFarland, a New York native, recommends Whole Foods, Dean & DeLuca and Wegmans—is a great chance to educate yourself about anything you are buying. Even consulting a fishmonger about the shrink-wrapped stuff will teach you more about the product.
Still, the idea of “freshness” can be a bit of a misnomer. Yes, a fish caught that morning, then put on ice and handed to you smelling pleasantly like the ocean is great quality. But even fish that was caught a few days ago is good. “If it was caught on Monday, got to the fish market on Tuesday and got to the fish store on Wednesday and you’re buying it Wednesday afternoon, it’s a still a fresh fish on Wednesday afternoon, nothing wrong if it’s been packaged correctly.”
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