Find a good Fishmonger

Some tips on how to find a good fish monger.

1 - The shop should be busy, ask the locals, go for older people who usually have a better knowledge!
2 - If you are buying fish for Sushi, ask for Sushi grade fish (most commonly Salmon and Tuna) and tell your fish monger that you only want the freshest!!!
3 - Get them to fillet the fish in front of you from the whole fish if possible.
4 - The fish should have arrived on the day and the fishmonger should be able to tell you it's origin.
5 - Ideally, get him to cut you a piece of salmon for example, from a fresh side that will be stored in the fridge, not pre cut on the counter. 5 - You should try to build a good relationship with your fishmonger and buy locally. try to call to place your order 2 days before. Avoid supermarkets.

What about Frozen fish?

Sushi restaurants use both fresh and frozen fish. With today’s freezing technology, fish can be frozen quickly to retain freshness, flavor and color. As long as it is not kept frozen a long time and goes to the market quickly the fish will have a good fresh flavor.

However, stay away from packaged frozen fish, unless it is sold specifically as sushi grade.

There are a lot of sushi grade fish suppliers on the Internet that provide fresh fish and frozen fish. Most of the time it will have been frozen and defrosted before sale. This fish is okay when it has just been defrosted, use it the same day.

Why do we freeze fish?

All fish, including seawater fish, may contain parasites.
Although the risk is small, people at greater risk, including older people, small children and pregnant women, should be careful when eating raw fish.

To kill the parasites, freeze the fish at -4 degrees F (-20 degrees C) for at least 24 hours. (This may be lower than your home freezer can get, so you will probably need to buy the fish prefrozen; ask your fishmonger.)

The fish can then be thawed and used as sushi - and, in fact, your local sushi bar should be using fish frozen this way, as well.