Ever wonder how to get rid of the "fishy" odor of fish you're going to eat?
Water in the open ocean is about 3% salt by weight, but the optimal levels of dissolved minerals inside an animal cell is less than 1%. In order to maintain fluid balance, ocean creatures must fill their cells with amino acids and amines to counter the saltiness of seawater. Ocean fish tend to rely on trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) for this purpose.
The problem is that when fish are killed, bacteria and fish enzymes convert TMAO into trimethylamine (TMA), which gives off the characteristic “fishy” odor. (This is alkaline) This smell can be reduced in two ways. TMA on the surface of the fish can be rinsed off with tap water. Treating the fish with acidic ingredients such as lemon, vinegar, or tomato can also cause TMA to bind to water and become less volatile. Thus the odor compounds do not reach the nose.(alkaline TMA + acidic lemon juice = neutral substance i.e. no odor)
I've used vinegar and lemon juice with great success. I've not tried the rest of these, but since they are all acidic, they should work too. (ph 0=acid, 7=neutral, 14=alkaline)
lemon juice (pH: 2.00–2.60)
limes (pH: 2.00–2.80)
blue plums (pH: 2.80–3.40)
grapes (pH: 2.90–3.82)
pomegranates (pH: 2.93–3.20)
grapefruits (pH: 3.00–3.75)
blueberries (pH: 3.12–3.33)
pineapples (pH: 3.20–4.00)
apples (pH: 3.30–4.00)
peaches (pH: 3.30–4.05)
oranges (pH: 3.69–4.34)
tomatoes (pH: 4.30–4.90)
