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Something Fishy is Going on Here

You’ve decided seafood of some sort is the protein of choice for your Friday night get together. You walk into your local grocery store and head back to the fresh seafood department. As you get closer you see they have some good sales going on and then “WHAM!” your nostrils are hit with the fishy olfactory equivalent of a two by four. Yep you’re definitely in the seafood department! You love ordering seafood when eating out and you’ve heard all the health reports about the wonderful benefits bestowed upon regular consumption of seafood, but why oh why does the raw stuff have to smell so fishy?

It doesn’t have to smell fishy and in fact should not; if your local supermarket’s fish department has a fishy odor permeating the vicinity something is wrong! Fresh seafood should not have an odor; it should smell fresh and clean like a day at an ocean side beach. A malodorous smell emanating from the fish case means either the fish is old and or been stored improperly.

Now I am not a person that discriminates based on someone’s age, but I inwardly cringe every time I see a teenager manning the grocery store fish counter. At ten minutes till nine on a Friday night, which really takes precedence in their hormone ravaged brains? A. Making sure all the fish is properly iced, wrapped, stored and questionable product disposed of. Or B. Making sure they will make it on time to pick up their date? Having been a chef for several years with numerous teenage employees, I can confidently tell you that approximately seventy to eighty percent of the time the answer will be B. Unfortunately; it’s much easier to put fresh nice looking scallops on top of the old to have the case quickly filled. The bigger problem comes when Joey, Suzie and Bobby have done the same on the three previous shifts and voila you now have the odor of decaying seafood wafting through the air. Even sadder is the fact that many stores have come to accept the smell as normal and not acknowledging there is a problem of any kind.

So where do you go to find truly fresh seafood? My favorite place is Absolutely Fresh Seafood, they have two locations one at 18th and Leavenworth and another at 119th and Pacific. When you walk into either location your nose is never assaulted with any fishy odors. The people behind the counter are true fishmongers artful in their craft and very willing to help you navigate the waters of great seafood cuisine. I recently spoke with owner Greg Lindberg and he told me of how much the fish business has changed. He started in 1979 driving a refrigerated truck to New Orleans to bring back fresh shrimp and oysters and selling them from the truck at 70th and Dodge. Nowadays they supply more than 300 restaurants locally as well as many others in the Lincoln and Des Moines areas. I asked Greg how fresh the fish is and he told me a normal scenario might go something like this; the fishing boat comes to dock in Boston harbor and the fish are picked up and put on a plane, they arrive here in Omaha later in the day and you’re able to pick them up the next day.

So what else should you look for in fresh fish besides a lack of odor? Fish cut into steaks or fillets should appear fresh and moist. Whole fish should have scales that are bright and shiny and the eyes should be clear and bright. Basically, your eyes and nose are the best instruments you have available for the job.

Recently a friend told me that he has been getting great fish from one of the local grocery stores, he tells me the seafood manager is an honest to goodness real fishmonger that will special order what he wants. I also have another friend whose sister takes great care and pride in running the seafood department in another grocery chain. I know Absolutely Fresh isn’t the only place for seafood it is just the very best in my opinion. Also be sure to check out the Absolutely Fresh seafood restaurant Shucks at the west location and the brand new stand alone Shucks Fish House and Oyster bar at 168th and Center. I haven’t made it to either of the seafood restaurants but I have been to their sister restaurant Bailey’s. Chef John Dye heads up all three restaurants and if the incredible breakfasts I’ve had at Baileys are any indication (they actually make real Hollandaise) I can’t wait to try out one of the Shucks restaurants!

In summary the most important test of fish market are your eyes and nose. Just remember if you can detect the seafood case blindfolded from twenty paces it’s a good bet that something fishy is going on there.

Be sure to check out the Chef Charles website for pictures from Absolutely Fresh and my new recipe for Thai mussels. Our own Chuck Ketchum will be sharing his favorite recipe for blackened salmon and Chef John Dye will have a recipe to share as well. Also be sure to send me an email or stop into the Rising View leasing office for a chance to win a $50.00 gift card to Absolutely Fresh so you can try out my recipe at home. Lastly I want to encourage everyone to send in any of your own favorite recipes to be included in an upcoming Rising View cookbook.