For seafood enthusiasts, finding fresh fish and shellfish can be a challenge if you don’t know where to look for it. But if you know what to look for, finding safe seafood will be much simpler.

There are a few ways to determine whether the seafood you have purchased is fresh or not:

1. Check its skin and flesh: Freshly caught fish should have a shiny, bright, metallic sheen to the skin with no discoloration or dullness. If the skin appears dull or discolored, this could indicate that the fish has been sitting in the refrigerator too long or was overcooked when frozen.

2. Smell it: Smelling seafood before purchasing it is an essential way to tell if it has been properly stored and handled. It should not smell fishy or sour, but rather have a subtle hint of the ocean or river from which it was caught.

3. Examine its Gills: Fish have gills similar to land animals’ lungs; these allow them to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide from the water. When you look at freshly caught gills, they should be bright red, moist with a firm feel. If the gills appear brown or faded, this indicates an older fish which should be discarded.

4. Check the eyes of the fish: Make sure the eyes of your fish are clear and bulging, not swollen or sunken into its head. Swollen or sunken eyes indicate an older, spoiled fish.

5. Check its legs: Live clams, oysters and mussels should move when you tap them; if not, they are likely rotting and should be discarded.

6. Check its gills: When purchasing whole fish, inspect its gills for freshness. A freshly caught gillfish should have red, moist gills with no milky liquid surrounding them; if they appear milky or dark in color, these could indicate age and should be discarded.

7. Check the time/temperature indicators: Some refrigerated seafood comes with a time/temperature indicator to show when it was stored at the correct temperature. If this indicator is still visible, then the item is safe to buy and consume.

8. Check the shells: When purchasing fresh or frozen seafood, ensure the shells of most species are firm to touch and not soft or spongy. This indicates that the meat inside has not been dehydrated or over-cooked. If the shells appear healthy and firm to you, rest assured that these are good indications that nothing has been dehydrated or over-cooked.

9. Examine the Gills: When purchasing whole seafood, inspect its gills for color and texture. Freshly caught fish should have bright red gills that are moist but without milky liquid surrounding them; if any are present, discard it immediately.

10. Perform a “Tap Test”: When purchasing live clams, oysters, and mussels, you can perform the “tap test” to see if their shells close when you tap them. If not, these shells likely contain bacteria and should be discarded.