Karlos Arguiñano is one of the most famous chefs in Spain, being very popular both in our country and far from our borders, largely due to his extensive television career, where he has shared thousands of recipes for more than three decades. This fact has not gone unnoticed by many brands, which have not hesitated to collaborate with him.
This is the case of the Lidl food chain, who has reached an agreement with the Beasain chef to become a food ambassador in the categories of fruit, vegetables, charcuterie, meat and fish, and this has been used by him to explain the reasons why he buys the latter product in the supermarket with which it collaborates, thus helping Spaniards save when making their purchases.
The chain of German origin is one of those that offers the best quality-price ratio in many of its products, which is why it has millions of loyal customers in Spain. Through its campaign “Savings come through the kitchen”, which has served to officially kick off the collaboration between Lidl and Karlos Arguiñano, the latter has been in charge of explaining the reasons why it is a good option to buy fish in their establishments.
When talking about fish, the Basque chef wanted to highlight the freshness, quality and price that can be found at Lidl, a chain that stands out for its numerous promotions and discounts. In this way, in their supermarkets you can find salmon scallops for 5.59 euros, cooked octopus legs for 12.99 euros, sea bream fillets for just 4.99 euros, cleaned cuttlefish for 3.85 euros or a kilo of fresh mussel for only 2.89 euros, among others.
The best supermarket in Spain to buy fish
Beyond the opinion of Karlos Arguiñano, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) carried out an exhaustive analysis of the supermarket chains that operate in Spain to determine which is the best to buy fish, in addition to giving a series of recommendations to know how to choose it and to know if it is fresh or not.
It is important that, when buying fish, you can distinguish which is fresh from which is not, since the freshness of the fish is key to determining both the flavor and texture, but also to being able to preserve its nutritional benefits. After analyze 38 supermarket chains, the OCU Consider that the best supermarket in Spain to buy fresh fish is Costco.
Although the chain of American origin has a limited presence in Spain at the moment, it has demonstrated that its fish are of high quality, reaching 93 points out of 100 within the classification of said organization. Behind it, in second place, is Esclat, a chain present in Catalonia that reaches 88 rating points.
On the other hand, and contrary to what Arguiñano believes, the study showed that Lidl is among the worst valued when it comes to fresh fish, along with other chains also with a notable presence in the country such as Aldi or Covirán.
OCU recommendations for buying fresh fish
Beyond making known which are the most recommended supermarkets to buy fish, the OCU has given a series of tips to know if a fishmonger is trustworthy and if it really keeps its product fresh.
Consider that it is a good sign that the fish is surrounded by ice or, at least, that it is located on a base of ice, in addition to the fact that there should not be large piles of fish in the fish market. This must be placed in boxes, on an inclined surface, so that it allows the liquids to escape.
On the other hand, it must be noted that the heat sources that may be in the fish market area, such as light sources directed at the fish, do not help its conservation, and it is not a good practice to water or spray the fish. with water, which is a fairly common practice. This is a way to mask the lack of freshness, because at first glance, due to the water, the fish will have a greater shine and will not appear dry, although it really may be.
Finally, the Organization of Consumers and Users has given five tricks to recognize if a fish is fresh, and for this you have to look at:
- Gall color: The color of the fish gill should be reddish and never brown. Therefore, it is advisable to ask the fishmonger to show the gill and it will be seen clearly, this being an indication of its freshness.
- Fish eyes: The eyes must be alive, prominent and bright, and in no case sunken, this being a bad sign of their condition.
- Glow: If the fish shines much better, since the more it shines, the fresher it will be. If you compare it with one that shines less, you can clearly see the difference.
- Texture and consistency: The fish should be as smooth, stiff and firm as possible, since as the hours go by the rigor mortis is lost and it will become softer.
- Gut: The coating of your troop must be complete and shiny.
