more fish questions

[skylarking]

Hello!

Thanks for all your answers to my previous fish questions. I hope you don't mind a few more.

Fish is discounted by 50% in the evening at the supermarket near me. I was thinking of buying some to freeze. Have you ever done that? If so, how do you prepare the fish for freezing? Do you wash and salt before freezing? How long will the fish keep in the freezer? Aside from freezing, could you hold off on eating discounted fish until the next day? (Kept in the refrigerator overnight, of course).

Also, do you avoid any kinds of fish because of the over-fishing issue? I have heard that cod and swordfish should be avoided. What about the issue of mercury? Have you reduced your consumption of fish because of mercury? (Did you hear about the actor Jeremy Piven having to cancel his appearance in a Broadway show due to mercury poisoning....granted, he was said to have eaten sushi ever single day).

Just one more (I promise): Do you buy your fish at a fish shop or at the supermarket? Is the quality different?

Thank you!

[torakris]

A lot of questions but I will give you my opinions.

Supermarket-vs-fishmonger

For me this depends on the store and the fish. This is just something you will just need to learn by seeing what is available in your neighborhood and tasting them for yourself. I have a couple stores I prefer to buy fish at but even then if the fish doesn't look good I will pass it up. If you are looking to save money and/or shop for the freshest fish know what is in season and buy that.

Overfished and mercury

I don't really worry about either of these as I believe in moderation. We eat fish one to two times a week and even then it is not the same fish over and over.

Freezing fish

A lot of the fish in the stores has already been defrosted, so refreezing will result in a loss of quality. I prefer my fish seasoned only slightly so I prefer to avoid refreezing. If the fish is going to be part of a stew or soup or something more highly seasoned I don't worry as much but still rarely do it. I prefer to buy the fish already frozen if I don't plan on using it immediately, unfortunately most supermarkets don't have a wide selection of frozen fish and the ones they do don't look very good. I normally only buy frozen fish from my co-op (Kanagawa Seikyo home delivery), they have some really great pieces.

You can keep it in your refrigerator until the next day just keep it in the coldest part.

[Hiroyuki]

Here is a previous thread on the issue of mercury in fish. In short, mercury in fish is not an alarming level provided that you have them in moderate quantities.

[Katie Meadow]

If you are interested in a comprehensive and informative site about eating fish (among other things), check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium site. You can get details about mercury levels, endangered and overfished species and sustainably farmed fish. It's a fantastic resource. Then you can make your own decisions about what to buy.

Some fish are simply a perfect storm. The four fish highest in mercury are also severely overfished: tilefish, swordfish, bluefin tuna and shark.

The speed with which some species are becoming endangered is really shocking. Thirteen or fourteen years ago here in CA we were buying locally caught Atlantic King salmon steaks for as low as $6 or $7 per lb. Three years ago the catch was small and the price was often $20 or more per pound. Last year salmon season was canceled entirely in CA. This year will probably be the same. There ain't no more left. The awful truth is that if people continue to pay high prices for overfished species they will be fished until they are gone.

[smallworld]

Also, do you avoid any kinds of fish because of the over-fishing issue? I have heard that cod and swordfish should be avoided. What about the issue of mercury? Have you reduced your consumption of fish because of mercury? (Did you hear about the actor Jeremy Piven having to cancel his appearance in a Broadway show due to mercury poisoning....granted, he was said to have eaten sushi ever single day).

←

An issue near and dear to my heart, and I asked a similar question here.

The issues of overfishing and high mercury levels in fish (and cetaceans) are shockingly under-reported in Japan, and I think you'd have to search long and hard to find a Japanese person who has starting reducing their consumption of questionable species (except for the indirect reason of cost, as tuna prices are higher; and for pregnant women, who do seem to be made aware of the dangers).

As Hiroyuki says, moderate consumption of fish shouldn't pose a huge risk for mercury poisoning, but I'm quite sure that there are plenty of people who eat more than a moderate amount of tuna. A visit to a Japanese supermarket's fish section shows that tuna is by far the most popular fish, with an amazing amount of space devoted to selling it. At all of my local supermarkets the tuna section takes up about a fifth or a quarter of all fish sold, which is incredible considering the dozens of species sold alongside. I've seen people at kaitenzushi restaurants order plate after plate of tuna, all but ignoring the other fish.

I've been eating less tuna for a few years due to concerns about overfishing, but now that I'm aware of the mercury levels I almost completely avoid it. Yes, I know that I'd have to eat a lot of tuna to harm myself, and I know the levels reported in last year's NYT article might have been wrong or not applicable to the tuna available in Japan. But there are so many other fish out there, fish that are cheaper, healthier, and (in my opinion) tastier, that avoiding tuna is a big deal. And a few times a year, when I can afford really good tuna, I indulge.

I also shun swordfish (due to overfishing) and eat hijiki only occasionally (I love it and used to eat it often, but I have concerns about the arsenic level). I do eat cod because most of it sold here is Alaskan or other Pacific cod, which does not seem to be in danger of overfishing.