A few days ago, I bought Rockfish (at Whole Foods) and realizing that I did not quite know what it was and where it comes from went looking for an answer.
It seems that Rockfish can be many things if I am to trust this Wikipedia entry from Striped Bass to a venomous type.
I landed on the seafood page of another member of the supermarket club (Publix to be precise) and
they seemed to have the guy I bought, in other words Atlantic Ocean Perch.
Their lovely buying guide suggests the following: "Quality rockfish is easy to recognize. Fresh rockfish never smells fishy; it smells fresh like the ocean. The eyes should appear bright and clear, almost alive. The gills should be fresh, and the skin moist and with tightly adhering, shiny scales. Fresh rockfish flesh will give slightly when you press it with a finger, then spring back into shape".
Can you see many of your fellow American food shoppers going though this exercise?
It does have the merit to be direct.
Have you tried it?
More Fishy Stories: Sounds fishy, Blue Moki and the Maoris