How do you know the fish is fresh and what about storage?

The complete fish guide for Rosh Hashanah

Why is it important to pay attention when choosing fresh fish, how are fish suitable for dishes and what is the difference between sea fish and pond fish?

Rami Levy's fish expert with tips that will fix your holiday meal

In collaboration with Rami Levy

09/20/2022

Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 1:49 p.m

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

Fresh fish (Photo: ShutterStock)

In almost every holiday meal you will find at least one dish of fish - in the form of meatballs, stew, as a first or main course.

They are healthy and nutritious, very simple to prepare and extremely tasty, and these are just some of the reasons for the great demand for fish for the holidays.

But how do you even know how to choose a fish correctly, what should you pay attention to, what should you ask the seller and how do you know how to match the type of fish to the dish?

Yaakov Gershman, manager of the fresh department in Rami Levy, with the complete guide to choosing fresh fish before Rosh Hashanah.

"The fish arrive at our branches two days after they were caught" (Photo: ShutterStock)

"The fish arrive at our branches two days after they were caught," Yaacov explains.

"They arrive when they are very fresh, clean of bones, skin and internal parts and ready to buy. In fact, they arrive at the branches already pre-packaged, after being cleaned in our factory, when you can buy fillets or whole fish. This has quite a few advantages; firstly, those who understand fish You don't have to talk to the seller at all - you come to the branch, choose the fish you want and the cut you prefer and pay at the cash register."

"The sellers in our fish department are real professionals, these are people who live and breathe fish and they will be happy to be at your service and explain to you exactly which fish is suitable for each dish."

"There is no fish that is not suitable for meatballs, from carp to leek" (Photo: ShutterStock)

How do you know if the fish is fresh?

"I remember that in the past they said to check the eyes, but today it is no longer relevant. Unlike in past years, today the cleaning of the fish is done automatically, with a powerful stream of water that can sometimes affect the appearance of the eyes, even though the fish are fresh, so for me it is not a measure. I I recommend asking the seller to press the fish from both directions - if there is no dent left and the flesh of the fish returns to its original shape immediately after pressing, it means that the fish is very fresh. In addition, it is recommended to smell the fish - spoiled fish has a strong smell that is hard to miss, this is in contrast to fresh fish, which has almost no smell."

"I recommend also checking the color of the fish - see that it looks good, shiny, and not pale, yellow or grayish. It is also important to pay attention to the way in which the fish are kept in the display case - they should be covered with ice from all directions."

"In the past, it was customary to think that certain fish are suitable for very specific dishes, but this is no longer the case; if we take fish patties for example - there is no fish that is not suitable for patties, from carp to barque. I personally prefer to use fresh Nile princess fish or Israeli-raised barramundi when I make patties, But you can definitely use other fish as well."

"You don't have to use the fresh fish you bought that day and there is no problem keeping it in the refrigerator" (Photo: ShutterStock)

What is the difference between sea fish and pond fish?

"All fish today are raised in some kind of ponds - sea fish are also raised in cages and don't really swim freely. Still, there are big differences between sea fish and pond fish. Compared to fish raised in a pond, sea fish are more delicate; their bones are thin and the scales are smaller. The bones of fish Pool is much stronger and the meat is different."

"You don't have to use the fresh fish you bought that day and there is no problem keeping it in the refrigerator and using it the next day. In fact, the fish that arrives at Rami Levy is valid for six days."

• Rami Levi

Tags

• Rami Levi

• fish