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Common Ground News

What's the worst smelling fish?

Author

David Ramirez

Updated on March 05, 2026

What's the worst smelling fish?

According to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, even stronger than similarly fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoe or Japanese kusaya.

Also asked, what is the least smelly fish?

Arctic Char is very similar to salmon, but with a much milder flavor. Since it's less oily than salmon, it's lighter and creamier (and doesn't stink up your kitchen when you're cooking it). 2. Flounder is sweet with a delicate texture, making it ideal for people who are trying to get into fish for the first time.

Also, why does Surstromming smell so bad? The unique smell is attributed to autolysis in the fermentation, when the enzymes and bacteria create various acids. Some of those acids include propionic acid, butyric acid and acetic acid. The real culprit however is hydrogen sulfide which is normally associated with the pungent smell of bad eggs.

Subsequently, one may also ask, what rotting food smells the worst?

1. Surströmming. Swedish for "sour herring" this fish is salted just enough not to rot, then left for 6 months. The most putrid smelling food in the world - it is said to resemble a rotting corpse.

What is the stinky Viking Fish?

Surströmming, a fermented herring considered to be a famous delicacy in Sweden, is also known as one of the most pungent foods in the world. And there's one more must-have accompaniment: beer. Herring has been a key part of Swedish culture for centuries.

What are the four fish you should never eat?

  • Wild Caviar. Why it's bad: Caviar from beluga and wild-caught sturgeon are susceptible to overfishing, but the species are also being threatened by an increase in dam building that pollutes the water in which they live.
  • Red Snapper.
  • Chilean sea bass.
  • Orange roughy.
  • American Eel.
  • Imported King Crab.
  • Atlantic Salmon.

What's the worst smelling food?

According to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, even stronger than similarly fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoe or Japanese kusaya.

How do you stop cooking fish from smelling?

How to cut down on fish smells when you cook:
  1. Vanish with vinegar. Mitch tells us that when frying up fish, he leaves a small bowl of white vinegar next to the hob: it absorbs the odour and leaves the room smelling clean and fresh.
  2. Cook it al fresco.

Why is tilapia bad?

The bad news for tilapia is that it only contains 240 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per serving — ten times less omega-3 than wild salmon (3). If that wasn't bad enough, tilapia contains more omega-6 fatty acids than it does omega-3.

Is it OK if fish smells fishy?

Fishyodors begin to develop in fish immediately after they are caught and killed, as bacteria on the surface break down the compound trimethylamine oxide into stinky trimethylamine. As long as the flesh is still firm and the skin is shiny rather than slimy, this fish is still fine to cook and eat.

What is the healthiest fish you can eat?

The 8 healthiest fish that Zumpano recommends:
  • Salmon. The flesh of this oily fish has a characteristic orange to red color.
  • Mackerel. Another oily fish, mackerel is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, magnesium, and phosphorus.
  • Herring.
  • Tuna.
  • Lake trout.
  • Freshwater whitefish.
  • Halibut.
  • Bass.

Which is the tastiest fish?

What Is the Best Fish to Eat?
  • Cod. Taste: Cod has a very mild, milky flavor.
  • Sole. Taste: Sole is another fish with a mild, almost sweet flavor.
  • Halibut. Taste: Halibut has a sweet, meaty flavor that's widely popular.
  • Sea Bass. Taste: Sea bass has a very mild, delicate flavor.
  • Trout.
  • Salmon.

How do you cook without it smelling?

Here are five simple, inexpensive ideas.
  1. Close bedroom and closet doors while cooking.
  2. Ventilate however you can.
  3. Clean up immediately.
  4. Simmer your favorite spices.
  5. Leave a bowl of vinegar, baking soda, or coffee grounds on the counter overnight.

What is the stinkiest smell in the world?

These Are The Worst Smells in The World, According to Science
  • Uranus. Recent research has pinned down the fact the planet smells like rotten eggs.
  • Durian.
  • Rafflesia arnoldii.
  • Vieux Boulogne.
  • Ancient excrement.
  • The Lesser Anteater.

What does a bad potato smell like?

If a potato has become soft or mushy, you should throw it out. Though it's normal for potatoes to smell earthy or nutty, a musty or moldy odor is a hallmark of spoilage. A strong smell coming from an otherwise fresh-looking potato is a warning that the inside may have rotted or started to mold.

What does a rotten potato smell like?

TJ Donegan, Editor in Chief of Reviewed.com Cameras, says: "Rotten potatoes smell like ammonia and dead bodies."

What is the smelliest vegetable?

2. Smelly Veggies: The biggest culprits here are asparagus, onions, cabbage and -- as we found out -- broccoli. It's most offensive when you're cooking/reheating them, of course. Asparagus, cabbage and broccoli smell like someone let a flatulent dog into the office and fed it a can of beans.

Can you get food poisoning from smelling rotten food?

Smell does not usually contain bacteria, which carry disease and are much larger than the gaseous molecules that make up a smell. So the odor itself cannot make you sick.

What bacteria causes foul smelling stool?

Giardiasis is an infection caused by a parasite called Giardia. It causes diarrhea. Symptoms include explosive, watery, greasy, foul-smelling stools, bloating, nausea, pain, gas, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

Can Surstromming make you sick?

It's thought to be so bad for you to eat that the European Union is trying to ban it, but its smell alone can make you sick. Surströmming is a type of fermented herring that is traditionally enjoyed (really?) in Sweden near the end of summer. The whitefish is fermented in brine filled barrels, then canned.

Why do Swedes eat rotten fish?

There are many theories as to how surströmming became part of Sweden's culinary culture. The most colourful story traces its roots back to Swedish sailors in the 16th Century. The sailors were running low on salt -- which was commonly used to preserve food -- and their barrels of herring began to go bad.

Why do bad smells make you vomit?

Smells so irritating they make you cough or gag may act on a single type of cell in the nose that senses caustic chemicals and warns the brain of potential danger, US researchers say. Scientists thought such smells acted directly on nerve endings in the nose.

How are you supposed to eat Surstromming?

How to eat surströmming like a local: As the tin is pressurised, open the surströmming in a basin of water. Wash it, gut it, and wrap it in buttered tunnbröd, a type of sweetened flat bread, with slices of almond potatoes and diced onion. Accompany with beer, schnapps and lots of friends.

Is Surströmming safe to eat?

How to eat Surströmming: I strongly recommend having Surströmming in the summer months. As Surströmming has a really potent smell and also taste I would never ever have it “plain”. Only the combination of Swedish thin bread, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, sour cream and of course Surströmming makes it edible.

Can you eat rotten fish?

Eating some kinds of spoiled fish can cause dramatic symptoms. Common types of poisoning from spoiled fish include scombroid and ciguatera. Neither type of fish poisoning can be detected by taste or appearance. Neither can be prevented by cooking or freezing the fish.

Why do new clothes smell good?

It's just clean, soil free. If you clean with a fragrant cleaner, the smell is the perfume used. There is also the smell of dyes, azo-aniline and pyridine color and toughen fibers as well as emit their own particular fragrance. Triclosans are added to new clothes.

Is Surstromming illegal?

Surströmming: The Most Disgusting (And Partially Illegal) Fish You Can Eat.