Salt-crust bass tasted really bitter
I'm trying to figure out why a fish I cooked tasted pretty nasty.
I bought a whole farm raised striped bass from the Asian seafood market. It was US farm raised. The eyes were bright and not cloudy or desiccated. It didn't have much fishy-smell, so I assumed it was good.
My first mistake is that I didn't put it on ice when I brought it home. It just went straight into the fridge inside its package, bottom shelf. It smelled fine when I brought it out.
I cleaned the fish by scissoring around the anus up to the gills, drawing out the viscera and discarding, then I cut out the gills by snipping wherever I could until they came out. Head stayed on. I cut out the fins. I did not descale it. Another possible problem.
I rinsed it copiously, getting all the blood off. I laid spring onions, garlic, and lemon slices into the cavity as aromatics. I then built a salt crust around it and baked 450F/225C for 30 mins. The center temp was well over 130 (came up to like 180-190 actually) which was overcooked. That might have been my third mistake.
My question to you:
Was it possibly a crappy fish? Can fish just taste bad even though it's fresh because it was fed a bad diet and/or improperly handled?
Was the storage/cleaning process wrong?
Was the cooking process wrong?
Best Answer
If the fish is left with guts inside for a long time, the biliary fluids may seep from the gall bladder into the meat, causing a bitter taste, this can also happen if you break the gall bladder while cleaning the fish.
Pictures about "Salt-crust bass tasted really bitter"
Why does my fish taste bitter?
The presence of bile in whole fish and fish viscera is shown to cause bitterness in fish protein hydrolysates. The fat and ash content could also cause bitter taste.Why is sea bass bitter?
If the fish is left with guts inside for a long time, the biliary fluids may seep from the gall bladder into the meat, causing a bitter taste, this can also happen if you break the gall bladder while cleaning the fish.Why is my fish soup bitter?
This process occurs during cooking. The longer the bones and meat cook, the more the proteases break the bonds connecting the proteins, and the more amino acids get detached (source). It just so happens that we taste many of these amino acids and protein fragments as bitter.Does sea bass have a strong taste?
Sea Bass. Sea Bass is particularly recommended for those who recoil at the overly fishy taste/smell of some other fish. With its mildly sweet flavor, high fat content and full, meaty consistency, it's easy to enjoy even for those averse to seafood.Thomas Keller's Salt-Crusted Striped Bass - 2009-12-09
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Marta Dzedyshko, Guillaume Meurice, Pixabay, Edward Eyer