Buying seafood

When buying seafood, make sure that it is properly refrigerated or iced.

When buying fish, choose fish that has

• A bright, shiny appearance with scales that are intact
• Bright, clear and full eyes. Eyes become red and cloudy when the fish loses freshness.
• Bright red to liver red gills that are free from slime

Avoid fish which has

• A strong ammonia-like smell.
• Darkening around the edges with brown or yellowish discoloration, especially if these areas appear dry or mushy.

Some tips for buying seafood

• Fresh prawns are firm, have a mild odour and their shells are not slippery. There should be not any black spots or discolouration on the shells.
• Live crabs and lobsters should exhibit leg movements. The tail of live lobsters should curl under the body when you pick them up.
• The shells of live clams, oysters, or mussels should close tightly when tapped. Do not buy shellfish with gaping shells as this shows that they are dead.