The experience of choosing fresh fish by observing the gills is no longer suitable. With current marinating techniques, some fish sellers have learned how to make fish gills bright red.
Chef Nguyen Thanh Tung – Golden Palace restaurant (Place Saigon hotel) shared: “Fresh river or sea fish, when pressing on the fish, you will feel the elasticity. The fish’s eyes are slightly bulging, the lens is still transparent. A small but very effective tip applied by many chefs and housewives to choose fresh fish is to observe the small hole located under the fish’s belly (the fish’s anus). If the fish is fresh, the fish’s anus will be very small. On the contrary, when the anus is large, the fish has decomposed, is no longer fresh and is at risk of being soaked in preservatives.”
The most common way to distinguish between wild fish and farmed fish is that farmed fish look bigger than wild fish. Wild snakehead fish are dark black, have slightly rough skin, and their heads are larger than their bodies. When cut open, their intestines are small and have no fat. Like snakehead fish, wild eels have large heads and long tails. The skin on their backs is often earthy yellow, and the skin on their bellies is shiny yellow or spotted yellow.
On the contrary, farmed eels have small heads and short tails. To avoid chemicals in fish, many people choose to buy freshwater fish with the belief that freshwater fish are “clean” because they do not eat “chemicals”. However, according to Thanh Tung, this notion is no longer true. Fish raised in reputable facilities are still safe because they must follow strict inspection procedures.
Meanwhile, freshwater and river fish in many places may still be contaminated with toxic chemicals from polluted water sources, wastewater, etc. In addition, to deceive buyers, some sellers also introduce small farmed fish as freshwater fish, which is also something to keep in mind when going to the market.
Shrimp is also a nutritious dish, easy to prepare and suitable for many ages. The best choice is still to buy live shrimp. However, in many markets, many people often sell dead shrimp with the explanation that they are suffocated shrimp or newly dead shrimp. These types of shrimp are cheaper than live shrimp. “Suffocated shrimp and fresh shrimp have their heads attached to their bodies. The shrimp body is firm, the head and shell are shiny green. Note, the fresher the shrimp, the harder it is to peel. Absolutely do not buy shrimp with black heads or heads that are not attached to the body because this is a sign that the shrimp is old, the shrimp roe has decomposed and changed color” – Chef Thanh Tung advised.
Similarly, fresh squid has white, shiny, and elastic meat. Marinated squid also feels fresh when held because the meat is firm, but when washed, the squid turns yellow and the body becomes soft and mushy. This type of squid has been dead for too long and has been marinated with many chemicals to deceive buyers. Absolutely do not eat this type of squid to avoid poisoning or accumulation of more toxic chemicals in the body.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Animal Health, the way to evaluate the freshness of meat according to Vietnamese standards TCVN 4834 – 89 is: pork has a light pink to red color, white to pink fat. Buffalo and beef meat has a light red to dark red color, cream to light yellow fat. The meat is firm and elastic when pressed with a finger. The broth is clear, has a characteristic aroma and flavor, and has a layer of fat. With his experience, Mr. Thanh Tung said: “Meat is not safe when there is mucus oozing out, is mushy and has no elasticity. Meat that smells and has spots that turn green is a sign that the meat has gone bad. Particularly, meat with super lean quality has short, smooth fibers, poor firmness due to fatty tissue turning into lean tissue, low fat meat, lean meat close to the skin, the cut surface on the fibers of the meat is not smooth”.
Green vegetables are very important and make meals more delicious. However, the general recommendation is to limit eating raw vegetables. Ultraviolet vegetable washers are not 100% safe. Washing vegetables under a strong running tap and soaking in salt water can only clean up some of the fertilizer and pesticide residues on the leaves. Bacteria such as dysentery and E.coli can withstand salt water with a concentration of up to 20%. Spices (onions, coriander, stewed vegetables, coriander…) also need to be washed under running water and soaked in salt water like washing green vegetables before seasoning dishes.
In the current situation, it is best to buy food at supermarkets and reputable, branded stores. If going to traditional markets, housewives should go early to choose fresh food. Choose to buy meat at reputable stalls in the market, pork with a green veterinary stamp on the skin. Absolutely do not buy cheap, floating goods to avoid diseased food sources or food marinated with many preservatives.
