Canned, bottled, pickled and tubbed seafood quality

The information provided here is very general and more specific quality assessment checks are required for different products.

Check	Higher quality	Lesser quality	Comment
Can/bottle/tub	Clean, undamaged	Slightly dirty, undamaged	Dented cans may be acceptable as long as the seams are not damaged (top, bottom or sides). However, it is best to avoid them for safety reasons. Canned, bottled and tubbed products should be consumed quickly after opening. If not (for example if kept overnight) they should be stored in a sealed container.
Flesh	Holds together	Falls apart
Liquid colour	Usually clear, otherwise typical of ingredients	Cloudy or foggy; changing colour
Quantity	Variable depending on the product, but usually totally covering the seafood	Not covering all the seafood
Condition	No suspended matter	Suspended matter, such as small pieces of product, floating in the liquid

Check	Higher quality	Lesser quality	Comment
	Good, salty sea smell, or typical of the species and pickling liquid	Slightly objectionable odour immediately on opening

Check	Higher quality	Lesser quality	Comment
	Rich in natural flavour; or typical of the species and pickling liquid	Weak; loss of flavour	Often the seafood will have absorbed the liquid and may therefore have little flavour. This only affects eating quality and is not a health hazard.