Shopping tips
Don't go shopping for fish with a preconceived idea of what you want. Be flexible and buy the best fish on the counter - not that tired old turbot in the corner that's in your recipe.
Good fish isn't cheap. But there are some fish such as grey mullet, mackerel, gurnard, pollack and cuttlefish that are always a bargain and are superb to eat. No one should object to paying a fair price for a really fresh fish.
Seek out the freshest fish and demand the very best from your fishmonger - it will keep the whole industry afloat. Buying well today will ensure fresh fish for tomorrow.
Top tips:
• Fresh fish should look like it's just come out of the sea. It should glisten and look almost alive with its eyes clear and bright and ready to wink back at you. Dull, sunken eyes mean a few days the wrong side of fresh.
• Fresh fish smells of the sea. It doesn't have a ?fish' smell and neither should your fishmonger's shop.
• Don't be afraid to prod it, it should be firm to the touch. Your finger should leave no indentation. Really fresh fish is as stiff as a board. You can hold it from the head or tail - fishmongers call it ?stiff alive'.
• Look for a healthy coating of fresh-smelling slime.
• Look at the gills (the holes in a fish's head that help it get oxygen). They should be deep red in colour - the smell should be nothing more than a fantastic whiff of the sea.
• Beware headless fish! If a fish counter's displaying them, they probably have something to hide. Unscrupulous fishmongers sometimes fillet old fish because the eyes and gills give away too much. Best to buy your fish whole and have your fishmonger fillet it for you.
• Examine the skin on fish fillets. It should be bright, firm and opaque - there should be no signs of yellowing.
• Shellfish should look lively. Buy live shellfish where you can and cook them yourself - plenty of water and a few handfuls of salt. If you're near the sea then seawater is best of all.
How much fish will I need?
This is only a guideline, as appetite, as always, will have the last say. If you're buying any fish fillet including tuna, swordfish or other game fish, you can use 100% of the flesh, so allow 150-175g/5-6oz per person.
If you're buying a whole fish, for example plaice, lemon sole, turbot and other flat fish, the yield will be around 50%, so allow more per person - around 350g/12oz.
When shopping for whole salmon, bass, mackerel and all other round fish, the yield is around 70%, so allow around 275g/9oz per person.
