Don't come the raw prawn with your seafood lunch. Here's how to choose the best seafood.

The seafood lunch is an essential part of summer. But with the price of seafood being what it is, you want to make sure you're getting the best. Read on for how to avoid elderly fish and not quite fab crab.


Choosing whole fish
* Eyes should be clear, bright and bulging, not sunken or dull.
* Tails should be moist and pliable.
* Gills should be bright - from bright to dark red depending on the species.
* Skin and flesh should be firm and lustrous.

Choosing fish fillets and cutlets
* Flesh should be moist and a little glossy, with no discolouring.
* Avoid fillets that are dried out at the edges.
* Fillets and cutlets shouldn't be more than 5cm thick, so they don't overcook on the outside before cooking through.



Choosing prawns
* Should have a pleasant sea smell. Shells should have a sheen and be quite firm to touch.
* Avoid prawns that smell of ammonia, or have dark discolouration around the head and legs, as these are early signs of deterioration.



Choosing crabs, lobsters, bugs
* If you're buying cooked crustaceans, their bodies should be heavy in relation to their size and free of water or liquid.
* Check claws, etc, are all intact, and that there's no blackness at the joints.
* Live crustaceans should be active and still have all their nippers. Mud crabs should be tied up until they're cooked. They should feel heavy - if they feel light, it may mean they're still growing and the flesh will be watery.

PS: To knock out crustaceans before you cook them, pop them in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. If they're still waving their claws at you, leave them in there for longer.

Choosing mussels and oysters
* Shells should be tightly closed, or close quickly after a tap on the bench, be intact and look glossy.
* Avoid any with broken shells.
* With shucked oysters, flesh should be firm and plump.



Choosing scallops
* With fresh scallops, look for ones that are plump and moist with creamy, translucent flesh. Any roe should be plump and a bright colour.
* Avoid scallops sitting in a tray of water. They absorb the water, which dilutes their flavour, and it comes out during cooking – so the scallops stew and become tough!

Choosing octopus and squid
* Flesh should be firm and spring back when touched. Squid which has been frozen is more tender.
* Head, tentacles and body should be intact and not loose.

Storing seafood in the fridge
The general rule is store your seafood in a covered container or freezer bag on a plate in the coldest part of your fridge, and use within two or three days.
* Clean and gut whole fish (if required), then rinse under cold water and pat dry. Store as above.
* Store cooked crustaceans (lobsters, crabs) by wrapping them in foil, then as above.
* Cooked prawns and shellfish, store as above.
* Uncooked prawns and oysters, use within one to two days.
* To keep mussels, pipis and freshwater crayfish alive, store in a bucket of water in a cool spot, covered loosely with a damp cloth. In hot weather, they can be refrigerated for up to three days.


Want to know more about seafood? Try The Essential Seafood Cookbook ($42.50, Murdoch Books).