The connection of fish: the eye, the gills and the smell that do not lie
Fish don't lie — the seller does. Three checks on the counter that tell you in thirty seconds how long ago this fish was in the sea.
A three-day-old fish and a fish taken out of the net this morning on the same counter look almost the same — until you put your nose to it and look at it. The difference is in the details that the seller cannot make up. You're going to the market tomorrow, and here's exactly what to look for before you open your wallet.
Eye, gills, smell: order of inspection
Start fromeye. Fresh fish has a protruding eye, clear and moist, with a black, clear pupil. As the hours pass, the eye retracts into the head, the cornea turns gray and becomes milky, cloudy. Turns out, a gray eye is a red flag — the fish is out of water for at least a day or two, no matter what the price tag says.
Thengills. Lift the lid with your finger. The color must be bright red to dark red, moist, clean. When the fish gets old, the gills fade to brown, gray-pink, they are covered with a mucous coating and have an unpleasant smell. This is the most difficult test to fool because the gills are difficult to rinse — that's why an experienced buyer looks at them before anything else.
And finallysmell. Fresh sea fish smells of the sea, seaweed, and the cool, clean breeze from the coast. It must not smell of ammonia, of 'fish' in the bad sense. That sharp, pungent smell that remains on the fingers is a sign that the bacteria have already started their work. River mackerel and catfish have a faint smell of mud — that's normal; ammonia is not.
As the hours pass, the eye retracts into the head, the cornea turns gray and becomes milky, cloudy.
What else does the body reveal?
Press the meat with your finger. In fresh fish, the indentation returns immediately — the meat is firm and elastic. If the print remains, the fish has lost its freshness.The shellit must be tight and shiny, covered with a thin layer of clear slime; Flaky, dry or sticky-dull skin is a sign of age. The abdomen should be whole and closed — a distended, distended abdomen means that the internal organs have begun to decompose.
| A sign | Fresh | Old |
|---|---|---|
| Eye | Protruding, clear, black pupil | Dark, gray, milky |
| Scrooge | Bright red, moist | Brown-gray, slimy |
| The smell | Sea, alga, swez | Ammonia, pungent |
| Meat | Returns the print | The imprint remains |
| Belly | Whole, closed | Cracked, bloated |
Another rule worth its weight in gold:whole fish always over fillet. With fillets, you can't check the eye or the gills, so you buy on trust. If he must filet, he wants it to be shiny, translucent-moist, without yellow edges and without a pool of liquid underneath — that liquid is the meat that leaks because the fish has gone bad.
When you bring your loot home, don't delay. White fish and shellfish go on the same day; blue fish (sardine, mackerel, tuna) spoils the fastest because it has the most fat. We wrote about what goes on the grid and howFish on the market: everything from the counter to the plate. If the fish was not first-rate, do not risk raw —cevichehe is looking for absolutely fresh fish, whilefish corbaforgive more than anything else.
Questions & answers
short and to the point- How do I know if the fish is fresh in the market?
- Check three things: the eye must be protruding and clear with a black pupil, the gills bright red and moist, and the smell of the sea without a trace of ammonia. The flesh of fresh fish returns a fingerprint in a second or two.
- Why can't fresh fish smell like fish?
- A pungent, ammoniacal odor is a sign that the bacteria have begun decomposition. Fresh sea fish smells of the sea and algae, and river fish smells of mild mud — never spicy and sharp.
- Is it better to buy a whole fish or a fillet?
- Always a whole fish if you can, because the fillet does not show any eyes or gills, so buy on trust. If he has to filet, he is looking for a shiny and moist piece without yellow edges and without a pool of liquid underneath.
