Cooking fish without stinking out the house

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1101

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#285830 20-May-2021 11:43

Hi.

Any tips on cooking fish & not stinking out the house.
At the moment, the smell can linger into the next day . Its not overpowering but I can notice it many many hours later

I was once told the smell is because the fish isnt fresh , any truth to that? . I buy at the supermarket & try to get fresh looking fillets

Any varities that dont smell so much when being cooked ?

Batman

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#2710124 20-May-2021 11:50

Cook it outside is the only thing I can think of

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2710148 20-May-2021 12:19

All fish will have some odour, even when fresh. If it smells rancid or of ammonia, I'd bin it.

I eat a lot of fresh snapper and that doesn't have a strong smell or flavour. It still leaves a slight odour after cooking. It might be better than other varieties, but if you're buying from the supermarket, it'll cost a small fortune.

farcus

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#2710149 20-May-2021 12:20

run your kitchen hood flat out and make sure you have a through draft - pref from an open window or outside door

qwertee

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#2710153 20-May-2021 12:31

I cook fish on the George Foreman grill, placed on the ceramic cook top underneath the range hood.
(Not helpful if you are using the cook top). Open a window and let fresh come in , creating a draft that leaves through the rangehood.
Do switch off aircon/heatpump as the smells can get trapped in the filters.

There is no sure way to eliminate this .. Baking or grilling in the oven helps but is not fool proof.
Try monkfish , I find it less smelly than the Tarahiki and Gunard. Buts that personal preference.

Dont let the smells deter you from your Omega3 source😀

eracode

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#2710200 20-May-2021 13:55

You could avoid the cooking odour by preparing it as ceviche/kokoda/poisson cru - all of which are similar and delicious - or as sashimi.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

networkn

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#2710209 20-May-2021 14:10

I cook a fair amount of fish, almost all of it bought fresh. Fish should smell like the ocean if it's fresh (not smelly 'fishy). There are some very oily fish that have a strong smell.

It's exceptionally rare for us to have an odour afterwards. I am surprised so many people have said they have a smell.

We do have a good range hood. We prepare our fish on a hard surface and any containers, bags, or utensils used for preparation and cleaned quickly with something like spray and wipe. Leftovers are put in the outside bin.

GeekGuy

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#2710220 20-May-2021 15:02

Wife and in laws are asian.

They cook it outside, which I am greatful for, as it smells.

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#2710222 20-May-2021 15:07

Depends how you're cooking it. If we're frying we do use a wok ring outside (more for oil splatters than smell). Dont' tend to notice it smelling, as it's normally recently caught Gropher or Terakihi.

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#2710285 20-May-2021 16:58

My wife complains when I cook smelly foods or stuff she can't stand, so I wait until she's goes away for a couple of days. I then feast on liver and bacon, kippers, etc.

She's already planning her next couple of days away and I'm looking forward to my kippers-for-breakfast day!

Shindig

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#2710289 20-May-2021 17:15

I always cook bacon at the same time, and the smell in the kitchen is awesome!

Some people who lived up the street always cooked their meat or fish outside on the BBQ; come rain or shine

The little things make the biggest difference.

Eva888

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#2710329 20-May-2021 19:44

I have an extension cord and use the electric frypan outside.

Batman

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#2710334 20-May-2021 20:15

1101:

I was once told the smell is because the fish isnt fresh , any truth to that? .

kind of. from experience fish starts to stink within a few hours of killing it. no i don't (know how to) ikejime ...

to stop it stinking you really need to

1. kill it ikejime (stops muscle contraction producing metabolic by products that make it rot start sooner)

2. drain ALL the blood (it stinks)

3. freeze it straightaway (kills parasites)

for the supermarket fish - they were caught in the ocean a long time before you managed to buy it. nothing wrong with that ... but yeah your nose ...

Batman

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#2710335 20-May-2021 20:18

1101:

Any varities that dont smell so much when being cooked ?

obsessively paper towel dry the fish many many times so that the stinky liquid is dumped in the bin and not released into your house is your best bet

hio77

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#2710337 20-May-2021 20:32

Only serve it in small quantities as cat food, problem solved

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farcus

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#2710408 20-May-2021 23:29

Batman:

1101:

I was once told the smell is because the fish isnt fresh , any truth to that? .

kind of. from experience fish starts to stink within a few hours of killing it. no i don't (know how to) ikejime ...

to stop it stinking you really need to

1. kill it ikejime (stops muscle contraction producing metabolic by products that make it rot start sooner)

2. drain ALL the blood (it stinks)

3. freeze it straightaway (kills parasites)

for the supermarket fish - they were caught in the ocean a long time before you managed to buy it. nothing wrong with that ... but yeah your nose ...

as already mentioned above - there is some oily fish that has a pungent odour no matter how fresh.

e.g. my absolute fav fish is サバ (Japanese Spanish Mackerel.)

Of course we can only buy it frozen in NZ - but even in Japan when absolutely fresh it is a pretty oily, smoky fish that is always going to leave an odour.