What to look for when buying seafood
When purchasing whole fish:
Bright and lustrous skin or scales
Firm flesh that springs back when touched
Bright pink-red gills
Pleasant fresh sea smell.
When purchasing fillets and cutlets:
Bright, lustrous and firm flesh
Any dark muscle should be pink-red in colour
Pleasant fresh sea smell
No discolouration, gaping or bruising.
When purchasing crustaceans and molluscs:
Brightly coloured, lustrous shells or flesh
Firm, intact shells, heads, tentacles or flesh
Shells closed or close when tapped or gently squeezed
Pleasant fresh sea smell
No discolouration, particularly at joints.