All About Fish

Fish is an exceptionally healthy food. It is high in protein, low in saturated fat, and the oily varieties (such as wild salmon, sardines, Arctic char, herring, and trout) are an excellent source of essential omega-3 fatty acids, one of the "good fats" that helps your heart, joints, brain, and body function at their best.

As a main ingredient, it is both easy to prepare and cooks up quickly, with moist and flavorful results. Since there is so much to know about selecting and cooking fish, we have compiled the following information to help you 1) select the freshest fish in the market, 2) choose the best cooking method for all the varieties available, and 3) cook your fish perfectly.

Choosing a Fresh Fish

In a fish store or large supermarket, fish is available both whole and as fillets. Judging the freshness of a whole fish is easier than it is for fillets, since the markers of freshness are still intact. If you have the choice, choose a whole fish and ask the fishmonger to fillet it for you, ensuring the freshest product.

Signs of freshness in a whole fish: bright red gills under the collar, moist tail (not dried or shriveled), clear bulging eyes (no signs of milky whiteness), tight scales and taught skin.It should smell briny and fresh like the ocean, and not at all "fishy."

Signs of freshness in a fish fillet: pearly opalescent flesh and no brown spots. Try to buy fillets directly from a fishmonger or fish counter, since it is difficult to judge and smell freshness through plastic wrap. Also, try to buy the center-cut of larger fish fillets; they cook more evenly than the skinnier tail pieces.

How Much Do I Buy Per Person?

1/3 to 1/2 pound fish fillet per person and 1 1/2 pounds whole fish (before it's cleaned) per person.

Click here to learn more about techniques for cooking fish including poaching, pan-frying, roasting, and grilling

Send to friend

Printer-friendly version