That Fish Smell When Cooking Fish ...

[Shel_B]

I like to cook fish, but I, and especially Toots, don't care for the fish smell that results from certain cooking methods, especially frying. How do you cook fish, especially fried fish, so that the smell is minimized or non existent. I don't have the problem when poaching salmon, but what other techniques or tricks are there? Thanks!

[rotuts]

smell the fish before you cook it.

really fresh fish has no odor what so ever, perhaps a hint of the sea. and gives off no odor when cooked

if you are at a 'fresh' fish market, ask to smell the fish before you buy it. they wont like this. what you are smelling is less then fresh fish.

how do I know this?

I grew up S of SF, and in menlo park there is a fish store/restaurant called Cook's

http://cooksseafood.com/

I used to eat there salmon every other day, and get it the day I made it.

made some for Norwegian students of my fathers. said it was the best fish they ever tasted. Norwegians know their fish.

but that doesnt really help you. you might look around for another source of fish.

lemon helps. cant do any better sorry.

[Hassouni]

Shel, I find oily fish to be MUCH greater offenders in the smell dept. However, oily fish is best fish so I just deal with it. Run the exhaust fan, open a window, do what you can. (In my new condo I can't do anything, so I don't cook oily fish very often, which is sad because it's probably my favorite food) If you don't mind white fish, then I've found that to have much less smell.

This blog post describes in some detail a way to greatly reduce the smell when broiling fish, it might be helpful: http://www.beyondkimchee.com/broiled-yellow-croaker/

[rotuts]

very nice ref article, BTW

" Smell it. Fresh fish is not stinky. It should smell like clean water "

oily fish deteriorates much faster than non-oily. its the oil that is degrading.

caught fresh it has again no odor what so ever. I never could stand Blue Fish. over-powering flavor and odor.

then I caught some and kept them on ice only for a short while and cooked them -- broiler --

a completely different and tasty fish.

so ... look for fresher fish would be a starting point.

Its very difficult to find really fresh fish. next time you are at a sushi bar, a good one, smell the sashimi

it smells of 'fresh sea'

[patrickamory]

I have to agree with rotuts here.

[weinoo]

Since you live in California, why not cook it outside?

[rotuts]

in thinking a bit more about this: consider this experiment :

next time you fry fish, as this has the least appeal to you odor-wise

toss in the oil some fresh lemon peel fist then add the fish. enough peel to get some lemon-scent in the air.

leave it in as you fry the fish. Id patent the idea first. all yours ....

the results might be interesting, one way or the other.

[weinoo]

There used to be an old trick for reusing frying oil.

I must've read about it in a Chinese cookbook.

Fry scallion and ginger in the oil when you first heat it up.

Smell dissipates. You can't patent it though .

[rotuts]

no lemon in the above I see ....

in the afternoon I sometimes light an incense stick. some have very light aromas. maybe there are lemon-ish incense sticks

If there is an Indian Mart near you ask there. around Berkeley there are probably a zillion.

it at least might help.

[gfweb]

No fish odor problem here. I have a very hard time getting fish that are fresh enough. Its a 40 minute drive in the wrong direction. Consequently we eat very little fish at home.

[annabelle]

Incense cones burned next to the cookstove. An old Catholic grandma's trick to keep one's hair from smelling like fish.

[huiray]

Don't eat fish then, if you can't get fresh fish. Voilà! - no smell. Mind you, I find the smell of fresh fish being deep fried to be very appetizing. If you don't like the smell of fish being fried - no matter what sort of fish it is or what condition said fish is in - perhaps you might consider either skipping fish altogether or doing something else with them - more of the poaching that you say you don't mind, for example.

Have you ever steamed fish?

Steaming fish w/ scallions and ginger (Chinese-style) might appease your nasal sensitivities. Additionally, an old, OLD technique with fish in the Chinese tradition is to marinate the fish with Shaohsing wine (plus whatever else one wishes) which removes/greatly ameliorates the "fishy smell" of less-than-utterly-fresh-fish; and either 1) dumping the marinade and starting over with fresh marinade ingredients; or 2) steaming the fish + marinade partially then dumping everything except the fish, reapplying fresh stuff and finishing the steaming (Cantonese style). One could also marinate the fish w/ Shaohsing wine plus suitable stuff to balance the marinade then removing the fish and patting it dry and frying it, poaching it, etc etc.

Otherwise, as others here have said, do it outdoors. You might want to check with your neighbors, though, especially if you are doing it with old fish.

[rotuts]

annabelle

well, there are advances from the 'cones'

no worries. Ive used them a million years ago 'studying anatomy'

the 'sticks' are much better. look for lemon in your local IndiaMart

it might not deal w 'not so fresh fish' but it would help if lemon-ey

but it does brighten an afternoon

before you deal with 'fish'

[rlibkind]

If high quality fresh fish isn't available, consider high-quality IQF, I.e., frozen. Just be sure to follow thawing directions and uses immediately after thawed. In most cases, overnight in fridge IS NOT the way to go. My IQF Alaska seafood (salmon, halibut) is best with small release slit made in vacuum plastic wrap, then submerged in cold water, changing it once or twice. Usually thawed in 20-30 minutes.

[rlibkind]

made some for Norwegian students of my fathers.  said it was the best fish they ever tasted.  Norwegians know their fish .

Indeed, they do. Even the steam table fish I had on Hurtegruten Norway coast cruise was better than most fish served in U.S. Restaurants.

[dcarch]

------ no worries. Ive used them a million years ago 'studying anatomy'----"

I visited a friend who worked for a hospital. I passed thru the autopsy room and medical workers were eating their lunch right next to stinky open up corpses.

There is a term called " Olfactory Fatigue". After a little while your sense of smell will get used to odors. People who work in cheese shops and perfume shops know.

However, there are three ways you can deal with odor:

1. Neutralize it - there are not too many ways to accomplish this.

2. Mask it - as have suggested, use a stronger scent to cover it up.

3. Remove it - A good exhaust system, or an indoor activated charcoal air filter are both effective.

dcarch

[nickrey]

Cook it sous vide. There can't be any cooking smells as it's vacuum sealed throughout the entire cooking process.

[Alex]

Shel, you mentioned poaching, and huiray mentioned steaming -- which, coincidentally, I used for swordfish steaks a couple of nights ago, with lemon and ginger in the water (and served with mango-avocado salsa). The relatively low temperature of those methods helps to prevent overcooking, which is a main cause of "fish smell" (in addition to the other factors mentioned above). Similarly, if I'm baking fish, I'll do it at a very low setting.

Frying and sauteeing are, by definition, high-temperature, so you have to be very, very careful about overcooking (and even being very careful is no guarantee, since there's such a tiny time window between properly cooked and overcooked).

[huiray]

Steaming fish is a viable alternative for the OP, yes - but it may be possible that configuring his cooking methods and/or his equipment might be too much for the OP. Plus, I assume he would not be amenable to buying a steam ring - eh, a tuna can with both ends removed would do the same thing, but the OP might not have any canned tuna available in his larder.

[Shel_B]

Shel, you mentioned poaching, and huiray mentioned steaming -- which, coincidentally, I used for swordfish steaks a couple of nights ago, with lemon and ginger in the water (and served with mango-avocado salsa). The relatively low temperature of those methods helps to prevent overcooking, which is a main cause of "fish smell" (in addition to the other factors mentioned above). Similarly, if I'm baking fish, I'll do it at a very low setting.

Frying and sauteeing are, by definition, high-temperature, so you have to be very, very careful about overcooking (and even being very careful is no guarantee, since there's such a tiny time window between properly cooked and overcooked).

OK ... thanks!

I discovered a technique that I'll try soon, and that's using a splatter shield with a towel (paper or otherwise) over the shield. It seems the towel will absorb the airborne particles generated by frying which carry the odors. Might be worth a try ...

[Shel_B]

next time you fry fish, as this has the least appeal to you odor-wise

toss in the oil some fresh lemon peel fist then add the fish. enough peel to get some lemon-scent in the air.

leave it in as you fry the fish.

The lemon might add some flavor, too ... I'll try it when making my next batch of croquettes later in the week.