Seafood 

 Quality 



Follow 



your nose 



W 



hen it comes to choos- 

 ing seafood, it pays to 

 be nosy. 



"If you can't do 

 anything else when 

 you're buying fish and shellfish, 

 smell it," says Joyce Ikylor, Sea 

 Grant's seafood education 

 specialist. "Your nose is always 

 the best indicator of freshness." 



If a retailer is hesitant to let 

 you sniff his product, you 

 should be hesitant to buy it, 

 Tkylor saya 



"My philosophy is, 'If they 

 don't want you to smell it, 

 there's a reason for that, and 

 you should go somewhere else 

 for your seafood.' 



"In any ingredient, freshness 

 is the most important thing," 

 lUylor says. "You certainly 

 wouldn't buy a steak with an 

 off-color to it." 



Tkylor recommends buying 

 seafood the day you plan to use 

 it. And don't just toss it in the 

 refrigerator. Keep it on ice. 



If it's going to be several days 

 before you cook it, Taylor 

 recommends freezing to main- 

 tain quality. 



To help consumers choose 

 seafood, Taylor has written a 

 brochure, "Hooked on Fresh 

 Fish and Shellfish." The follow- 

 ing tips are from that 

 publication. 



Fresh fish should have: 



• eyes that are bright, clear and 

 protruding. As a fish 

 deteriorates, the eyes become 

 cloudy, pink and sunken. 



• gills that are bright red or pink 

 and free from slime. Avoid fish 

 with gills that are dull pink, 

 gray, brown or green. 



• flesh that is firm and elastic and 

 springs back when pressed 

 gently. As fish ages, the flesh 

 becomes soft and slimy and 

 slips away from the bone. The 

 flesh of fillets should be firm 

 and elastic and have a translu- 

 cent, moist look. 



• skin that is shiny and not faded, 

 with scales that adhere tightly. 



• an intestinal cavity that is pink 

 with a bright red blood streak. 

 The streak should not be dark 

 or brown. 



• an odor that is fresh and mild. 

 Fish fresh from the water have 

 no "fishy" smell. 



Fresh shrimp have 



• a mild odor and firm meat. 



Cooked shrimp have 



• red shells and meat with a red 

 tint. They should have no 

 disagreeable odor. 



Live crabs and lobsters 



• show movement of the legs. The 

 tail of a lobster should curl 

 under the body and not hang 

 down when the lobster is picked 

 up. 



Cooked crabs and lobsters 



• should have a bright red color 

 and no disagreeable odor. 



Clams and oysters in the shell 



• should be alive. Shells should be 

 tightly closed or should close 

 tightly when tapped. 



Shucked oysters 



• should be plump with a natural 

 creamy color and clear or slight- 

 ly opalescent liquid. They 

 should not contain more than 10 

 percent liquid, and should have 

 a mild odor. 



Fresh scallops 



• have a sweet odor and are free 

 of excess liquid. The meat of 

 bay and calico scallops is 

 typically creamy white but may 

 be light tan or slightly pink. Sea 

 scallop meat is typically creamy 

 white but may be slightly 

 orange or pink. 



Frozen seafood 



• should be solidly frozen with no 

 discoloration or drying (freezer 

 bum) on the flesh. It should be 

 wrapped with moisture-proof 

 and vapor-proof material that 

 fits closely and is undamaged. 



For more information on buying 

 fresh seafood, write Sea Grant 

 for a free copy of "Hooked on 

 Fresh Fish and Shellfish." Ask 

 for UNC-SG-85-08. 



