HOW TO BUY, STORE, AND PREPARE FISH FOR COOKING T here’s a reason that fish is far more prone to spoilage than the flesh of land animals Spoilage occurs via two means: the breakdown of cells through the action of enzymes naturally present in meat# and the proliferation of bacteria Both of these things occur at faster rates as the temperature increases Now, land-based, warm-blooded animals like cows, chickens, and pigs are used to living in warm environments and they have metabolisms to match Take their meat and refrigerate it, and enzymatic and bacterial action slows down to a crawl Fish, on the other hand, are designed to operate in the low temperatures of ocean waters Some species of Arctic or deepwater fish spend most of their lives in water that is just barely above freezing Compared to that, the 40°F of an average refrigerator is positively balmy So fish-related enzymatic action will occur just fine in your fridge or the fish market’s display case That’s why it’s so hard to find great fish on a regular basis, and why you should cook fish as soon as possible after buying it Buying Here are some tips for buying fish: • Look at the fish market itself Is everything clean and orderly? Is the fish displayed with care and kept on top of and under ice at all times? If your fishmonger looks careless with his ... via two means: the breakdown of cells through the action of enzymes naturally present in meat# and the proliferation of bacteria Both of these things occur at faster rates as the temperature... environments and they have metabolisms to match Take their meat and refrigerate it, and enzymatic and bacterial action slows down to a crawl Fish, on the other hand, are designed to operate in the low... waters Some species of Arctic or deepwater fish spend most of their lives in water that is just barely above freezing Compared to that, the 40°F of an average refrigerator is positively balmy So