Anyone know where to buy good, fresh fish?

[Paint]

We haven't had any sort of fish in a long time - because being land-locked here in Colorado, the fish from the local supermarkets is always terrible - certainly not fresh by any means, I can't stand fish that tastes fishy. I was thinking of trying one of the natural food stores - Wild Oats or Whole Foods.....is the fish likely to be better there does anyone know?

Paint.

 

[kitchenelf]

I feel sure Whole Foods would have fresh fish - even though you are land-locked your fish is still shipped/flown in VERY fresh. Just ask the person in the fish/meat department when it was caught.

 

[Lifter]

In my own opinion, of course...

Check the "smell"...it should be sort of "sweet", and definitely not "fishy"...

If buying whole fish, check the eyes...they should be very clear and unclouded, preferably sort of "bulging"...

If buying fillets or steaks, look to see the fish is not "mushy"...if it appears to be "flaking", its probably getting towards "mushy", and should be avoided...

Dark streaks in tuna meat are to be avoided...

Elf makes a very good point, in asking, up front, when it was caught, but also, is it "wild" or "farmed"? Wild is wonderfully better!

Also, buying "frozen" is not the worst idea of the week...Here in Central Ontario, whereas we have a transportation system that favours us (at least compared with what I anticipate you have to Colorado, with all respect!), we can get "wild" BC Sockeye salmon fillets frozen, that I have found most satisfactory!

From my BIL, a wonderful fisherman of NW Ontario, I learned to get a very sharp filleting knife (I use a Normark, now about 30 years old, but honed to a razor!) with a very flexible, thin pointed blade, and remove all skin, belly fat, and of course, every vestige of bones...

Fresh fish is, of course, a lot more tasty than frozen, the BIL is a bit of a "snob" on this point!...his family "must" eat the fish literally within 12-16 hours of being landed, or its only fit to be "smoked"...I get great results of "planking" my thawed frozen sockeye fillets on the BBQ...

Hope that this helps a bit!

Lifter

 

[Ardge]

If you don't mind parting with a good amount of money for your food, I HIGHLY suggest this Chicago-based mail order service.

www.stockyards.com

http://www.stockyards.com/departments.htm?dept=14 <---- seafood section

I have ordered the Atlantic Salmon twice and the Ahi Tuna about 5 or 6 times. These meals are quite possibly the best I've ever prepared AND eaten.

 

[marmalady]

I'd do as Kitchenelf suggests, and go to Whole Foods - their fish and seafood is superb! I don't think Earth Fare can match what they do.

 

[Paint]

Thankyou - I will try Whole Foods first, as we have one locally. I'll also look at that website too. Thanks for the tips too!

Paint.

 

[buckytom]

i just bought some fish at whole foods last weekend. it was great. one of the best stuffed flounders i've ever had (store made). i'm gonna be making stuffed squid tonight, as well as seared tuna.
lifter, i'm in total agreement with buying frozen fish. some of what i buy is labelled that it was frozen and cryo-packed right on the boat. pretty good stuff. but whaddya mean about the dark tuna? why avoid it? belly cuts can be darker on some varieties of tuna, even when it's fresh. if it's dark and stinky/slimy, then i would avoid it.
paint, if you can find a halfway decent fish store, try to buy whole fishes if possible. they stay fresher longer, and you can check the gills (should be bright red) and eyeballs (should be clear-ish) to see if they're fresh. you usually can get the monger to scale and fillet them for you.

 

[pmartin]

whole foods likely has fresh fish, that is organic and wild to boot, but it is probably pricier. you could get farm grown fish, from California, even Colorado has a few. the fish is fresh, and taste is probably almost indistinguishable from wild fish [althought wild salmon tastes less fatty and more dry than farm, almost gamy]

 

[kitchenelf]

[althought wild salmon tastes less fatty and more dry than farm, almost gamy]

Gamey is exactly the word that I used the last time I cooked wild salmon. I guess I've gotten used to the farm-raised.

 

[Zereh]

Pike Place Fish Market was my favorite spot to buy fish in Seattle. They ship, so if you don't mind ordering it off of the 'net, I highly recommend them. I've never been disappointed with any purchase I've made from them.


Z

 

[Lifter]

Bucky, I was referring to "Chef Michael Smith's" advice, that there an be "blood lines" running through the flesh (they look fairly small on a "loin" of tuna) that detract from its taste...

Its plainly possible that if you are buying from a really top end fishmongery, these have already been removed, and therefor what I suggest makes no sense to you...

Just like skinning/de-boning small trout, pickerel(walleye), jacks (northerns), etc, where you cut away the fatty belly, "cut him a pair of pants" and eliminate the so very thin meat up around the "big" ribs, before frying it up...

 

[buckytom]

thanks lifter, never heard of that. i usually don't go to a fancy fish monger, just my local supermarkets, whole foods, and occasionally a specialty fish shop.
yep, with a lot of smaller fishes, it's best to throw away the belly dark meat. but tuna belly is prized, especially in the sushi world.