River fish is cheaper than sea fish, and it is quite useful. But here's the problem - often purchased (and perhaps even personally caught) crucian carp, burbot, pike, catfish and other inhabitants of freshwater reservoirs emit an unpleasant smell of mud.
What to do if the fish smells like a swamp?
The treasury of folk wisdom has accumulated a lot of advice on this topic. Here are just a few of them.
1. The easiest way to freeze fish is to freeze it: the low temperature will eliminate all foreign odors. But if you want to eat it fresh, you need to do some manipulations.
2. For example, rub the cleaned and gutted carcass (both outside and inside) with ground dill seeds. After 20 minutes, the smell should disappear. Another option is grated nutmeg.
3. Baking soda is also suitable for these purposes. Rub the fish with it and rinse with running water after 10 minutes.
4. You can soak the fish for a couple of hours in juice squeezed from several lemons (adding a little water wouldn't hurt). Then rinse and start cooking. An alternative to juice is lemon zest poured with boiling water and cooled.
5. Instead of lemon juice, you can use table or apple cider vinegar for soaking. Place the fish pieces in slightly acidified water for half an hour.
6. Many housewives pour diluted milk over portioned pieces. After an hour, the milk is poured out; there is no need to rinse the fish.
7. You can generously rub the fish with salt, put it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator for one hour. Then rinse it in cool water with a little vinegar and dry it.
8. Or prepare a brine: for 3 liters of water - a glass of coarse salt. Keep the fish in this solution for an hour.
9. Another way: mix salt, black pepper and crushed bay leaves. Rub each piece with this mixture, pour a small amount of water and leave for 30-40 minutes.
10. Strongly brewed black tea will help get rid of the unpleasant smell; just keep the fish in it for an hour and a half.
11. You can marinate the fish in dry white wine or simply add it when stewing.
12. Another marinade recipe: put river fish fillet in an enamel pan, add salt, black pepper, garlic. Sprinkle with a small amount of vinegar, stir, cover and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
13. Since ancient times, there has been a method used when cooking fish soup. At the end, a shot of vodka is poured into the pan. It neutralizes the smell of mud.
14. If the fish is still alive, you should give it a chance to swim in clean water – in a bathtub, basin or bucket. A few hours will be enough to get rid of the swamp smell.
