It's a fishy tale told all too frequently: A restaurant lists a premium fish on the menu; the customer is served a lower-quality catch; the customer pays top dollar for the type of fish they thought they were ordering; and the restaurant eventually gets netted in scandal.

Jeremy Sewall, co-owner and executive chef of Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston, Massachusetts, wants to make sure you don't get engulfed in a case of mistaken fillet identity ever again.

Five Tips for Buying Fish: Jeremy Sewall

1. What's in a name?"Fish naming is a tricky topic and unfortunately can cause a lot of confusion. There are lots of 'marketing' names for different fish - meaning what they are commonly called on menus and in stores. For instance, 'sea bass' can cover a variety of fish, and not all are bass.

Chilean sea bass is actually Patagonian toothfish; Giant sea bass is usually grouper; white sea bass is a type of drum fish. Striped bass and black sea bass are true bass, but if you are in Maryland, striped bass might be called rockfish. Ask the question of where it is from before you buy it. Geography can help tell you what type of fish it is."

2. Wild vs. Farmed, not always that different

"When buying seafood, often it is labeled as either 'wild' or 'farm-raised.' With fish, this distinction is important because farm-raised fish are fed pellets containing nutrients that can impact the flavor of the fish when it's cooked.

However, with shellfish, wild or farm-raised are essentially identical. Regardless of if they are wild or farmed, shellfish like mussels, clams and oysters feed off of the naturally-occurring nutrients in their surroundings and thus their flavor characteristics are usually not impacted."

3. Avoid pre-spiced or marinated seafood

"Some markets will sell pre-marinated or spiced fish. This seems like a good idea because it saves shoppers the time of doing their own marinating or spicing, but the truth is that those marinades and spices might be masking a lesser quality fish or a fish that is being marketed as something that it might not be.

Buy simple, fresh fish fillets and do the spicing yourself at home."

4. You get what you pay for

"If it seems like a deal, then the fish is probably not what you think it is. Expensive fish usually doesn't find its way in to inexpensive dishes. There is nothing wrong with using less expensive fresh fish in things like fish tacos or fried fish dishes, but premium species like cod usually don't end up in fish and chips."

5. Whole fish is best

"Buying whole fish is the only real way to know for sure what fish you are getting. Whole fish at restaurants are a great delicious option, but clearly not everyone can gut and scale a fish at home.

Instead, ask your fishmonger if you can see the whole fish before they prep it for you. Build a good relationship with your fish market and you can feel more comfortable asking questions about where the fish is from and when it might have been caught."