The Simple Step To Remove Fishy Odors From Shrimp

Is grocery store shrimp fresh? That's a complicated question, but, regardless of where you buy it, sometimes shrimp has an unpleasant fishy odor that can be off-putting. Keep in mind that even fresh-caught seafood is going to have a bit of natural brininess, but as shrimp is exposed to air, proteins on its surface will start to break down and amplify that smell of the sea. We aren't talking about an acrid smell of ammonia that indicates shrimp have gone bad, as you don't want to even try and "fix" that ... just throw the shrimp away! Rather, we're referring to a funk that isn't rotten or pungent, just stronger than we'd prefer. Luckily, there are steps you can take to neutralize fishiness in shrimp, both in aroma and taste, before cooking.

The secret is something that you already have at home: salt. All you have to do is lay the peeled, deveined shrimp out in an open bowl, sprinkle with a teaspoon of regular table salt, and stir the shrimp around with a spoon. As you do so, the salt will help to soak up the unpleasant fishiness. After a couple of minutes, simply rinse the shrimp well under cold running water. Voilà! Now you have shrimp that are clean in both fragrance and taste, ready for grilling, frying, or even "cooking" in lemon juice for ceviche!

Speaking of shrimp, Foodie's sister site, Tasting Table, had a conversation with Bart van Olphen, chef, cookbook author, and co-founder of Sea Tales, a sustainable fish company based in New York. Van Olphen had some pro tips for totally nuking fishiness, even in stubborn cases. "It is also possible that the juice around the shrimp causes the smell and not necessarily the shrimp itself," he advises. In this case, a bath in something acidic like citrus juice or buttermilk will help knock any lingering fish odor from your protein. If you know how long shrimp lasts in the fridge, which is only a day or two, you understand that this seafood doesn't have a big window in which it's safe to serve. Again, remember that you can rinse or soak away a bit of mild fishy tang ... never a smell that's foul or offensive, which is almost a sure sign that the shrimp has gone bad.

Some folks choose to soak seafood before cooking as a matter of course, as it eliminates much of the muddy taste that might sit in the flesh. Catfish, for instance, benefits from a nice buttermilk bath to "cleanse" it before cooking. If you are averse to even a clean fishy flavor, salting or soaking your shrimp is going to greatly enhance your enjoyment of both prepping and eating this popular protein.

Static Media owns and operates Foodie and Tasting Table.