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SELECTING FISH
Freshness First:
Trust your eyes and nose when shopping for fish.
Look for fish with
- *Clear, bright, bulging eyes
- *Shiny, taut, bright skin
- *Red gills that are not slippery
- *Flesh that feels firm and elastic
- *Moist, clean-cut fillets and steaks
- *Packages that are solidly frozen
What to Avoid:
- *Strong or fishy odor
- *Dull, bloody, or sunken eyes
- *Fading skin and gill color
- *Ragged-cut fillets and steaks
- *Frozen packages that are torn, frost or blood visible inside or out.
Common Fish Forms:
- *Whole or round: as it comes straight from the water
- *Drawn: whole fish with internal organs removed; may be scaled
- *Dressed: ready to cook; organs, scales, head, tail, and fins are removed
- *Steak: ready to cook; crosscut slice from a large, dressed fish
- *Fillet: ready to cook; boneless piece cut from the side and away from the backbone; may or may not be skinned
- *Frozen portion: uniform-size piece ut from a large, frozen fillet block
One-Serving-Size Equivalents
- *8 ounces of drawn or dressed fish
- *4 to 5 ounces of steaks or fillets
- *1 or 2 frozen portions