How To Determine Freshness

Here's a guide for you to determine the freshness of the seafood you are about to purchase. By going through these steps listed below, you're 90% certain to get fresh seafood.

Whole Fish

• Look for bright, clear eyes.
  The eyes are the window to a truly fresh fish, for they fade quickly into gray dullness. Dull-eyed fish may be safe to eat, but they are past their prime.

• Next look at the fish.
  They should be beautiful, meaning they shine in metallic brilliantness and are perfectly clean.

• Smell it.
  A fresh fish should smell like the sea. Under no circumstances should you buy a really bad fishy smelling fish! NEVER buy a fish with a strong chlorine smell! Unethical fish sellers soak the fish in chlorine to mask the fishy smell or even worse, the smell of Formaldehyde.

• Look at the gills.
  They should be a rich red. If the fish is not fresh, they will turn the color of faded brick.

Shrimps

• Look at the eyes.
  The eyes should have a prominent appearance in the head and appear glossy or shiny.

• Next look at shrimp.
  The shell should have a firm and glossy appearance. Black spots on the shell are an indication that the shrimp is no longer fresh.

• Smell it.
  It should smell of the sea. It should never smell fishy. NEVER buy a shrimp with a strong chlorine smell! Unethical fish sellers soak shrimps in chlorine to mask the fishy smell or even worse, the smell of Formaldehyde.

• Touch.
  The body of the shrimp should feel moist and firm. If it is dry and tough, it's not fresh.