Buying Fish From People Who Know Fish

Fish sold at a counter is usually cheaper per kilo than the same fish sealed in plastic ten feet away, and it is nearly always fresher. The plastic exists to make the purchase feel safe, and you are paying for that feeling.

Ask the open question

Not “do you have hake” but “what is good today”. The answer is free, it is honest more often than not, and it will route you towards whatever came in that morning rather than whatever has been sitting longest.

Whole fish costs less than fillets and the counter will fillet it for you at no charge. Ask for the bones back. That is a litre of stock you have already paid for.

What to look for

Clear eyes, bright red gills, flesh that springs back. A fish that smells of anything stronger than the sea has been out too long, and no amount of cooking fixes it.