Fish is an incredibly delicious and nutritious seafood, but it often has a pungent odor coming from its slime, internal organs, or fat. So, how can we eliminate the fishy smell and make your dish more appetizing? Check out these amazing tips below!
1 Rub Lemon on the Fish
Using lemon to neutralize the fishy odor is highly effective. This is because the amine compounds in fish are a group of basic substances that, when combined with the acid in lemons, will form corresponding salts and water, thus eliminating the fishy smell.
Instructions: Cut a lemon in half and rub it on the fish. Gently massage for about 2 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
2 Wash Fish in Diluted Vinegar
Similar to using lemons, washing fish in diluted vinegar is another popular method employed by many home cooks to eliminate the fishy odor.
Instructions: Instead of rinsing the fish with plain water, mix vinegar with water and gently massage the fish before rinsing it off.
3 Scrub with Salt or Soak in Salted Water
Salt is an indispensable ingredient in your kitchen. Using salt to remove the fishy smell is a traditional method that has been passed down through generations.
Instructions: Scrub the fish with coarse salt, gently massaging it from the inside out, then rinse with clean water. Alternatively, you can soak the fish in diluted salted water, gently massage it, and rinse afterward.
4 Wash Fish in Diluted Alcohol
Alcohol has the ability to dissolve the amine compounds that cause the fishy odor. When heated, the alcohol evaporates, taking the unpleasant smell with it.
Additionally, alcohol reacts with the free acids present in the fish to form esters, resulting in a pleasant aroma. This is why marinating fish in alcohol enhances its flavor.
Instructions: Soak the fish in diluted alcohol, scrubbing it thoroughly from the inside out, then rinse with clean water.
5 Wash Fish in Rice Water
Don’t discard the water used for rinsing rice! It can be just as effective as the previous methods in eliminating the fishy smell.
6 Soak Fish in Water with Crushed Ginger
Crush some ginger, add it to a bucket of water, and soak the fish for about 5 minutes. Gently massage the fish, then rinse with clean water.
In addition to ginger, other strongly-scented spices like scallions, chili peppers, galangal, and turmeric are also effective in neutralizing the fishy odor.
For further reference:
The methods mentioned above are highly effective in removing the fishy smell. We hope that through this article, you can prepare delicious fish dishes without any unpleasant odors. Stay tuned for more of our articles!
For more cooking tips, visit our Cooking Tips section.