Food & Wellness / Flavours / This seafood expert tells you how to choose fresh fish in 5 quick, easy steps

This seafood expert tells you how to choose fresh fish in 5 quick, easy steps

Skilled cutter Yeo Pheng Han, or Mr Yeo to his colleagues and loyal customers, shares tips on selecting fresh fish, and cooking right.

1 Apr 2024

2 mins read

By Pearlyn Tham

With more than 30 years of experience at FairPrice, Mr Yeo, senior supervisor and Fresh (Seafood) Expert at FairPrice Xtra in VivoCity, has lots of tips to share. For instance, fresh fish is best cooked on the day it is bought. Otherwise, wash it and store on a sealed plate for up to three days in your fridge’s chiller compartment at below 5°C. Some FairPrice stores offer complimentary packs of ice for your shopping bags, until you reach home and store the fish in the fridge.

While salmon is popular with health-conscious customers, threadfin, red garoupa and greasy garoupa are ideal for young children and seniors as they have fewer bones. If you like fish curries and stews, use red or white snapper as the flesh does not flake off easily in the pot.

If you love fried fish, pick Spanish mackerel (batang) in a steak cut as it holds its shape well in hot oil and browns nicely.

Want to buy fresh fish like an expert? Try these tips!

1. Gently press the body. It should feel taut, not soft.

More savings, less effort when you buy fish at FairPrice

Purchasing a whole fish helps you to save money because you can use the different parts for various dishes. For instance, an entire salmon fish provides better value since it can be cooked in different ways, says Mr Yeo. The head, bones and collar can be grilled with sea salt and lemon juice or used as a soup base. The body can be filleted and seared. Even the skin can be deep-fried as a snack.
Take advantage of the free cutting service at designated seafood counters, where staff will scale, clean, butterfly or remove the head and tail of the fish for you. Request for steak cuts, which retain the middle bone, for frying or steaming. Boneless fillet cuts are perfect for steamboat and soups, and for children and seniors.
FairPrice Xtra stores offer a value-added service: free garnishes or seasoning packs when you purchase selected fresh fish.

Catch Mr Yeo’s best tips to pick, prep and cook fish!

Main photo: Getty Images; photo of Mr Yeo: Aik Chen; carousel photos #1, 2, 5: Aik Chen; carousel photo #3: Getty Images, carousel photo #4: Shutterstock