To assess the quality of fresh fish, there are a few simple things to look for:

Seafish’s Quality Wholesaler and Processor Awards seek to drive up standards throughout the seafood chain by rewarding companies providing high quality seafood produced and distributed in a first class environment.

The awards are tailored in particular to small and medium sized businesses selling fresh and/or frozen seafood.

To qualify for the award each company goes through an independent audit covering all aspects of its operation including its premises, machinery and equipment, hygiene standards and management controls.

All those who qualify for the awards receive a certificate and are entitle to use the relevant logo to promote their business.

For more information visit www.seafish.org

or email R_Wardell@Seafish.Co.UK

This is a general guide to storing seafood in a domestic or food service environment, prior to cooking and consumption.

Once received, store whole fish on a tray in a refrigerator covered with cling film at between 0 and 2°C.

The gut cavity should be clean, and the fish should be dry, not sitting in a pool of water – if possible, place the fish on a rack in a tray. Fillets and portions should be stored the same way.

Molluscs and live crustaceans should be covered with a damp cloth or seaweed, and a lid kept on the box to avoid dehydration – this helps to keep the chill off.

The ideal temperature is 6-8°C, and never put directly in front of fans blowing chilled air. Always pick up live crustaceans by the body, not the claws or tail, and treat them carefully –dropping, throwing or skidding the boxes across the floor will stress them and weaken them.

Oysters should be stored cup side down to retain their fluid.

Store smoked fish separately from raw fish in the refrigerator and don’t forget that hot smoked fish is a ‘high care’ product and should be stored accordingly.(i.e. covered and at the top of the refrigerator)

Frozen fish should be defrosted overnight in a refrigerator or cooked from frozen.Instant Guides

The Instant Guides provide an at-a-glance guide to the key ‘food’ features of each species such as flavour, texture, cooking methods etc.  Not all species have Instant Guides available, but most of the key species do. 

Those species that are rich in Omega 3 oils will have the omega 3 logo attached

To view an Instant Guide, simply click on the link below and the Guide will open in your default image viewer.  If you do not have image viewing software then the final link will take you to the full array of Guides.  There are also guides to the availability of seafood species.  These are also presented as image files, see links 24 to 27 below.