Dariusz:
>Let's see.  The fish is sitting on ice (possibly invaded with bacteria or
>whatever else from previous things that were there); the salesman doesn't
>necessairly wash his hands, gloves or whatever else machinery he's using
>to cut/prepare the fish for you before you buy it.
>It's like asking why people wash organic fruits or veggies.

Exactly. I, for one, have never understood why anyone would wash organic
produce unless is was full of crunchy dirt. Further, the idea that washing
non-organic produce rinses away the pesticides is probably wishful
thinking. If you are really concerned about bacteria so much, then you'd
best be boiling the hell out of all your food, rinsing your mouth with
bleach every five minutes, breathing as little as possible--and, never, I
repeat, NEVER put your mouth on any surface (much less a mucus membrane) of
another human being. ;)

Just because you can't see "germs" with the naked eye doesn't mean they
should be elevated to the status of boogey men. You probably have more
"germs" in your colon than you have cells in your body. "Germs" are the
link between the organic and the inorganic in soils which provide the basis
for all land plant life. etc

If you are worried about bacteria growing on the wet surface of a cut fish
fillet (which I admit can be off-smelling and off-tasting) you might let
the surface dry out by hanging and thus deprive the bacteria of the
moisture they need to thrive. Wrapping a fillet momentarily in a paper
towel draws of any excess moisture (but can leave paper fibers in its place
;)).

Dariusz, if the fish shop is making your mouth water you're probably in for
some pleasure even with the small flavor of fresh fish. Go to a sushi bar
and get over the first hump...

Cheers,
Kirt