Guide to EEC Freshness Grades
In order to be placed in grade E, A, B or Unfit (C) the fish should possess the following characteristics. The descriptive terms are meant to be guides and not all the characteristics described will necessarily occur together in every fish. Gill odours are particularly discriminatory.
White fish: cod, saithe, haddock, whiting plaice redfish ling hake
| E | A | B | Unit(C) | ||
| Skin | bright; shining; iridescent (not redfish) or opalescent; no bleaching | waxy; slight loss of bloom; very slight bleaching | dull; | dull; gritty; marked bleaching and shrinkage | |
| Outer slime | transparent; water white | milky | yellowish-grey; some clotting | yellow-brown; very clotted and thick | |
| Eyes | convex; black pupil; translucent cornea | plane; slightly opaque pupil; slightly opalescent | slightly concave; grey pupil; opaque cornea | completely sunken; grey pupil opaque discoloured cornea | |
| Gills | dark red or bright red; mucus translucent | red or pink; mucus slightly opaque | brown/grey and bleached; mucus opaque and thick | brown or bleached; mucus yellowish grey and clotted |
|
| Peritoneum (in gutted fish) | glossy; brilliant; difficult to tear from flesh | slightly dull; difficult to tear from flesh | gritty; faily easy to tear from flesh | gritty; easily torn from flesh | |
| Gill and internal odours | all except plaice | fresh; seaweedy; shellfishy | no odour; neutral odour; trace musty, mousy, milky, capryllic, garlic or peppery | definite musty, mousy, milky, capryllic, garlic or peppery; bready; malty; beery; lactic; slightly sour | acetic: butyric; fruity; turnipy; amines; sulphide; faecal |
| Gill and internal odours | plaice | fresh oil; metallic; fresh-cut grass; earthy; peppery | oily; seaweedy; aromatic; trace musty, mousy, or critic | oily; definite musty, mousy, or critic; bready; malty; beery; slightly rancid; painty | muddy; grassy; fruity; acetic; butyric, rancid; amines; sulphide; faecal |
Dogfish
| E | A | B | Unit(c) | |
| Eyes | convex; very bright and iridescent; narrow pupils | convex to flat; green; clear but some loss of brightness and irridescence; oval pupils | flat to sunken; some yellowing; slithgly cloudy | sunken; yellow; cloudy |
| Appearance | in or partly in rigor; small amount of clear slime on skin | loss of rigor; no slime on skin and particularly no slime in mouth or at gill openings | sticky slime in | copious slime in mouth and gill openings; obvious flattering of snout |
| Odour | fresh marine | ordourless or slightly musty; not ammoniacal | ammoniacal; sour | very ammoniacal; very sour |
Herring
| E | A | B | Unit(c) | |
| Skin | full bloom; bright; shining; iridescent; clean | slight dullness and loss of bloom | difinite dullness and loss of bloom | dull; no bloom |
| Outer slime | transparent or water white | milky; slight browning | brownish | brown |
| Gills covers | silvery | silvery; slight browning; slight bright red blood stain | some browning and blood staining | very brown and blood stained |
| Eyes | convex | plane | slightly concave | concave; sunken |
| Firmness | very stiff and firm | fairly stiff and firm | stiffness nearly absent, fairly soft | soft or very soft |
| Gill odours | fresh seaweedy | less fresh seaweedy, slight oily | slight stale seaweedy; definite oily; trace or slight H2S (sulphide), "salt cured" or rancid oil | definite H2S (sulphide); rancid oil; amines; faecal; sour |
Mackerel
| E | A | B | Unit(c) | |
| Skin | strong blue and turquoise colours; iridescence over all body; well defined lateral line; reticulations on upper surface; clear distinction between upper and lower surfaces | loss of bright colours with fading of reticulations; pale golden tinge on lower surface | golden tinge over all body; skin wrinkles on flexing; washed-out appearance of colours; patchy iridescence | yellow slime; little distinction between upper and lower surfaces |
| Texture of body | stiff | firm | some softening | limp and floppy |
| Eyes | bulging with protruding lens; shiny jet black/blue pupil with metallic brown iris; transparant eye cap | convex; slight clouding of lens and wrinkling of iris; clouding of eye cap | plane; cloudy lens with black specks in iris; pale golden eye cap | sunken eye covered with yellow slime |
| Gills appearance | uniformly dark red/purple with free blood and water clear slime | loss of colour with red/brown slime; pale margins to gills | further loss of colour with patchy bleaching; increase in red/brown slime | bleached; thick yellow slime |
| Gill odour | fresh seaweed; sharp; halogens; pepper; fresh-cut grass; metallic;blood; fresh, sweet oil | dull; muddy; musty mousy; cardboard; fish oil | yeast; sour rotten fruit; "wet dogs"; old grass cuttings; strong oily | compost heap; rotten turnips; sour cheese; ammonia; sulphides; rancid oil |
