Division A WHITEFISH
United Kingdom
| F1. . . | ||||
Or in a more advanced state of decay. | ||||
Fresh fish prior to the onset of rigor mortis will not be firm and elastic but will still be graded in category Extra. | ||||
| Criteria | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshness category | Not admitted | |||
| Extra | A | B | ||
| Skin | Bright, iridescent pigment (save for redfish) or opalescent; no discolouration | Pigmentation bright but not lustrous | Pigmentation in the process of becoming discoloured and dull | Dull pigmentationf1 |
| Skin mucus | Aqueous, transparent | Slightly cloudy | Milky | Yellowish grey, opaque mucus |
| Eye | Convex (bulging); black, bright pupil; transparent cornea | Convex and slightly sunken; black dull pupil; slightly opalescent cornea | Flat; opalescent cornea; opaque pupil | Concave in the centre; grey pupil; milky cornea |
| Gills | Bright colour; no mucus | Less coloured; transparent mucus | Brown/grey becoming discoloured; thick, opaque mucus | Yellowish; milky mucus |
| Peritoneum (in gutted fish) | Smooth; bright; difficult to detach from flesh | Slightly dull; can be detached from flesh | Speckled; comes away easily from flesh | Does not stick |
| Smell of gills and abdominal cavity | ||||
| — whitefish other than plaice | Seaweedy | No smell of seaweed; neutral smell | Fermented; slightly sour | Sour |
| — plaice | Fresh oily; peppery; earthy smell | Oily; seaweedy or slightly sweetish | Oily; fermented; stale, slightly rancid | Sour |
| Flesh | Firm and elastic; smooth surfacef2 | Less elastic | Slightly soft (flaccid), less elastic; waxy (velvety) and dull surface | Soft (flaccid); scales easily detached from skin, surface rather wrinkled |
| Extra criteria for headed anglerfish | ||||
| Blood vessles (vental muscles) | Sharp outline and bright red | Sharp outline; darkening of the blood | Diffuse and brown | Totally diffuse, brown and yellowing of the flesh |
Annotations
Textual amendments
- F1
Words in Annex 1 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Common Fisheries Policy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/739), regs. 1, 20(9)(a); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Footnotes
- f1
Or in a more advanced state of decay.
- f2
Fresh fish prior to the onset of rigor mortis will not be firm and elastic but will still be graded in category Extra.