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As per the title, we have tried fish and chips from several local fish and chip shops, and whenever we get in the car to drive home with them we instantly smell the fish.

However a new fish and chip shop opened recently, and the fish has no smell at all. Haddock or Cod it doesn't matter.

The fish from the none smelly shop possibly seems a little softer too.

What could be causing this?

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    Fresher fish? Welcome to the site!
    – Stephie ♦
    Aug 30, 2016 at 16:55
  • Apart from the lack of smell, what's it taste like?
    – Carl H
    Sep 2, 2016 at 7:28
  • Probably its not fish such as Cod or Haddock. Many shop s in UK are fraudulent my using taste likey cheaper fish. Some shops are being fined for fish fraud crime.
    – Maggie Allen
    Mar 19, 2017 at 13:24

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very very fresh fish won't smell fishy, and the fishy smell comes from proteins breaking down with age. Texture also degrades and becomes softer with fish that isn't fresh, so what you're describing fits perfectly with this new shop just serving fresher fish.

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    Or, if they change their frying oil more often than the others, those odors don't accumulate and get passed on as much, but more probably the freshness.
    – PoloHoleSet
    Aug 30, 2016 at 18:46
  • Hmmm, the problem I have is that the fish from the new shop that doesn't smell is the softer fish, and this is the opposite of the smelly, older fish being softer. I wonder if they could be using older fish, but marinading it in something to get rid of the smell? Anyway, I appreciate you all taking the time to answer, I'll just have to ask the guy next time I go in and see what he has to say. I'll report back!
    – Paul Fin
    Aug 31, 2016 at 10:19
  • that's very interesting, and I can't think of anything that would get rid of the fishy smell without making the fish firmer (acids) and also not significantly flavor the fish.
    – Sdarb
    Aug 31, 2016 at 15:43
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    @bigsandwich I associate that smell with fish that is less than sea-fresh. I also associate fishy smell with ammonia, a sure sign that the fish should be served to the cat! My friends from France & Italy often remark that fishmongers in the UK have a "fishy" smell, something rarely encountered on the continent. A soft texture may also indicate that the fish has been frozen and that it hasn't been allowed to thaw in a timely way. I came across this with a Dover Sole in a famous French restaurant here in Southeast Asia. It was probably frozen rather than chilled (as claimed) in transit
    – Peter Point
    Nov 11, 2016 at 16:30

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