Tips When Buying Local Seafood

Photo by Adam DeTour / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Laura Foley Ramsden of Foley Fish is zealous about fresh seafood. Her company runs the accredited Foley School of Fish four times a year, where chefs, customers and potential customers learn everything about fish, hook to skillet—from unloading the boat to grading to identifying if fish has been previously frozen, how a certain fish has been stored until sale and how fish are sometimes adulterated. Here are some of her tips to consumers when buying local fish.

• The fish store should not smell fishy. Fresh fish doesn’t smell.

• Ask to smell the fish—there should not be a fishy or soapy smell.

• Fish eyes should be bright and clear.

• Check that the fish hasn’t been treated in a brine tank—it would be unusually shiny.

• When you go out to eat, see what chefs are doing with local catch to get ideas for cooking.

• Ask questions about freshness and where the fish comes from, even at the supermarket. As a consumer, you have power.
  

  This sidebar appeared in the Winter 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Local Fish.