Ms SneakyKitchen: The secret to picking fresh, wholesome fish, is ---- there is no secret! Common sense prevails - there are "fishy" smells, and "ocean-salt water" smells" [does that make sense?].
You can't go to a fish market and expect it to smell like your Granny's house - well, maybe my Granny's [she a deep sea diver off the coast of Tasmania], but probably not yours...... But I think all would agree - big difference between "ocean" smell, versus "fishy" smell. Maybe the following will help:
The most important thing, to me, when making sushi [to let your visitors know why you maybe asked me, is that I make/roll sushi, slice sashimi, everyday!] is that the fish is really fresh!! (DUH!) Almost any "fin-fish/fresh-water" can be eaten raw if perfectly fresh, but it is recommended that it should be frozen before eaten. This is to eliminate the risk of parasites. NOTE: Only in America, and at not many places, will this be done! I never eat it - why take the chance! DON'T EAT RAW FRESHWATER FISH - PERIOD! (And I am no 'shrinking violet' when it comes to raw food -- I love carpaccio, make ceviche almost every weekend, and buy pizza, for the sole purpose of eating in the morning - un-refrigerated!) Freezing changes everything .... unless you are an IRON CHEF, with a million dollar budget, for equipment!
(((CHEFAL DIATRIBE: Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Japan's #1 sushi chef, now USA's, (and he is one of the original IronChefs) has ROCKED the sushi world with his -175 degree-F !!! instant freezer. He is such a fanatic when it comes to TUNA - he keeps 17-20 "types/grades/sizes", from around the world---- and they are VERY SEASONAL to catch !! So his "contacts/ fishermen" let him know immediately, upon catch. They will phone him, " we got 6-8 female multi-color whirli/twirli big eye tuna", ... in the south china sea. They are iced down, alive... taken to nearest airport and sent to LA/NY, whichever is closest, then picked up by his minions, and flown to Philly, WHERE HE PUTS THRU HIS DEEP FREEZE!!!!
He sez they are VERY DIFFERENT, citing they are not the same during October versus April - and depending on the belly or the cheek... he is such a FANATIC/EXPERT!!!! He sez it absolutely doesn't hurt the quality (to freeze them) --- AND THIS GUY IS SO EXPERT, THAT HE HAS HIS SUSHI RICE GROWN IN A PRIVATE CALIF. FARM--- AND INVENTED A MACHINE TO "POLISH" IT, AS RICE IS THE SECRET TO THE SUSHI - NOT THE FISH!! So -MAYBE- he's THE BEST IN THE WORLD. Modern Science!! WHO KNEW???)))
Sorry for that sidebar......
Eel or octopus is always smoked/grilled/cooked. NOTE: SWORDFISH is THE prime suspect for "worms" - and is never served in GOOD sushi bar or at my house; it must be cooked - THIS IS A MAJOR EXCEPTION - BUT SHOULD BE NOTED!
OK, to recap, CHECK THIS OUT, the "basics":
A fresh fish should have shiny/sparkling skin
Body should be 'stiff', and the meat firm
MUST have clear eyes
Tail should not be dried out/curled up
Remember, it should smell like the 'ocean', or 'clean pond' if it's a sweet-water fish
If it has scales, they should adhere tightly
Gills should be 'cherry-red' and should not have any "slimy-stuff"
Shellfish should have tightly closed shells (exception are mussels, agape slightly, when purchased, but they should close quickly when tapped
Oysters should always be closed - and STORED FLAT! - so that their "liquor" doesn't drain out
OK-OK---------TO CLOSE:
WHOLE FISH:
*) clear, bright eyes, not sunken
*) bright red gills
*) scales should not be missing - they should be firmly attached to skin
*) moist skin/really fresh fish feels slightly slippery
*) shiny skin with bright natural coloring
*) tail should be stiff and the flesh feel firm
*) it should have a "sea-fresh" smell
FROZEN FISH
*) frozen hard/no signs of thawing
*) the packaging should not be damaged
*) no evidence of freezer burn (i.e. dull, white, dry patches)
SHELLFISH
*) shells should not be cracked or broken
*) shells of mussels and oysters should be tightly shut
*) lobsters, crabs, prawns should have a 'rich' color and be "heavy"
*) lobsters/crabs should have all their limbs
THAT'S MY STORY & I'M STICKING TO IT
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