Easy Ways to Eliminate Fish Odor

If you love eating fish but aren’t a big fan of that fishy smell that clings to your hands, cooking utensils and even the entire room, it might be enough to dissuade you from making it at home. Fortunately, getting rid of that strong odor isn’t as difficult as you might think. Whether you’re a legendary chef or a newbie, here are some tips that will solve the problem forever.

How to remove fish smells from your hands:

  • Soap and water. Ah, but don’t just run your hand through hot water first! You’ll end up cooking the fishy remains, and that would be downright gross. Instead, you should rinse away those remains with cold water first. Then move on with warm water and soup. However, this is a super obvious and boring solution, so let’s look at the others. CJ Jackson, CEO of Billingsgate Seafood Training School, is a firm believer that water and soap is all you need. ‘Cold water first is key,’ she told us. ‘This is to remove any fish remains or scales from your hands. If you wash with hot water first you run the risk of cooking the fish remains!’ Once you’ve done the cold-water stage, wash your hands with hot, soapy water – and that’ll do the trick.
  • Toothpaste. You probably thought that toothpaste was only for brushing your teeth. But if famed restaurateur Mitch Tonk is to be believed, it’s also an effective substitute for soap. In fact, squeeze a little dab into your hand, scrub and rinse just as you would with hand soap.

How to remove fish smells from chopping boards and utensils:

  • Hydrogen peroxide. This is a conventional sterilizing solution that is cheap and easy to use. It removes and cleans the fish residue from your cookware, forks and knives effortlessly. It’s also non-toxic.
  • Just say “no” to the lemon idea. Some folks think rubbing your utensils and chopping boards with lemons will eliminate the smell, but in reality you’re just wasting a perfectly good lemon. A cold water rinse followed by hot water and a squirt of dish soap is all you need.