Where do you mostly buy fresh fish? I used to have a direct supplier who bought fresh fish of the fishing boats every morning, but he went out of business. So I had to look around for alternatives. There are a few fishmongers around here but I don't quite trust their frozen fish, as some of them have been grown on fish farms. There is a world of difference between fresh and tinned fish. I can't say that I like the tinned variety very much at all.
I haven't eaten canned fish in a long time, since they started selling stuff like Tuna in pouches. I think the only time I eat fish out of tins these days are with stuff like anchovies, but that's about it. I love fresh fish, but the cost of it usually makes it out of reach for me. I cannot justify spending nearly $20 for a fresh piece of fish when I can buy several packs of chicken for that same amount that would be enough for me to make a couple weeks worth of meals from. Once in a blue moon I would splurge on a couple pieces of Sea Bass for example, but then I am regretting it afterwards. With the frozen ones, I generally just stick with the commercially available breaded fish from brands like Gortons. The way they bread them comes out much better than anything I could do myself. Also, a lot of the other plain frozen fish sold at my local grocery stores is soaked in solutions to make it soak up more water - then when you cook them they shrink down to like a third of their size.
I think without that doubt fresh fish is definitely better than the tinned variety. I do agree that fishmongers these days are few and far between and that fresh food is a lot more expensive. But you can get good deals at fish markets such as Billingsgate in London. I buy tinned tuna a lot but do prefer the fresh variety and both are quite expensive here. I eat frozen fish I like Birds eye fish fusions and they are very reasonable at just £2. I also like young's beer battered fish which is also around the same price for two extra large fillets and they are tasty.
I think it would be the best if we can buy the fish directly from the fishermen, but as I am staying far away from the village, this is not applicable to me. Moreover, I do not know any direct supplier too. I usually go to the wet market to buy the fresh fish there, though I am not sure how fresh they are. Sometimes I do go to the supermarket to buy the fresh fish or sometimes frozen fish which is imported. I also buy tinned tuna or sardines once in a while, but certainly this is not as tasty and healthy. Hope you will find a good source for fish soon.
I have never consumed canned fish. For frozen fish, maybe since it won't be easy to know if some sellers froze the fish or not. We also have a direct supplier who had fresh fish but fish is not something we eat frequently. So when it is difficult to get fresh fish, we just let it be and we can stay even a year without eating fish. When it is available, we can consume it frequently.
