Look for salmon pieces or blocks with a consistent orange color. The skin should look shiny and silver. There should not be any cuts or dark spots on the skin. The meat of the salmon fish should not have any brown spots either. That would mean that the fish has gone stale. Fresh salmon will not be dry and will be moist to the touch. You may choose frozen salmon too, which might be better than fresh ones in some cases. Salmon frozen instantly will have its flavor and freshness preserved; that might not be the case with fresh salmon, which has to travel quickly from catch to market.