Professional advice for fish-lovers.

How can you determine whether fish is fresh? A real professional can do it at a glance. Moreover specialists have additional methods of determining it. In “Filimonova&Yankel” fish-house we have developed an expertise for checking-up freshness. But professional control requires specialist knowledge and experience. So how do you choose fish when you are by yourself? Here is a bit of advice from Yankel.
First and foremost fresh fish is distinguished by its firmness. Fish, when perfectly fresh, will lie in your hand in a straight line, neither head nor tail drooping. If your press fresh fish with your thumb it will leave no mark, because its flesh is firm and resilient. Look at fish gills before buying, fresh fish has bright-red and not dull reddish gills, its flesh an even creamy white or pinkish color, no blood traces, skin bright and clean and eyes also bright, never lacklustre. Also don’t forget to take a sniff, fish should smell of sea and freshness only. Fresh-water fish can have a little bit of mucus on its skin, but this is normal, it doesn’t mean that fish isn’t fresh or is bad in any other way.

How to choose crustaceans
The best way is to buy them alive. Yet do not go for the size only – the best weight for a crab is about 800-1000 g, and such an animal not only holds enough meat for a meal but its meat is also fresh, young and tender. The same goes for lobsters: the best lobsters are young, and they, although they weigh under 1 kilo, are much more tender and tastier than older ones, though the older ones are much larger and look more imposing. You should also look at how a particular crab or lobster behaves in the tank – the best animal to choose is the one who moves the most and is the most aggressive (both are marks of a healthy animal).

How to choose other seafood
The main criterion for seafood is the smell. The seafood must smell, well, of sea, and of fresh sea at that.
A shrimp is fresh if its belly is firm.
An oyster or mussel is fresh if its shell is firmly locked. If the shell is open, touch the animal tentatively – if the mollusc is alive, it will shut its shell immediately (and will pinch your finger if you are not careful enough).
Practically no scallops are sold alive, usually they are sold with shell already removed. The meat of a scallop should be whitish or pearly-grey.


How to store your fish
Fish-house receives its fish delivered in special refrigerator containers which at all times keep the best temperature for fish: -1 to +4 degrees centigrade. And if you intend to keep your fish at home in your fridge, you should set the same temperature. You should also cover your fish with food film and never keep it refrigerated for more than 24 hours; the best way to consume fish is to cook and eat it on the day you bought it. Fresh fish dries up quickly and becomes less tasty.