What is the best way to remove fishy smell?

Many of the foods we eat have a fishy smell. For example, fish and meat have different fishy smells, and we need to take steps to remove the fishy smell before cooking. But what is the best way to remove the fishy smell? The effect of removing fishy smell is different in different years. For example, cooking wine can be used to remove the fishy smell in meat. Vinegar is also good for removing fishy smells, and you can add some to animal food. In addition, using spices to remove fishy smell is also a method that everyone knows.

1. Neutralize and remove fishy smell

Animal food raw materials contain large amounts of nutrients such as protein, amino acids, lecithin, etc. Due to the action of the environment and their own bacteria, they will produce a variety of fishy substances. Adding an appropriate amount of vinegar during cooking to neutralize them and generate acetates can greatly reduce the fishy smell. In addition, tomato sauce contains organic acids such as citric acid and malic acid, which also have the effect of neutralizing and removing fishy smell. Of course, directly using tomatoes to cook fish and meat also has the effect of removing fishy smell.

2. Remove the fishy smell with alcohol

When some fishy substances with low boiling points and non-alkaline properties cannot be removed by neutralization, the dissolving and volatilization properties of alcohol (ethanol) on fishy substances can be used to heat fish and meat to evaporate the fishy smell. At the same time, ethanol can also react with aldehydes in the raw materials to generate aroma substances that can combine with organic acids to form esters. The combined effect of the two can remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor of the dishes. Therefore, if you want fish and meat to taste fresh and delicious, you can’t do without cooking wine and vinegar.

3. Spices to remove fishy smell

There are many kinds of spices in my country, and you can choose appropriately according to the specific situation. For example, onions contain volatile oils and allicin, and ginger contains gingerol. Zingiberene, gingerol, Zanthoxylum bungeanum and pepper contain Sichuan pepper, star anise contains anethol and anisol, cinnamon contains volatile oils and organic acids, etc. The above substances can reduce odor and enhance fragrance, especially when used in animal raw materials with strong fishy smell, the effect of removing fishy smell and enhancing fragrance is more obvious.

4. Heat to remove the fishy smell

Fishy substances with low boiling points can be removed by heating. Some fishy substances with higher boiling points can also be removed by long-term heating methods, such as stewing, braising, roasting, and grilling, or by allowing them to evaporate in hot oil. Most fishy substances are water-soluble to a certain extent. When cooking, you can use methods such as blanching or boiling water to remove the fishy smell before cooking.