How To Know If Fish Have Become Ill

Fish is one of our most important foods thanks to its high nutritional value and for being easy to digest. These days, there are many ways to preserve and transport it, with the goal of keeping it fresher for longer. Sometimes, however, these methods do not work. For that reason , you need to know how to know if fish have become ill.

Most people want comfort when they buy it, and they want it filleted and beheaded. It is easier to eat this fish without knowing if it is fresh or not, because you usually buy it already frozen.

Has the fish become bad?

• Odor: Your fish has become bad if it has a rancid odor – it can sometimes smell like ammonia.
• Skin: It will have very soft skin that easily detaches from the shells and flesh.
• Eyes: It has sunken eyes, creamy corneas and gray pupils, as if it has cataracts.
• Gills: The gills are behind the head and are yellow or gray.
• Intestine: This is the first area that is affected by aging, you will see that the fish is swollen or limp and sunken.

In good condition?

Smell: Fresh fish smells like seaweed, the sea and has retained all the nutrients.

Leather: If fresh, it will have a vibrant color with hard and shiny shells.

Eyes: It will have protruding eyes, with black pupils glistening.

Gills: The gills will be pink or red, depending on the species, clean, bright and without mucus.

Intestine: The meat is firm and not smooth.

Tips to prevent unwanted surprises

In order to avoid throwing it away, we recommend that you prepare it within a few days after you have bought it from the store. If this is not possible, you can freeze it. This guarantees that it will stay fresh longer. By freezing it, it retains its properties and prevents the risk of food poisoning.

One important thing to note is that eating fish that has been in the freezer if you have not been home for a few weeks can be quite risky. This is because you do not know if there was a power outage, which would mean that it has not been properly frozen.

In general, frozen products should not be left out of the freezer for longer than 2 days after being frozen. It is never recommended to freeze them again. If you spot thawed fish due to a power outage, it is the safest option to discard it.

Cooling and freezing prevent the spread of more bacteria, but it does not kill them. This allows the decomposition process to accelerate.

How to know if fish have become bad: The moisture content

When cooking fish, you should see if there is a lot of frozen liquid around it or if it is dry. If there is liquid present in the bag or container, it means that there may have been some kind of power outage that caused it to thaw.

If everything seems to be OK, you still need to be careful. Thaw it, look at it and smell it. If it has a normal smell and appearance, it is safe to eat it. If not, it’s probably not a good idea. It should not be eaten the same day if it was caught in salt water. Dry it well and put it in the fridge first. Finally, you will know if it is fresh or not when you take the first bite.

If it does not taste sour or sour, it is OK. Your taste buds know if something is not right. If all is well, you can go ahead and eat it!