Buying fish

[DaughterOfKali]

My family wants fish for Christmas dinner. I NEVER cook fish so it's all new to me.

Is it ok to buy the fish (from Whole Foods) the day before I'm going to cook it?
If it is, is it ok to just put it in the fridge until the next day?

I'm probably going to be getting salmon so if you have a recipe that you LOVE, feel free to share it! (no nuts or shellfish though.)

Thanks!

[Magelet]

fish really should be bought the day you use it. however, they may not be getting fresh fish in on christmas day so it might be just as fresh either way, so you can ask. Personally I would never buy fresh fish if it didn't come in the day I'll serve it. Frozen of course i would buy and keep frozen until I'm going to use it, allowing only enough time for it to thaw. (The only fish I regularly eat from frozen is ahi tuna)

If you have a grill, salmon is delicious grilled on ceder planks (you can buy them a lot of different places). It lends an ever so slightly smoked flavor.

Personally I think a very easy way to do fish is to bake whole fish in salt. I did it once with rockfish, served with a white wine beurre blanc. super good and very easy.

Also a couple of tips for buying fresh fish: It should smell fresh (don't be afraid to ask to smell it) and not the least bit "fishy". If you buy a whole fish, look it in the eyes. the eyes should look nice and... eye like and not sunken or dry or otherwise not good. "look the fish in the eye" is my great-grandmother's advice. It should have come in the day of, or at the very most, the day before (but if you are going to hold it another day, definitely it should have come in that day), if it is fresh. If it was frozen, it should have been thawed that day.

[vbactivist]

I have bought wild alaskan salmon at target (of all places) before. I don't eat fish, but my family really likes it

[DaughterOfKali]

Hmm, wondering what to do.

[maryeliz]

I would buy it the day before, making sure that it looks really fresh and good, take it home and put it in the back of the fridge in a pan with some bags of ice. You can also do a double pan system, so you put ice in the bottom of a pan, put another pan on top of the ice, and then store the fish in the top pan. It will be fine for 24 hours.

[tinybutterfly]

Not sure, but isn't most fish frozen and shipped, then the store thaws it before selling it in the case? If that's true, couldn't you just buy it frozen, thaw it at home in time to cook it when you need it?

I am guessing "fresh" fish means something different if you live in the midwest than it does if you live on a coast where fishing is part of the local business???

Personally, I would just buy it frozen, then thaw it time to cook it.

We don't each much fish at all...and I know I am going to start preparing more fish here pretty soon as I have decided to combine a Meditarrean style diet with our Feingold thing we have going on.

Anyway, I'll be back to see what everyone else suggests.

[tinybutterfly]

Well, duh. You live in New England.

[Martha27]

I live in New England too but about 3 hours away from any coast so now I am wondering how fresh the fish is that I always get? I get mine from either our local small grocery store or Shaw's (New England grocery chain and the only grocery store around these parts unfortunatly :/ ). I used to always get Haddock but just the other day I bought Atlantic Pollock (wild) and it was less expensive and just as tasty as haddock (also I think it's on the top of the "good fish" list!) I either bake mine with ritz crackers sprinkled on top and butter dripped over it or poach it on the stove top. Poaching is a real quick and easy way, just put a little water, white wine, lemon juice, thyme, bay leaf, onion, lemon slices (make sure you peel off the zest and the white pith or it will make it all taste bitter) and any other spices you want to add. Bring this to a boil, add fish, cover and reduce to a simmer. It cooks up in about 10 minutes and you can tell it's done when it flakes away and is no longer raw looking.
Not sure about any special samon recipes except grilling it in tinfoil with onions and other tasty things. I never buy salmon b/c I dont love it but have had it that way before.

[vbactivist]

The way I make the salmon is to poach it in white wine with peppercorns dill and something else - i can't think of it right now. its from epicurious.

[Ola_]

I would have no problems buying fresh fish the day before. Or buy frozen fish and thaw in the fridge, either way is fine IMO and safe. If buying fresh fish I agree it shouldn't have a "fishy" odour though.

We aren't close to any coast so all the fish we get is frozen or has been frozen for transport. It's a good way to keep it safe until it gets to its destination as fish (and meat) doesn't have a very long shelf life unfrozen.

[DaughterOfKali]

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

Well, duh. You live in New England.

Doesn't matter that I'm in New England. I would be buying Wild Alaskan fish.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

Not sure, but isn't most fish frozen and shipped, then the store thaws it before selling it in the case? If that's true, couldn't you just buy it frozen, thaw it at home in time to cook it when you need it?

I am guessing "fresh" fish means something different if you live in the midwest than it does if you live on a coast where fishing is part of the local business???

Personally, I would just buy it frozen, then thaw it time to cook it.

We don't each much fish at all...and I know I am going to start preparing more fish here pretty soon as I have decided to combine a Meditarrean style diet with our Feingold thing we have going on.

Anyway, I'll be back to see what everyone else suggests.

In the Midwest you can get fish labeled "fresh never frozen"

It is just really friggen expensive.

[ollyoxenfree]

If you are buying from a reputable fishmonger, it should be fine if you buy it on Christmas Eve day. I often buy it a day ahead. I wouldn't keep it longer than though.

For a lemon-basil salmon for 4:

2 tbsp. olive oil
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced fine (depends on how garlicky you like it)
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus 1/4 cup extra for finishing
4 salmon fillet
sea salt to taste


About 30 minutes before cooking, marinade salmon in the oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, pepper and basil.

I like to grill salmon, about 3 to 4 min. per side, depending on how thick it is, but you can roast it on a foil or parchment lined pan.

Roast salmon at 400 deg. F, for about 10 min. - it will flake when tested with a fork when it's done.

Finish with sea salt and a little fresh basil and some lemon slices or wedges.

****A nice alternative is lime/cilantro - just substitute for the lemon/basil. You can add a little grated ginger to the marinade too (about 1 tbsp.). This has a Thai flavour, so it goes nicely with rice noodles.

Finally, maple glazed salmon is really nice too:

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. cider or balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine and marinade salmon for about 30 minutes. Roast at 400 deg. F for about 10 to 12 minutes.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by maryeliz

You can also do a double pan system, so you put ice in the bottom of a pan, put another pan on top of the ice, and then store the fish in the top pan. It will be fine for 24 hours.

Somewhat similarly, James Peterson recommends unwrapping and rinsing whole fish, putting it on a layer of ice in a colander, covering with ice, and storing the works atop a suitable catch bowl in the fridge. Fillets and steaks are the same, except that they should be rewrapped in wax paper so as not to come in direct contact with the ice.

[sunnysandiegan]

We like the frozen fish from Trader Joe's.

DH grills salmon with fresh-squeezed homegrown lemon. YUM!

He also cooks it in a pan on the stove... pan-fried is what he calls it, but it doesn't taste "fried" at all.

[DaughterOfKali]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

We like the frozen fish from Trader Joe's.

Do they have Wild Alaskan salmon? If so, I may get it. Still waiting for my mom to send some money for the christmas dinner groceries.

[tinybutterfly]

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali

Doesn't matter that I'm in New England. I would be buying Wild Alaskan fish.

Ooops! Missed that!

Originally Posted by abimommy

In the Midwest you can get fish labeled "fresh never frozen"

It is just really friggen expensive.

I've never seen this, but I rarely look at the fish...they must overnight ship it on ice?

The recipes here all sound so gooood! I've subbed.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali

Do they have Wild Alaskan salmon? If so, I may get it. Still waiting for my mom to send some money for the christmas dinner groceries.

With TJ's (aside from the fact that Greenpeace is none too happy), I'd be inclined to make sure that I knew exactly what I was getting--their usual price points suggest keta or humpback, which may or may not be one's first choice.

[DaughterOfKali]

I admit that I don't usually shop TJ's.

[velochic]

It sounds like you are going with salmon. Keep in mind that any Atlantic salmon is farmed and not at all healthy for you.

The fish we like the best, in case you haven't made up your mind, is truly fresh fish. We have an ethnic market that has wild caught fish, IN TANKS, and you get to pick the fish, they gut it for your right there. Fish, IMHO, is best freshly killed and whole. You can stuff the cavity with some herbs and lemon, grill it with just some olive oil, S&P. That, to me is good fish. The fish cheeks have a lot of good flavor. This is only how we ever make fish and dd is leery of any fish that "doesn't have the head on it". It's certainly the tastiest. And it doesn't take a lot of practice. When the flesh turns opaque and the juices run clear, it's done. Yum!!

ETA: I'm in the midwest, so it's possible to get truly fresh fish, not "fresh frozen" etc. etc. in the middle of the country. It's not going to be a salt water fish, though.