A Guide to Buying Fish from South Coast Markets

Why the South Coast Rewards an Early Start

The stretch of coast from Kent round to Cornwall is one of the most varied fishing grounds in Britain. Within a few hours' drive you can pass from the shallow, sandy Channel beds off Brighton to the deep-water wrecks off Plymouth, and the catch changes with the ground beneath the boat. That variety is exactly why the region's markets are worth the alarm clock. A fishmonger with a shopfront has to buy in enough stock for a week; a market stall supplied by a day boat is often selling something that was swimming at dawn.

The trade-off is that markets run on fishing time, not shopping time. Boats land when the tide and the weather allow, so the good stuff can be gone by mid-morning. Turn up at 6.30am and you will see the real business being done — boxes being hosed down, ice being shovelled, buyers from local restaurants making quick decisions.

Know Your Three Markets

Each port has its own rhythm, and knowing it saves you a wasted journey.

• Brighton. The fishing quarter sits in the arches along the seafront, east of the pier. It is small, working and unglamorous, which is a good sign. Expect a mix of day-boat landings and inshore boats: mackerel, plaice, Dover sole, gurnard, cuttlefish, the occasional turbot. Selling to the public tends to be informal and weather-dependent.
• Portsmouth. The Camber has been a working quay for centuries and still handles a genuine commercial catch. Much of the early trade is wholesale, so check locally for the hours when the public can buy. The reward is a wide spread: bass, black bream, ray, squid, and plenty of shellfish from the Solent.
• Plymouth. Sutton Harbour is the big one — a proper regional market with ice, grading and a fleet that works everything from the Sound to the Channel. It is trade-focused and early, but it sets the standard for freshness. Nearby, the Barbican end of the harbour has a more relaxed, visitor-friendly feel later in the day.

At all three, be prepared to pay in cash, bring your own bag, and don't block the forklifts.

Ask About Day Boats — The One Question That Matters

If you learn only one thing, make it this: ask which boat the fish came off, and when.

A day boat goes out and comes back within the day. The fish is usually handled individually, bled, gutted and iced quickly, and it lands in small quantities. It will be a day or two old at most. By contrast, a larger trawler may be at sea for a week or more, and while the fish is still perfectly good, it has spent a lot of time in a box.

Useful questions, asked politely and briefly:

• "Was this landed today?" — most sellers will tell you straight.
• "Is it day-boat or trawler?" — a fair question, not a rude one.
• "How was it caught?" — line-caught bass and hand-lined mackerel are handled better than netted fish.
• "What else came in this morning?" — this is how you find the bargain nobody else has noticed.

If the answer is vague, move on. Good sellers are proud of their supply chain and will happily name the skipper.

Reading a Fish in Ten Seconds

You do not need to be an expert, but you do need to look properly.

• Eyes. Clear, domed and bright. Sunken or cloudy means it is old.
• Gills. Lift the flap. They should be a clean, wet red or pink — never brown or grey.
• Skin and scales. Slippery, glossy and tight. Scales should not be flaking off in your hand.
• Flesh. Press the flank with a finger. It should spring back immediately and leave no dent.
• Smell. It should smell of the sea — clean, cold and slightly mineral. Ammonia or a sour tang is a hard no.
• Rigour. A stiff, firm body is a good sign. A limp fish that flops over your hand has been sitting too long.

Buy whole fish wherever you can and ask them to gut it in front of you. It is cheaper, keeps better and tells you far more about condition than a pre-cut fillet ever will.

Buy With the Seasons, Not Against Them

South Coast fish follows a fairly reliable calendar, and eating with it gets you better quality at better prices.

• Spring: plaice at its sweetest, plus cuttlefish, spider crab and the first bass inshore.
• Summer: mackerel, Dover sole, black bream, gurnard, squid. Mackerel is at its best within hours of landing — buy it the day you plan to cook it.
• Autumn: scallops, lemon sole, turbot and brill, and the cuttlefish run again.
• Winter: herring, sprats, whiting, and the best of the Channel ray and cod.

Avoid anything out of season, however tempting it looks — it has almost certainly travelled.

Getting It Home in Good Order

Bring a cool bag with a couple of frozen blocks, and ask for ice if it is going to be more than an hour. Keep fish cold, covered and well drained — never let it sit in meltwater, which speeds up spoilage. At home, cook the delicate stuff first: mackerel, herring and sprats within a day; flatfish within two; thicker fillets and shellfish within two or three. If you are not eating it straight away, fillet and freeze on the day you buy it, and you will still notice the difference from anything on a supermarket counter.