Thread: Removing Strong Fishy Taste

My brother in law just got into fishing and the lake we usually fish in has a slot length for bass. 12-15 inches must go back. I told him I released the big ones because the ones I ate tasted like the lake.
He told me a Samoan friend told him they take their fish, keep them alive and put them in fresh water (they use their bath tub) we used a large cooler to let them breath out the lake water, we let it swim around, changing the water occasionally for a few hrs.
I "seemed" to help, the fish was great. We will still experiment with yet a larger one and if it tastes fine, then I will keep more large bass, as the conservation guy here said they would like people keep there limits of legal fish to control the populations.
But I won't keep them if I aint gonna eat'em.

The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission had an article recently where they said to soak potentially strong tasting fish in a gallon of water, 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to remove the strong taste. Don't know if it works as I haven't tried it yet, but if I do, I'll give a report.

simple solution ......soak your cat or any other fish in mustard in a small zip lock bag......then into the meal ( in a brown paper bag only) the bag pulls the moisture away from the meal helps cut down on clumping up....

My friend uses 7-Up or Sprite to soak fillets in before frying. It really
works well. Simple, fast and easy to do. Let us know what ya think if
try it.

I have soaked catfish in bowl of saltwater overnight. Zero fishy taste. Bowl of water, some sea salt dissolved, day in the fridge. That simple.

Originally Posted by tommyboyrn

Team M & M,
How long do you let the fish soak in the mountain dew??

Sorry it took so long to reply I had forgotten about this thread. I just put my fish in a big bowl and pour the mountain dew in and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refridgerator overnight. I have needed fish in an emergency when a family member hadn't taken out enough for a fish fry and we soaked them in buttermilk for 4 hours in the fridge and they came out very nice as well.

Mountain dew is just one option and milk works great & several other things too. I also have been known to soak my fish in crystal pepper sauce before battering them. It's like a hotsauce but not as spicy as tobasco. Just gives it a good flavor. You gotta mix it up once in a while so it doesn't get boring. Especially if your eating fish 3 times a week, lol

Most fish though I've learned like everyone else that if you see a dark line or reddish colored line running along the fillet to trim that out and that removes a lot of the bad fishy taste.

I'm going to soak some tonight in the Ark. G. & F. Comm.'s suggestion of 1 gallon of water, 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. I'll let you know how that turns out.

I got this from a cat-fisherman at the cleaning station......... cut off all fat and dark meat. I cut the larger cats into smaller pieces on the bias before soaking. Soak in cold water with salt and vinegar for about 15 or 20 min. I just guess about 2 or 3 T of salt and about 1/4 c of the vinegar. Agitate to dissolve and mix. Do this 3X then soak 3X again in plain water. I use refrigerated water the last time or two to start the cooling process.