Re-heating yesterday's fish in the office break room microwave is FINE.

If I worked in an office, I'd be THAT guy.

But here's why I would get away with it:

• I buy fish from purveyors I trust

• I cook my fish the same day I buy it

• I handle it to limit bacteria growth

• It stays cold before and after cooking

Since I can keep my fish fresh for 4-5 days after I buy it, the delightful aromas of my re-heated fish would offend nobody.

Unlike Nancy from accounting...

Whose leftover fish and chips from Red Lobster would turn the break room into the Chernobyl of seafood after just 1.5 minutes on high heat.

Don't be like Nancy.

Let's explore how professional chefs select, store, handle and serve seafood...   

So you can finally cook fish in your home kitchen with confidence...

And keep your job.

Where to find the best fish

In descending order of quality, here are the best places to get fish:

1. Catch it yourself

2. Dockside fish market

Here in downtown San Diego, we have a dockside fish market. They sell some of the freshest, best-quality fish I've ever seen.

Boats travel offshore and down into Mexican waters, returning with bigeye tuna, halibut, grouper, spot prawns, spiny lobsters and more.

After they tie up to the pier, they offload their catch and sell some of it to the public right there.

You can buy the fish whole, or take it to another stall that will gut, fillet and portion the fish for you.

3. Upscale grocery, or wholesale grocery store

For the large quantities that I use at Seasoned Catering, I get good quality fish from Costco.

I know it's always fresh because so many people shop there, and they go through it so quickly. But I still check the "sell-by" date every time.

For small quantities, I'll pick up fresh fish at Whole Foods, or a similar high-end grocery store.

While I was there this week, I found some tasty rainbow trout for this week's SIMPL recipe: Poached rainbow trout with Oktoberfest cabbage and dijon potato mash.

Ensuring freshness

Just because fish comes pre-wrapped in plastic or is kept on ice behind a plexiglass window doesn't mean you should just assume it's fresh.

After I buy it, I always smell my fish once I get home. If it smells offensive (which rarely happens) I'll re-wrap it, return it, and get my money back.

Don't take chances with these things. Trust your judgement, and if you don't like what you smell, take it back. SIMPL.

Just remember: Ensuring freshness is your responsibility, too.

Bacteria causes fish to spoil, and the longer it's sitting out, the more bacteria will grow.

That's why it's essential to keep fish cold, and avoid any lag time where it's not being kept on ice or refrigerated.

I keep my fish cold during transit, and I use extra ice during the summer.

Handling raw fish

There's two important things to remember when handling and cooking fish:

1. Keep it cold before and after cooking

2. Avoid cross-contamination

Cross-contamination can happen when cooked, ready-to eat food comes in contact with harmful bacteria.

Hand washing is key, but if raw fish come into contact with:

• containers

• cutting boards

• cooking utensils

Make sure they're cleaned before you use them for cooked fish.

How to cook fish for meal prep

Where to start...

There's almost 420,000 ways to prepare fish for meal prep, actually.

And now that I've told you the things you HAVE to do, I'll share one thing you CAN do.

(If you choose)

I've embraced the "poaching" method for fish recently.

Poaching simply means gently cooking fish in liquid. It could be stock, wine, velouté, court bouillon, or olive oil.

In the spirit of Oktoberfest, I choose beer.

For this recipe, I'm using rainbow trout fillets with the skin on.

I'll place them in an oven pan with salt, sliced onions, butter, and half a can of Oktoberfest lager.

Cover, and poach in the oven until cooked.

The cooking liquid is then poured into another pan where the cabbage is cooking, adding a rich, comforting, fall aroma as it slowly simmers for an hour.

Whipped potatoes get a tasty kick with the addition of whole grain dijon mustard to round out this colorful, seasonal, high-protein dish.

Prost!

Here’s the nutrition breakdown for 1 serving:

Get the full 5-portion recipe for this, and all my high-protein dishes when you become a SIMPL Insider.

When you upgrade, you'll also:

• Get the full-length step-by-step videos showing how I created each weekly dish

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• Learn the fundamental skills that separates the kitchen pros from the amateurs in my video: Knife Skills Mastery

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