Veteran Fishmonger: The $6 Frozen Fish Nobody Buys That Beats Everything in the Case

A customer sets their groceries down on my counter, points at the beautiful fillets on the ice, and asks the same honest question, is that really worth the money over the frozen stuff. Most of the time, that pretty fillet and the plain bag in the freezer are the exact same fish. Same species, same boat, same plant. One just got dressed up better and charged you more for the outfit. That fresh case is beating you on price and freshness at once, and it's doing it with one word on a sign. For forty years I've sold fish in this city, the last twenty running my own counter on the water in Seattle. Here is what that case is hiding from you: previously frozen fish sold as fresh, a clock that starts ticking the moment it thaws, warm case lighting built to sell with your eyes instead of your head, a markup that pays for handling not quality, six dollars a pound for the honest bag versus fifteen for the thawed one, and a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty dollars a year you're handing the store for nothing. Also in this one: the four things to check on any frozen bag in ten seconds, why sockeye is almost always frozen anyway, the safe way to thaw fish without making anyone sick, and the one mistake that makes frozen fillets steam gray instead of searing golden, and the one time I'd actually tell you to buy from the fresh case instead. New video every day. Subscribe to Gus Lindqvist Fish. #fishmonger #seafood #frozenfish #grocerystore #costco #savemoney #fishmarket