How to tell if fish is rotten?!
How to tell if fish is rotten?
I feel silly even asking, but I've never worked with fish before. It has sat in my fridge for 3 days and now it smells....not like salmon! But the smell isn't pungent or overpowering.
Also: will I be able to tell if it's rotten after it's cooked? Will it look or taste any different than good fish? I'm poaching it right now.
Answers:
You never want to keep fish in the fridge for three days, unless you bought it from a fisherman the day it was caught. (Even then it would be a shame not to have it fresh).
Fresh fish has no odor. Rotting fish smells like what you're describing. Throw it out, we've all done this once or twice. Next time buy fish the day you want to cook it or the day before at the earliest. Frozeb fish is not quite as good as fresh, but if you can't cook your fish the day you buy it it's better to freeze it, than to let it sit in the fridge for a few days.
Whole fish will have clear eyes, not foggy. Cut fish will have a springy texture, not a squishy one (your finger shouldn't go into the flesh easily).
Don't worry, we've all done this.
Oh, yeah and if you do cook it, it will still taste and smell bad.
oh you will know!! it will smell so bad........
Be sure to tune in for the correct answer in another hour!
It stinks and tastes crappy.
When its covered in crawling maggots. Your fish should be fine if you rinsed it well. Having it poached will remove much of its strong taste.
* The eyes should appear bright and clear, almost alive! The gills should be reddish and the skin moist and with tightly adhered, shiny scales.
* Fresh salmon flesh will give slightly when you press it with a finger, then spring back into shape.
* Fresh salmon never smells fishy, it smells... fresh.
* When you get home from the market, unwrap your salmon, wipe it gently with a damp cloth, then tightly wrap in plastic or foil and store in the bottom of your refrigerator. Enjoy it within two days.
* Choosing salmon steaks or fillets? Whether they're fresh or previously frozen, look for moist, translucent - never dried out - flesh.
* But the easiest way is to buy canned salmon, good year-round. Fresh caught, sealed in cans, then cooked for perfect flavour and always ready to eat.
Storing Tips
Storing salmon is easy. Place the fish on a platter or pan with a double layer of paper towel underneath. Put two or three slices of lemon on the top of the fish, then dampen a tea-towel with tap water and lay over top. Wrap the fish and tray with cling-wrap and store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Salmon will store well this way for up to two days.
Three if you push it.
Real good.
Smell-If it smells bad-throw it out! Go you your local fish place, ask them to let you smell "FRESH FISH". Once you do, you'll know what it smells like. If buying a whole fish, look at the eyes, they should be clear, not glassy. Fish is hard to deal with, smell is best. Get a 'baseline' as to what a good fish smells like, use your instincts. Regards-Bob.
It smells worst then it already does.
Cause it's really mean to everyone and it has no remorse.