fresh fish

[cap]

does anybody notice that the fish in major supermakets is just plain bad!
I grew up spending my summers near the shore so I know what decent fish tastes like...and the stuff we are getting varies from tasteless to just plain bad. More than half my fish is imported and it is at best odor free and bland. I am looking at some of the warning sites on fish and it is not good... Stuff from the Chesapeake is inedible.

[napi21]

1. I agree, and the same thing applies to fresh meats.

My husband is a meat cutter for a major food chain in the SE, and we talk about this all the time. Although they do have a fresh seafood section, he is most familiar with the meats.

All fish is either imported or farm raised, and I suspect you're also seeing the results of the polution of all water on the globe too.

With the meats, all livestock is force fed to get them to market faster, and leaner, and of course cheaper for the grower. The FLAVOR is almost GONE!

[NMMNG]

2. I don't eat fish myself

But I was passing by the fresh fish department in Giant the other day and nearly vomited from the smell. It was overpowering and hideous. x(

[RC]

3. Can't get much fresher than this.

It's eyes are still open!

[Random_Australian]

4. The main problem is that most wild fish are fished out,

I think they're on their 8th different kind of fish on the ladder of tastiness for wholesale battered. And farmed fish just aren't the same...

[cap]

5. the environment is wreaking its revenge on us

people have lost sense of what is good in life...

cheney and rummy have homes on the chesapeake and dont care that they cant eat fresh fish

[brook]

6. The fishing industry...

is dying here and elsewhere. Where once it was a major source of our local economy, we just saw the Marine Service business close down. They couldn't make it on 5 months a year. When my daughter moved here 20-some years ago, you could watch the men mend their nets behind the Safeway. There used to be commercial boats from other countries docked to refuel and reprovision throughout the year. Not any more. The fishing industry has become almost a theme park meme for coastal towns like ours.

Ironically, some factions totally blame environmentalists for the situation and ignore pollution as part of the sad scenario.

[cap]

8. where are you?

[brook]

11. Central Coast California n/t

[alarimer]

7. fresh fish should not smell fishy

The eyes should also be clear, not cloudy. Around here (only a few miles for the coast) most of fish sold in supermarkets is frozen. Even the shrimp is not fresh, although it comes off the boats just a few miles away. So I buy shrimp right off the boat in season. You can get it for a LOT less than at the store. Alternatively, fish markets tend to have the best stuff.

[cap]

9. someone is making a ton of money off this...

half the fish in my supermarket comes from china or thailand.

[alarimer]

12. There are several conservation orgs that have cards

that you can use to tell if the seafood you are buying is caught sustainably or not.

[shanti]

10. here's a tip

that i got from a jamaican friend who lives on fresh fish. get your fish at asian supermarkets. the selection is awesome. my friend will only buy fresh WHOLE fish, but the asian markets will cut them up for you and everything for free. check it out.

[cap]

13. man... that fish was sooo NOT GOOD... I've just thrown up...

I'm OK ... have been drinking flat ginger ale and eating crackers...

I bought my fish at McCaffrey's ... a supermarket chain....

Am calling them and asking for a refund. I am seriously thinking of calling the BOARD OF HEALTH. They should not be doing this.

[radwriter0555]

14. "Never buy fish on Monday"... so sayeth the thunder god of cooking,

Tony Bourdain.

You see, that fish was bought from the fish market last week... So if you order it on Monday, it's been sitting in the fridge and on the counter for several days.

Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days for fish.

[politicat]

15. We only use fish that's been flash frozen on the boat and never thawed.

We're using blue hake and tilapia primarily, with the occasional sushi piece of tuna or salmon. Lots of sashimi, too (aka Krab and fish pastes) for various sushi and salads.

We're in Colorado. It all has to be shipped in frozen anyway, but I'd rather do the defrosting myself.

I tend to get our fish at the Asian market - there's one that has a great frozen selection not too far from us.

According to one of our best local chefs - who is a massive fish snob from Massachusetts - the best fish available anywhere in the country is the frozen stuff. If it comes in on the boat fresh, it's been out of the water for longer than the stuff that's flash-frozen on the boat.

[cap]

16. I've thought about the Asian markets

but the water in the fish tank didn't look too clear so I passed on it...but I am hearing you guys are having good experience.

The only problem is that the nearest Asian market is about 45 min away. Someone local is trucking it in on a daily basis at $8-12/lb. Well better than getting sick at $5-8/lb.

I remember not that long ago I could get fish and seafood on special for $1.50-3/lb...and it was relatively local.

[Lefty48197]

17. I agree. Frozen fish has a bad rap.

If the fish is processed and flash frozen, then dethawed and eaten quickly, then the freezing won't do any damage. I'll take fresh fish anyday, but it's difficult to keep fresh fish fresh, unless you catch it yourself, or live very close to the port.