Fragrant Fish

[Dani Mc]

I pan seared some lovely salmon fillets for a late lunch. Mighty tasty, but the salmon smell is lingering. Is this a sign that the fish was less than fresh, or is it just the nature of salmon? I gave it a sniff when I bought it, and it smelled fine. Whats going on?

[culinary bear]

Most of the nasty fish smells in the kitchen are sulphur-containing compounds, which seem (in my admittedly less-than-strictly-scientific investigations) to be accentuated by contact with hot fat. I'm beginning to think that the compounds might be significantly fat-soluble.

Cooking less-than-fresh fish will accentuate the less-than-fresh smell, but if it smelled fine when you bought it it's not likely to have been off.

Interestingly (at least to a former egg-head like me), related sulphur compounds are present in Allium species; plants such as chives, onions, shallots and garlic. They tend to cling to hands and make the air smell too.

You should always wash your hands in cold soapy water after handling fish (then hot water). Washing them in hot water straight away seems to make the sulphur compounds stick to your hands in a most unpleasant lingering fashion.

in summary - all fish smells to some extent of fish, expecially if cooked with fat. :)

Edited December 7, 2004 by culinary bear (log)

[markk]

I pan seared some lovely salmon fillets for a late lunch.  Mighty tasty, but the salmon smell is lingering.  Is this a sign that the fish was less than fresh, or is it just the nature of salmon?  I gave it a sniff when I bought it, and it smelled fine.  Whats going on?

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I get that too, and it's bad enough that I'm going to stop making salmon, I really am. The fish I get is really fresh, and it's not a "bad fish" smell that I get, but when I get up the next morning after cooking salmon for dinner, my entire apartment has the heavy smell of salmon oil hanging in the air. I too would love it if somebody could explain to us "what's going on?"

[bloviatrix]

Here's the secret to getting rid of the salmon smell (the smell of any fatty fish will linger ie bluefish)....

Turn the oven to about 350. Place several teaspoons of ground cinnamon on a baking sheet and place into oven. The smell of cinnamon will emmanate from the oven removing all odors!! I keep a supply of cheap cinnamon in the house just for this reason.

[hathor]

Here's the secret to getting rid of the salmon smell (the smell of any fatty fish will linger ie bluefish)....

Turn the oven to about 350.  Place several teaspoons of ground cinnamon on a baking sheet and place into oven.  The smell of cinnamon will emmanate from the oven removing all odors!!  I keep a supply of cheap cinnamon in the house just for this reason.

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Does that work for all kinds of odors?? That would be a godsend...

[bloviatrix]

I've only tried it with fish. No reason not try it with other things though.

[Dani Mc]

preheating the oven to try the cinnamon thingy. Thanks!

[EdS]

You might try baking the salmon to contain some of the odors or even cooking the salmon sous vide.