lautnusantara.com To create delicious and healthy dishes, of course, it starts with the raw materials first. You must buy ingredients that are still fresh and of good quality, so that the dishes you make are guaranteed to be nutritious. One of the popular raw materials in Indonesia is fish. The nutritional content of fish is known to be very high. Even so, fish is very easy to spoil and rot. In choosing fish, you must buy very fresh fish. Why? Fresh fish tends to be tastier and odorless, and of course the nutritional content is still intact because it has not decomposed. Here are tips for choosing fresh fish and how to store it:

1. How to Choose Live Fish

The first tip for choosing fresh fish applies if you are buying live fish. Choose fish that live in a clear water aquarium. If the water is constantly flowing and replaced with new water, it will be much better. Then, look at how the fish swim. If they swim at the bottom of the aquarium, then the fish are still very fresh. If they swim close to the surface of the water, then the fish have been in the aquarium for too long.

2. Light Skin/Flesh Color Light Skin/Flesh Color

Tips for choosing fresh fish from here to below for dead/cut fish. The bright and clear color of the skin/flesh of the fish is the first benchmark for knowing whether the fish is fresh or not. If the fish is no longer fresh, the color will turn pale.

3. Shiny Scales Shiny Scales

Most people immediately hold or press the fish meat to know its freshness. In fact, before that, you should pay attention to the fish scales first. Fresh fish have bright, shiny scales. The scales will also not come off easily if touched by hand.

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4. Strong Fins and Tail Strong Fins

Likewise with fins and tails. Fresh fish, the tail and fins will feel tight/firmly attached to the body of the fish. Other characteristics of fresh fish are, the fins are still intact (nothing torn), then look wet (not dry).

5. Sparkling Eyes Sparkling Eyes

Then, pay attention to the fish's eyes. If the fish is still fresh, then its eyes will look sparkling, clean, round, protruding normally, and strong. If the fish has been dead for a long time, then the characteristics will be different depending on the fish. Some have eyes that look more protruding, red, dewy, or even sunken in. However, usually fish that are not fresh will have sunken eyes, because the liquid in the water has dried up.

6. Red Gills Red Gills

The 6th tip for choosing fresh fish is to look at its gills. Fish that are still good have bright red gills. While fish that are almost rotten, their gills look a bit reddish brown.

7. Touch Fish Skin

Before pressing the fish meat, touch the skin first. Fresh fish skin feels wet, cool, and slippery. If the fish slime feels sticky, then the fish is no longer fresh. Fresh fish skin will not tear easily, especially on the stomach.

8. Press Fish

Fresh fish meat will feel springy when pressed. Then, the part you press will return to its original state. If the fish is no longer fresh, when pressed it will feel soft and the part you press will remain like that.

9. Fish Pick Up Fish Pick Up

Now, lift the fish you are going to buy using one hand. If the fish's body remains upright and straight, then the fish is fresh. However, if the fish tends to be limp/down, you should choose another fish. However, this may differ for some types and sizes of fish. If the fish is very long and wide, of course you cannot measure the freshness of the fish this way. Maybe you can do it if you use two hands.

10. Touch the Fish's Belly Touch the Fish's Belly

The 10th tip for choosing fresh fish is to touch the belly of the fish. The belly area of ​​a fresh fish is firm. If it feels soft, especially if when you touch it the contents come out, then the fish is not worthy of being put in your shopping basket.

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11. Pay Attention to Fish Fiber Pay Attention to Fish Fiber

The next tip for choosing fresh fish applies to the texture of fibrous fish meat, such as salmon for example. Salmon is usually sold in a filleted or cut form. But, you can definitely see the color of the meat clearly, right?

Salmon has white streaks on its flesh. If you don’t see any white streaks, and the flesh looks completely red, the salmon has most likely been dyed to make it look fresh. Another tip is to look at the skin of the salmon. Fresh fish usually have light spots on their skin. The flesh of the fish is also soft (not mushy, but not tough either).

12. Kiss the Smell of Fish Kiss the Smell of Fish

Maybe this tip for choosing fresh fish is the easiest, which is by smelling the fish. Yes, all fish must smell fishy, ​​but, if the smell is very strong, or the smell of mud, then the fish is no longer fresh.

13. Well Packed Well Packed

If you buy frozen fish in a supermarket, the fish will definitely be wrapped in plastic wrap. This wrapping technique is the best for frozen fish. If you find fish wrapped in ordinary plastic, such as plastic for fruit, then the supermarket is not recommended.

Choosing Frozen Fish Choosing Frozen Fish

Tips for choosing frozen fish meat: First, as discussed above, the fish must be packed well (airtight). Second, choose fish meat that is dense and shiny in color. Third, choose fish that is wet (not dry because it is exposed to the refrigerator), if there are dry parts, it indicates that the fish is no longer fresh. Finally, frozen fish that has been thawed must be eaten immediately, do not re-freeze it because it will reduce the quality, unless after being processed into food.

How to Store Fish Storing Fish

Tips for choosing fresh fish The last tip is how to store fresh fish so that it lasts longer. Here are the steps: Immediately wash the fish that you just bought. Even if you buy fish from the supermarket and it has been put in an airtight package, try to wash it first before putting it in the freezer. Remove some parts that are not needed such as scales, gills, stomach lining, fins, and tail. However, if you want the fins and tail, that's fine too. Add lemon/lime juice. If you don't have any, you can use vinegar that has been dissolved in water. This step is useful for removing the fishy smell of fish. Coat the fish with enough salt. In addition to adding flavor, salt can also make fish last longer. Store the fish in an airtight box/plastic. If you don't have any, you can use a zip lock plastic. How to make a zip lock plastic airtight is, prepare a fairly deep bowl, then fill it with water. Dip the plastic containing the fish up to the zip lock lid. After that, close the zip lock, and you have successfully made an airtight plastic. When you want to cook it, just take the amount of fish you will use, do not take all the fish out of the freezer. Then, let the fish thaw a little at room temperature before cooking it. Well, those are 15 tips for choosing fresh fish and how to store it so that it lasts longer according to Bacaterus. There are quite a lot of steps to go through. But, all of that is so that you and anyone who will eat your food get complete nutrition from the fish.

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