You've seen it on the Food Network and you've read about it in your Julia Child. They all say the same thing: Ask your local fishmonger to let you examine the gills and eyes, feel the flesh, smell the clean brine. That's the only way to tell if it's really fresh.
Problem is, I don't have a local fishmonger. Do you? I usually get my fish from Publix, or the restaurant on the corner that smells like the sea, if you covered the sea in beer batter and dropped it in a fryer. Also, the stuff I buy rarely has eyes or gills still attached (I prefer it that way), and I suspect that the guy with the rubber gloves would look at me funny if I got my nose too close to the merchandise. So how do you tell if the fish you buy, or order in a restaurant, is going to be "fresh?" Come to think of it, is fresh all it's cracked up to be?
Essentially, "fresh" refers to fish that has never been frozen. When only a few days old, fresh fish looks healthier, tastes better and has a nicer texture than frozen. When the fish spends too much time in transit or storage, sometimes "fresh" doesn't taste so fresh after all.
Local is, as always, your best option for recently caught fish. There are only a few types found with any regularity in our Gulf of Mexico. Perennial favorite grouper – in the gag, red and black varieties – tops the list, with over 9 million pounds brought to shore by Gulf Coast fishermen last year. Snapper, amberjack, cobia, wahoo, tile fish and porgie fill out the list of native swimmers common to area restaurants and retail stores. Everything else comes from more distant shores.
Some restaurants and retailers specialize in the best the Gulf has to offer. Gulfport's Backfin Blue Cafe receives more than 90 percent of its fish in almost daily deliveries from local purveyor Nachman Native Seafood. Chef Bruce Harris never knows exactly what will be available, so he keeps his options open. "I have three different specials every day and can guarantee the fish is fresh," he says.
Tim Nachman is a commercial captain turned wholesaler who deals almost exclusively in locally caught fish. He got his start by wholesaling for a few of his buddies. Now he has a stable of about 20 independent fishermen, mostly smaller boats that stay out for just a day or two at a time. After returning, they unload their catch directly into Nachman's ice-filled storage bins at his place on the Redington Shores docks.
Nachman makes certain to recite the daily catch on his answering machine. (Many chefs leave orders late at night, after the dinner rush.) Whole fish stays fresh longer, so Nachman and his small crew butcher it only after the orders come in. By the time the filets and steaks are delivered to some of the 70 restaurants or retail stores Nachman services, they may only be three days old. That is about as fresh as purchased fish can get.
The days of the lone fisherman selling his catch to a single restaurant are now almost myth. It still happens occasionally, but chefs prefer to deal with suppliers that can provide them with the quantity and consistency they need. So don't expect an actual "catch of the day" except in rare circumstances.
There are some limitations to be aware of. Locally, snapper can only be fished the first 10 days of the month, so if you see it on a menu on the 25th, it was either frozen, has sat around for a while, or wasn't caught around here. Last year, we also had to suffer an almost two-month ban on grouper fishing, mandated by the Feds to replenish the stocks. Rumor has it that there is a good chance of another hiatus at the end of 2005. You might have to find something else to blacken for your sandwiches.
Other fish – especially perennial favorites salmon, trout and tuna – have to come from much farther away. Ninety percent of salmon and trout sold in the U.S. are farm raised. The vast majority of farmed salmon available in our area comes from Chile, so it logs a lot of miles before hitting your plate. This helps keep prices low, but it means a week or more of travel before it arrives at the wholesaler.
Most fresh tuna spends just as much time in transit, because the big boats that catch the delicious beasts are usually out to sea for 5-10 days at a time. Then the fish is generally shipped through Miami wholesalers before hitting our area. That's a lot of time to wait for your tuna sashimi.
There are alternatives. Often, fresh may not even be the best option. These days, a lot of fish is available FAS: "frozen at sea." Within hours of being caught, the fish is butchered and quickly frozen to as much as 50 degrees below zero, all right on the boat. The process occurs so quickly that little to no damage is done to the flesh. From there, the fish generally stay frozen, from boat to wholesaler to restaurant or grocery store.
You've seen the vacuum-sealed packets at your local megamart. Thaw overnight in a refrigerator and you have a filet that is, in a sense, less than 24 hours away from the ocean. It can be cheaper than fresh fish, as well.
True, "frozen" is a bad word among gourmands, signifying loss of flavor, damaged flesh and low-class fast food. In my experience, the advanced technology used in FAS actually results in fish that tastes significantly "fresher" than 90 percent of what is available in your average grocery store. And here's a little insider secret: Many sushi restaurants rely on FAS tuna and other fish because the quality is great and the risk of waste is drastically lessened.
Exotic fresh fish – only a few days from the water – can be had, but often at dear prices that make it feasible only for rarefied fine dining. Sarasota chef Derek Barnes buys as much of his meat and produce from local sources as possible, but he often looks farther afield for the fish he serves at 5 One 6 Burns. Local guys are limited to native fish, he said, "so there isn't a lot of variety."
He has unusual fish like blue nose bass or barramundi flown direct from places like Brown Trading in Maine or Honolulu Fish in Hawaii. "It's really expensive," he said, "but top-notch quality."
Truth is, you'll probably never know how old a fish is, whether from restaurant or retail store, until you get it in your mouth. Even then, with overcooking the norm, you might not be able to gauge the freshness. So buy native and local, when you can. Seek out FAS when you can't. Reward places that treat this delicate and perishable item with the care it deserves. Or grab a rod, a reel and a hibachi, and get to work yourself.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2005.