Buying and Storing Fresh Seafood
Here’s a quick guide to help you choose the best and freshest Victorian seafood. You need to use your senses and run the fish in front of you through this mental checklist. Then you need to know how to look after your fish once you get it home.
How do I know fish is fresh?
WHOLE FISH
Look for bright bulging eyes with no discolouration or cloudiness.
If you can see the gills they should be bright red.
The scales should lay tightly against each other with no openings and should be bright and shiny.
The body should be firm but elastic and if you were to press it between thumb and forefinger they would not leave an impression.
Fresh fish smells of the sea and not ‘fishy’.
Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut and wash the fish. Guts will cause the fish to deteriorate quickly
FILLETS AND CUTLETS
Flesh should be firm and glossy and not water-logged
There should be no signs of discolouration and the flesh should be tight, closed and not gaping
Fresh fish smells of the sea and not ‘fishy’.
Take an Esky or insulate shopping back to the fishmonger with ice packs to make sure the fish is kept chilled on the way home. Some fishmongers will have ice packs. All will have ice.
How do you store fish?
Wash all fish (whole, fillets or cutlets) in cold water and dry on absorbent paper
Wrap fish in foil and place in an airtight container. Plastic wrap will make fish sweat.
Place in fridge and use within 2-3 days.
How do you freeze fish?
WHOLE FISH
Remove guts but leave scales as these act as an insulator, and will retain flavour and moisture.
(Fish with scales on will keep better in the freezer, but mostly we buy fish scaled and gutted. If you buy whole fish to freeze, you can ask the monger to gut but not scale the fish. You will need to scale the fish once thawed prior to cooking)
Whole fish can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then placed in a freezer bag
Remove air from the bag and seal (this will prevent the fish from drying out and excess ice forming inside bag)
Lie flat in freezer.
FILLETS AND CUTLETS
Fillets/cutlets should be individually wrapped in plastic and placed in a freezer bag. Remove air from the bag and freeze flat.
How do you freeze crustaceans?
Lobsters/crabs/yabbies do not need to be cleaned beforehand and can be frozen cooked or raw.
Individually wrap lobsters and crabs in plastic wrap or foil then place in freezer bag, remove air from the bag, seal and freeze.
FREEZING PRAWNS
Prawns can be frozen raw (green) or cooked. Leave the shell and head on, as this acts as an insulator
To avoid freezer burn, freeze prawns in a block. Do this by placing filling a freezer proof container three quarters full of prawns. Cover almost to the top with water, cover with lid and tape around lid.