One Seafood Restaurant Red Flag Should Send You Running Out The Door

There is a certain draw of a seafood restaurant that those who love the delicacies of the ocean can't resist. The freshest seafood possible is what customers want to hear about, how their fish was caught that morning or just came in off a boat. But what can be fresher than selecting your seafood straight out of the tank that is on display when you come in? Well, it turns out a lot of other options could be fresher — and safer — to eat.

If you're looking for a family experience, a restaurant with live seafood tanks is always a hit. Kids love to run over and see the fish and crustaceans moving, and see what else they can find. But while the young ones are sharp with their observations, it's a good opportunity for you to take a better look as well, and see if there are any red flags in the tank. Watching crabs and lobsters move around looks cool, and seeing it with your own eyes prevents seafood fraud, but just because they're alive doesn't mean they are good quality. Here's what you need to know to keep your dinner on course, or if you should be heading elsewhere for your meal.

When you're in a restaurant that keeps its seafood in a tank, take a good look at where the fish and crustaceans are living. Is the water clear and free of debris floating in it? Is there any growth on the glass? If you smelled fish when you walked in, you should have run back out the door, but even if there is a fishy scent coming from the tank, it's a clear sign that you're in a bad seafood restaurant.

Cleaning and maintaining large tanks is a huge task, but a necessary one if you want to maintain hygienic conditions for your food. Dead crustaceans decompose rapidly, leaching bacteria into the water, and if one were in the tank, that could be an issue. The restaurant may have bought the lobster that morning, or it could be from last week's delivery, but the actual age of the seafood is unknown, regardless of when it was purchased. Check that the tank isn't overcrowded and that the lobsters are moving actively. Chances are pretty good that the restaurant intends to serve the freshest seafood possible (no ice crystal red flags here), but err on the side of caution if you're able to see what you're going to get before they bring it to your table.