Droolinggimps Big Guide to Fish

I vote for sticky too....:D;):p

Edit: Going to add more information to OP today. Things such as how not to ripped of by buying a fish that is something else, links to various sites with good information about the fish industry and if my paint skills are up to it.......... how to prepare whole fish yourself...
 
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thanks Jonny69. That coming from you after all the threads you have done is something I will cherish...Cheers...

Just started to update the OP with Preparing yourself sections. I tried to use paint to draw diagrams but I was rubbish so I am writing out in depth guides on how to do stuff with your fish... :-)
 
Droolinggimp said:
Forgot to mention this. I All the above that I posted I know about from my years at Morrisons and through the training programs they do. I have cut and pasted most of the op content about the fishes and the Glossary from various websites including the Morrisons one. It would have took me ages to type all that information up by memory and researching my self:eek: The training we get at Morrisons is probably the best training you can get at a supermarket whether is be training for the Deli or Butchery. Its very in depth and highly recommended by the government believe it or not. Our Company trainer (not Fish trainer) head honcho bloke used to work for the Government in some way and all our policies in training or health and safety are passed through certain government officials before we pass them to the Unions and the other types of department before officially being allowed to be used etc. As one newspaper article mentioned a few years back (cant find it sorry:p) Morrisons training is the best you can get. I can see some people saying otherwise, especially those who used to work with the company but I am guessing they didn't have much interest in the company to actually notice the good training we get.,
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That makes sense. I work for Sainsbury's, and while there has been a massive investment in training on the counters over the past few years, there's no way the average fishmonger in-store knows anything near this amount. Many will, but this comes from asking the right people the right questions, and reading up on things in your own time, but the majority still aren't interested.

Product quality here is very similar to Morrisons to be honest. Everything is fresh, only stock that is green-rated by the Marine Conservation Society finds it's way on to the counter, (I'm told) we stock the UK's largest selection of MSC-certified fish and the trend has been moving towards more sustainable methods of catching the fish (for example, all cod and haddock is line caught). Truth be told, I think both Sainsbury's and Morrison's are very good places to buy fish. Many will say bad things about "the supermarkets" when it comes to fish, but both of these retailers are doing a lot more to be ethical than the average independent fishmonger. Tesco and Asda are a different matter of course, and last I checked Waitrose weren't all that either.
 
Actually, another piece of advice for people; stay away from Vietnamese River Cobbler/Basa. Google it. Do you really want to put that **** down your throat? Much like prawn farming in the same region, they live in stagnant pools full of their own excrement and are fed copious amount of anti-biotics to keep them alive, and growth hormones to get them to size as fast as possible. Many of the drugs used are actually banned in the EU.

It used to really annoy me when customers would come in asking for it then take the stuff and pull the "I'm going to Tesco" thing when they're told we don't stock it. Proof if it was ever needed that price is possibly the biggest motivator when it comes to shopping for food; who cares if it's a badly looked after, drug-filled, diseased slab of white fish as long as it's cheap.
 
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I know what your saying when it comes to Cobbler/Basa. We don't sell it fresh, however we do sell it prepacked. It's the Youngs brand and according to what we have been told via Head office its all from good fisheries/farms. I cannot say for sure how good etc but I am sure a company like Sainsburys and Morrisons will have very high standards of moderation when it comes to suppliers and there sources. I do know some head office people went out to some place in Greece a few years back to look at a fish farm before going ahead with making them a supplier. I am sure like every other company in the world there is room for improvement.
 
Droolinggimp said:
Just for all your information I am the Manager in the Derby store and was offered the chance last October to become a Regional Fish specialist (Trainer) I was declined once they knew I didn't drive. Discrimination much. I am following it up as I know of Trainers within the company who don't drive and they get staff to travel to their store instead.
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I visit that store quite often but usually go to Eastwood :)
 
Finally managed to have a good read over this post. Fantastic information, lots of things in there I realise I've wanted to know but never bothered to find out about. Cheers!
 
Good read, thanks for posting. Like most I really want to eat more fish but find it hard to stray from what I know. The girlfriend and I love mackerel and haddock, but she gets very paranoid about small/hidden bones. I'm happy to pick through bits of fish on my plate, but she isn't. With that in mind - is it usual for a customer to go up to a fish counter and pick a whole fish and ask for it to be prep'd and filleted? I think I'm one of the many that think the guy on the counter might feel put out by doing all that work :p

Another problem is the cost really. Mackerel is nice and cheap but as far as any more meaty fish goes, it seems to get expensive quite quickly :confused:
 
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