We went with some friends to Ensenada today. Thought we were going to La Bufadora but too much fun in Ensenada. Breakfast at El Cid, lobster, shrimp
and scallop omelets. Very good.
Then checked out a couple window distributors and drove around looking for accidents to get in. Fortunately, we managed to dodge them all and made
it back to the fish market.
After deciding that half the smell was coming from Anthonies, across the street, we ventured in to the mercado to look for something a little
fresher.
Looked like about 25% of the shrimp was from yesterday but after sorting, we should have a pretty good dinner of camarones y lenguado. That was
fresh!
We did see some BIG tuna but very beat up. Does anyone know if these are products of farm raising? Looked like they had been thrashed against
something.
Hey you little shrimp....!
yankeeirishman - 7-18-2005 at 04:49 PM
Looked like about 25% of the shrimp was from yesterday but after sorting.......jr...how does one pick out the fresh shrimp from the lot? seriously!
Pink vs Grey
jrbaja - 7-18-2005 at 05:20 PM
is a good place to start. Firmness in the meat. And seeing them stacked in multi color arrangement. Go for the pink ones.Frank - 7-18-2005 at 05:26 PM
Not products of the Bluefin tuna pens. Those Bluefin are treated like the cash cows they are. They selectively harvest the tuna as they get calls from
Japan for AAA grade, at the highest price of course. Ive seen feeding time, snow shovels full of sardines are fed to the cows. The Tuna are just
offshore {Ensenada} right now so I would imagine that the marks were from poor handling. They let them flop around on deck. We spike and bleed
immediately to prevent brusied meat.
Thanks Frank
jrbaja - 7-18-2005 at 05:30 PM
That would explain it. And for the fishermen, they were large!Mike Supino - 7-18-2005 at 05:36 PM
Y.I.M.
I find that one of the best ways to purchase fish is to smell them carefully.
You should only smell the sea. As fish "ripen" they begin to smell more like ammonia.
J.R.
The "beat up" tuna were probably dropped into a freezer at sea and frozen on the boat. Then they were delivered to the fish market where they were
allowed to defrost.
As an aside, some of the better San Diego long range fishing boats now use a system where the fish is treated gently without flopping on the bare deck
and slipped into VERY COLD brine. The results for freshness is fantastic!Dave - 7-18-2005 at 05:40 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by jrbaja
We did see some BIG tuna but very beat up. Does anyone know if these are products of farm raising? Looked like they had been thrashed against
something.
What species?
shrimp are very easy to test...
eetdrt88 - 7-18-2005 at 05:51 PM
hold close to nose...if there is a pungent aroma theyre most likely rotten....after you smell enough fresh seafood(which basically has no odor) you
know exactly what the" not so fresh" smell is
Whiffing
bajajudy - 7-18-2005 at 06:01 PM
I get some pretty funny looks when I ask to smell the shrimp but that is how I judge the freshness too.
The new Mega had mediums for 99p/kilo. After holding my hair back and sniffing the pile, I purchased some and they were pretty good. There was a
lady standing beside me and she said shrimp always smell....I said "not the ones I buy"Sharksbaja - 7-18-2005 at 06:29 PM
AS I get my fresh seafood locally through a wholesale distributer I am shocked at the poor care and representation that exists in many U.S. markets.
Of coure not all are created equal but I really have trouble with most. Dealing with fresh seafood daily one comes to spot "off" seafood. And although
we move a lot of product it is easy for me to tell the state or condition of such. Many folks ask me how can they tell if the seafood in the display
is fresh when they go shopping. There are many indicators that you can see. One immediate clue: if the calimari is puple or the clams are wide open,
my advise is to shop elsewhere. I use these items as weathervanes for ALL their seafood because the shelf-life and care of these is very important and
critical.
Fishermen here in the NW are very careful, particularuly with salmon whose tissue damages easy. Super cold brine IS the method of choice for many I
know.
In Mexico I REALLY look close, especially in the warmer months.
So if the shrimps are
jrbaja - 7-18-2005 at 09:32 PM
wide open or purple, I shouldn't buy them. And if they smell fishy, even though they are pink and fresh, I shouldn't buy them, despite the fact they
have been mixed in with yesterdays catch which does smell pretty fishy, I shouldn't buy them
Sharks, I know what you are saying.. EE, I hope you are very young!Sharksbaja - 7-18-2005 at 10:10 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by jrbaja
wide open or purple, I shouldn't buy them.
Sharks, I know what you are saying..
exactly..and
I don't buy pink shrimp.....ever.rpleger - 7-19-2005 at 12:43 PM
? What is it, buy pink or not?
I'm confused on that one too.
jrbaja - 7-19-2005 at 12:48 PM
It was actually the shells that were pink. And, on kabobs last night, they were delicious.
