Nobody has generated a bigger list of ‘things to never do at a restaurant’ than Anthony Bourdain. This item, as well, came from Bourdain in his book Kitchen Confidential who said, “I never order fish on Monday.” He explained that you should not order fish from a restaurant on Monday because the restaurant probably placed a seafood order to cover the weekend, and the fish arrived on Friday, meaning the fish is too old by the time you order it on Monday. Like many of Bourdain’s claims, it is either outdated or over-generalized. This one is a bit of both.
Bourdain’s book came out in 1999 but now, restaurants can get fresh seafood any day of the week. He claimed that most restaurants order their fish on Thursday or Friday to stock up for a busy weekend. He had a habit of generalizing his own experience and claiming that every restaurant operated the way he experienced it. This is one of those occasions.
Thanks to improvements in distribution, restaurants can have access to fresh fish every day of the week. It is sometimes claimed that improvements in commercial refrigerators also enable restaurants to keep fish fresh for a week, but there is a difference between edible fish and ‘fresh’ fish.
Bourdain amended his original statement in a later book and explained that it was no longer true, but it was too late to dissuade people at that point. He explained that he was referring to restaurants that don’t have seafood as ‘their main thrust.’ When asked about the claim in 2016, Bourdain explained:
Maybe if you’re eating in an Irish pub, don’t order the mussels on Monday on special, but in most places…Restaurants now are more likely to use fresh ingredients.
‘Don’t eat fish on Monday’ will unfortunately be on my headstone.
And, while Bourdain’s claim may have been true of restaurants that are not near the coast get all their fish from a wholesale food distributor, it was never true of restaurants that have access to a fish market.
Raw fresh fish should only be kept under refrigeration for 2 days before it is cooked or frozen. Many restaurants serve fish that has been previously frozen. Unless you know that the restaurant you are visiting serves fresh caught fish, you’ll have to ask to be sure (and hope that they are honest).
Frozen fish is perfectly fine to eat but the texture and flavor will be compromised somewhat. It is just as likely that you will be served frozen fish at a restuarnt, not matter what day you order it, than old fish, if not more likely.
While it is possible that the fish you order at a restaurant, especially one not located in a coastal area, is not fresh, it has nothing to do with the day of the week. If a restaurant’s fish is not fresh, this is because they are not ordering fish often enough, not managing their inventory, and are willing to serve their customers old fish.
In summary, the claim that you should never order fish on a Monday is a myth that once had a kernel of truth but was never universally true.
Anything you order at a restaurant, theoretically, will be the oldest ingredient they have as a restaurant rotates their ingredients much like a grocery store rotates its stock. But a well-run restaurant kitchen does not order more fresh perishable food than it can use within a few days.
Bourdain’s comment about an Irish Pub, perhaps, contains the biggest nugget of wisdom. Rather than what day of the week it is, be aware of the type of restaurant you eating at. You should not order lobster of the back of a 50-page diner menu. You should probably not order the ‘catch of the day’ from a pizza-by-the-slice place at the mall. And no, I would not order the mussels special from an Irish Pub on Monday, or any other day of the week.
