If you live near a port or even near the sea you will know how delicious a fish can taste if its been caught just this morning! I have been to the littlest of villages along the coast and found every fish n chips shop I eat at has the freshest of fish caught that morning. Its not the same as what I can get at my local fish n chips shop. The meat is so full of flavor and moisture it practically melts on your tongue like butter. The flakes of fish light and succulent on your tongue! Mmm Mmm.

I have learned that even living in a big city a little far from the coast can get some darn decent fish if you know how to spot it. I love finding a good fresh fish to have for dinner that night. It is a bit of a splurge for a meal cooked at home but I doubt you could find such a wonderful meal cheep at a restaurant! And sometimes we all deserve a splurge ;)

If you are not craving fish just yet I think I will tell you what I do with a good trout before sharing the simple trick of spotting the freshest fish :P. - I'm wicked ain't I?

So what I do is very simple and takes little labor as the chef.

First I steam some cubed potatoes, not much unless you have a big appetite, its up to you. I just get them soft enough that they are able to be eaten as is.

I take some foil and put butter inside with some basil and lemon (or lemon juice). I place the fish in the foil and put the soft cubed potatoes in with the fish and wrap it all up tight.

I place it in the oven (we have a small desktop one which seems perfect for two) on a medium heat, wait up to 20 mins or less if I think I can smell it. The time may vary depending on the exact heat so feel free to check more often.

If I open it up a bit and the meat and potatoes look cooked I have a quick jab with my fork to see how easy the meat slides off. The meat usually will be a beautiful pink color and it should just slide into its juices! This really is best with fresh meat but is otherwise so simple to prepare and a wonderful meal.

It is actually very simple. First you need to find a fish monger or fish counter (supermarkets will sometimes have fish counters). Supermarkets will some times spray the fish to keep them looking shiny, creating the illusion of freshness in a fish several days old. The eyes do get sprayed as well but its easy to see an underlying dullness to the eyes when the fish is older that water can't hide. 

When you look into the fishes eyes there should be a dark black luster to the eye that shines. If the color of the eye is starting to look milky or dull the fish is not fresh and is not going to have the flavor a fresh one might have. Sometimes one stock of fish will be older then another so have a good look at any of the fish that take your fancy, the trout may be younger then the cod or vise versa. At a fish counter or fish market you should ask any questions you may have as they should be able to answer you, I have even gotten recipe tips for things that go really well with that type of fish. They will gut the fish for you and remove the head if you wish so that you can avoid that dirty job! If you live near the sea they can often just tell you when it was caught that day! :P