Seafood expert Jon Rowley challenges the common perception that the freshest fish is always the best. He explains that fish can improve in quality after entering rigor mortis, which occurs roughly three hours post-mortem. Rowley suggests that properly killed and iced fish can deliver superior flavor and texture five to six days after death. His recent experiment in The Times Test Kitchen tests this theory across different fish preparations, ultimately emphasizing the importance of understanding rigor mortis for optimal seafood dining.
"Some of the best chefs in the country have difficulty getting their minds around the idea that fish can be too fresh or that a fish coming out of rigor mortis five or six days after harvest can be far better eating than a fish less than one day out of the water."
"How long this state [rigor mortis] lasts depends on how it was killed and how it was treated after death. A fish that is killed properly and immediately iced down will stay in rigor mortis up to five or six days; an improperly killed fish will stay in rigor mortis only a few hours."
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