You Don’t Need to Be an Expert
Stand in front of any fish counter and the same question comes up: is this any good? Most people genuinely can’t tell, which is fair: nobody teaches you this stuff. Here’s the rough-and-ready version I’d give my mum.
You’re looking for five things. Eyes, gills, smell, flesh, and skin. Get good at those and you’ll never bring home a dodgy bit of fish again.
1. The Eyes
This is the big one. Fresh fish has eyes that are bright, clear, and slightly bulging. The pupil should be jet black and the surrounding area glossy and wet-looking.
Old fish has dull, sunken, cloudy eyes. They look milky. If the eyes have gone in and lost their shine, the fish has been out of the water too long. Walk away.
Caveat: some species (skate, ray, monkfish) naturally have less obvious eyes. And fillets obviously don’t have eyes at all. So this only works on whole fish. But when you can use it, it’s the single most reliable test.
2. The Gills
Lift the gill cover (the flap behind the eye). The gills underneath should be a bright, almost cherry red. Clean-looking, wet, no slime.
Old fish has gills that have faded to brown or grey. Sometimes they’re sticky or have a film over them. Bad sign. Genuinely fresh fish has gills that look like they could still be doing their job.
3. The Smell
This is the one people get wrong. Fresh fish does NOT smell fishy. It should smell like the sea: clean, slightly mineral, salty. Like a beach at low tide on a good day.
If it smells “fishy” (that strong, ammonia-y, off-putting whiff) it’s not fresh. That smell is the fish breaking down. You shouldn’t be able to smell fish across the room. If you can, something’s wrong.
Caveat: shellfish (especially crab and lobster) have their own slightly stronger smell that’s normal. But it still shouldn’t be unpleasant. Sour or ammonia smells in shellfish mean walk away.
4. The Flesh
Press it gently with your finger (or look closely if you can’t touch). Fresh fish flesh is firm and bounces back when pressed. The indentation disappears within a second or two.
Old fish stays dented. The flesh has lost its structure and won’t recover. You’ll also see a difference in colour. Fresh white fish is translucent and almost glistening. Old white fish looks dull, opaque, and sometimes a bit grey.
For fillets, look at the cut edges. They should be clean and bright, not torn-looking or brown around the edges.
5. The Skin and Scales
Whole fish should have skin that’s bright, shiny, and damp-looking. Scales should be intact and tight against the body, not loose or falling off.
Old fish skin goes dull, the scales loosen, and the slime layer that protects fresh fish starts to dry out and crack. Bright, wet, intact = fresh. Dull, dry, scaly bits missing = old.
For salmon and trout specifically, the flesh should be that classic bright pink-orange. If it’s faded to a dull washed-out colour, it’s been around too long.
The Test I Use at the Counter
When customers ask me how to pick fish anywhere, I tell them this: look at the WHOLE picture. One thing might be off and the fish is still fine. Two things off and you should be cautious. Three or more, put it back.
And don’t be afraid to ask. Any decent fishmonger (us included) will happily tell you what came in this morning, what’s been sat a day, what to buy and what to leave. If you can ask that question and get a straight answer, you are in the right place.
What You Get From a Fishmonger
I’m biased so take this with a pinch of salt. But: we order daily, based on what’s actually coming off the boats that morning rather than on a forecast made the week before. That’s the fundamental difference.
What gets put on our counter has been swimming in the sea within the last 24-48 hours. Fish that routes through a distribution centre and cold storage can still be “fresh” by the technical definition (never frozen) and be days older by the time it reaches you. The time gap is the thing worth asking about.
You don’t have to come to us. There are good fishmongers in most towns. Just find one and use them.
How to Store It Once You’ve Bought It
Quick version:
- Use it within 1-2 days. Fresh fish doesn’t keep. Get it home, get it in the coldest part of the fridge (back of the bottom shelf), eat it within a day or two.
- Or freeze it. Properly fresh fish freezes brilliantly. Pat dry, wrap tightly in cling film then a freezer bag, label, freeze. Use within 3 months for best quality.
- Defrost slowly. In the fridge overnight, not on the counter. Slow defrost = better texture.
We’ve got a full guide to handling fish at home in our fish cooking tips post.
Final Word
Picking fresh fish isn’t black magic. Eyes, gills, smell, flesh, skin. Two minutes of looking and you’ll know what’s good and what isn’t.
When you buy from us, you don’t need to do any of this. Everything on the counter came in fresh this morning and what doesn’t sell goes home with the staff or gets stocked for the next day’s smoking. We’re not sitting on stock. Browse the shop or come and have a look in person. Bournemouth Road, BH14 0ES. Tuesday to Saturday.