Be wary of roadside stands or vendors that may be here today and gone tomorrow. In the retail store seafood should be properly chilled and well iced in the display case and should feel cold when it's purchased. Because seafood is highly perishable it should also be purchased last to ensure that it won't be exposed to warm temperatures for long periods of time before it can be safely stored in the home refrigerator. Your seafood purchases should be enclosed in individual leak proof plastic bags to avoid cross contamination. To evaluate seafood quality you need to use your sense of smell, sight, and touch.
Most experts agree that the sense of smell is our most effective tool for judging quality.
High quality fish and shellfish have a subtle odor, which is often described as being similar to a sea breeze. Although quality indicators can be difficult to describe and are somewhat subjective, with practice most people can learn to select products that meet their own individual needs or expectations. The following guidelines can be used to help you learn to evaluate the quality of some common seafood products. Regardless of the species there are several characteristics that can be used to evaluate quality. The amount of natural firmness in fish flesh will vary from species to another.