The Eyes Reveal It! What to Look for When Buying Fresh Fish
Those who rely on their senses when purchasing fish are rarely wrong. Fishmonger Paolo Bianchi explains how to recognize good quality.
02.05.2025
A glance at the eyes is usually enough to see whether the fish is fresh. „The eyes must be bright and clear,“ explains fishmonger Paolo Bianchi of the family-owned comestibles company Bianchi AG. „It is the most important indicator of a fish’s freshness.“ However, if a fish has slightly clouded eyes, that does not automatically mean it is bad.
Bianchi knows what he is talking about. For over forty years, he has been delivering fish specialties from around the world to restaurants, hotels, and large-scale consumers.
How Do I Check the Freshness of Fish?
Quality can also be recognized by smell. „It should have a characteristic scent that recalls the sea and lake. Under no circumstances should it have an aftertaste of rotten eggs or the like,“ says Bianchi. When purchasing fish, one must therefore rely on the senses. In addition to sight and smell, freshness can also be felt. „When you press lightly on the fish with your finger, the flesh should give slightly. At the same time, however, it must not be too soft,“ explains Paolo Bianchi.
A test at home after purchasing fish can also help: if you hold a fish up and its body does not tip over, that provides an indication that it was caught within the last one to two days. It is then still in rigor mortis, so to speak.
While one can look a whole trout in the eyes to check its freshness, this is somewhat more difficult with already-cut fish pieces. Here, too, Bianchi recommends paying attention to smell and flesh firmness.
How Do You Store Fresh Fish Properly?
Once purchased, fish can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three days without any problem. The so-called 0°C zone in the refrigerator (also called the fresh-food compartment) is best suited for this purpose. At this temperature, the enzymes that cause food to spoil work more slowly. When temperatures rise in the coming months, it is advisable to bring a cold pack along when shopping. Strong temperature fluctuations destroy the protein and fibers in the fish. This becomes noticeable later during frying. That is why consistent storage in the refrigerator is important.
And What About Frozen Fish?
Around twenty professional fishermen from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance deliver freshly caught fish from Switzerland to Paolo Bianchi daily. Other varieties, such as sea bass, are delivered deep-frozen from Indonesia, and the Nile perch fillet comes from Tanzania. The fishmonger sees no reason to turn up one’s nose at frozen fish. „Technologies today are so sophisticated that one hardly notices the difference between a freshly caught and a frozen fish,“ he explains. Fish are flash-frozen to as low as –80°C after being caught, which keeps the cells and nutrients intact and preserves the fish gently.
In addition, flawless cold chains guarantee that the fish reaches the customer virtually fresh-caught despite being frozen. Bianchi adds: „If a previously frozen fish is sold, it must always be noted on the packaging.“ In other words: prepare this fish as soon as possible and under no circumstances freeze it again.
How Do You Prepare Fresh Fish?
Should one rinse the fish under the tap before cooking? „Not necessary,“ says Bianchi. „Those who are bothered by the slime can of course do so.“
Scaling can also be dispensed with for most fish. „The skin remains firmer with the scales,“ he explains. „And when you fry it on the skin, they become beautifully crispy.“ Only the scales of specialty fish such as red mullet are somewhat too hard and can be removed with a sharp knife. To do this, place the fish on a board, hold it firmly at the tail end, and scale from tail to head with the blunt side of a knife.
And how does Paolo Bianchi prefer to cook fresh fish? „Quite simply in a salt crust.“ In Bianchi’s oven, it naturally goes in freshly caught and complete with scales.