How do you know when it’s good seafood? Most seafood restaurants have experts that have been trained to recognize the proper smells, textures, and colors that reveal seafood freshness. If you’re just an average Jane or Joe who has tried to wade through long explanations and fish lingo, and just want a simple layout, here are some basics.

Though most seafood, meaning fish with fins, fish with shells, and the other sea stuff, like octopus or squid have most of the same kinds of basic care and handling, and generally decompose alike, there are a few things that vary. Seafood isn’t like meat. It has its own set of rules to ensure its freshness, but fish will go bad very quickly if not used quickly.

TTCS = Temperature, Touch, Color, And Smell

Being able to touch and smell the fish before you buy it is essential for finding fresh seafood. Fish bruise easily and perish rapidly. Handling and care will be evident by its appearance and odor. As you look at it, notice the color first. Then give it a poke. And finally, put your sniffer to work and see how it smells.

Seafood Temperature and Touch:

Most fish are comfortable swimming at depths that are around 32-degrees Fahrenheit or 0-degrees Celsius. The temperature is the key to keeping fish fresh. A good meat selection will be kept on crushed or flake ice. The fish should also feel ice cold when you touch it.

Not only can you check the temperature with a touch, you can also check its consistency and texture. It should be firm and bounce back into shape quickly. If it doesn’t return, it’s no good. It should also feel clean, moist, and smooth, not slimy, dry, brittle, or rough.

Whole fish should have shiny scales that are moist, smooth, and sticks to the skin. The eyes should be protruding and clear, not cloudy, saggy, or pinkish.

Seafood Color:

Whole fish: gills that are pink or bright red, not gray, green, or brown,
Filleted fish: meat should be white or red depending on the fish, no splotchiness, brown, black, dark colors, translucency, or discolored edges.
Shellfish: if they’re not live, then they should be frozen and a healthy white or off-white, they shouldn’t be gray, brown, discolored, or splotchy

Seafood Smell

Seafood does decompose quickly without the influence of ice-cold temperatures or ice itself. When that happens, when it starts to happen, there is one way to tell if your seafood is fresh - the odor. If it smells fishy, or too sea-faring, and most can’t mistake that smell, then the seafood is too old.

TTCS for Great Seafood

Getting great seafood at home isn’t too hard if you remember to do a few extra things. Buy your seafood when you need it. Check the TTCS - Temperature, Touch, Color, and Smell. Enjoying seafood is all about the freshness.

For the freshest fish from the finest fish houses, visit http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com where you receive a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your order. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

[tags]fish house, fish houses[/tags]