Ugh, is the cod bad?

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
I bought 1.5 pounds of cod from the Clarendon Whole Foods on Tuesday, and I marinated it last night overnight. The plan is to cook it tonight for dinner. Anyways, after taking it out of the paper packaging yesterday, it smelled really fishy. I've looked online, and it appears that cod shouldn't really smell at all.

It doesn't smell rotten and gross, but it definitely has a fishy odor. I guess my primary question: Is it safe to eat?
Thanks!

Signed,
Inexperienced in the kitchen, but trying...

[Anonymous]

Yes. I've gotten bad fish many times from whole foods. White fish should not smell fishy.

[Anonymous]

Cod goes bad really fast (way faster than Salmon), so you should try to eat it the day you buy it. (FYI, I would not marinate fish overnight because fish is very delicate and can absorb the marinade in a short time, such as a half hour).

If it smells fishy, it is fine to eat, but it should not be stinky! The fish is starting to go bad if it has a sharp, strong odor.

[Anonymous]

So annoying. I wish I had checked the cuts. The dude put the fish in the paper (with several end cuts, I later found out) and I was too nervous to check it out while he was packing it up. Lesson learned, I guess. I feel like it's probably safe to eat, no? It just might not taste as great?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cod goes bad really fast (way faster than Salmon), so you should try to eat it the day you buy it. (FYI, I would not marinate fish overnight because fish is very delicate and can absorb the marinade in a short time, such as a half hour).

If it smells fishy, it is fine to eat, but it should not be stinky! The fish is starting to go bad if it has a sharp, strong odor.

Thanks. I'm trying this recipe (and it actually calls for 2-3 day marinade, which seems long, right?)
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-nobu-miso-marinated-black-cod-117238

[Anonymous]

The old rule of thumb is that fish goes bad in 3 days. So you are at the 3 day mark now. It's probably fine and it's not unusual for even cod to smell fishy. Depending on what's in your marinade it might actually be cooking it a bit although it could also just be a bacteria breeding ground. Unfortunately the marinade is probably covering the smell of the fish so you won't really be able to tell if it's turned overnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cod goes bad really fast (way faster than Salmon), so you should try to eat it the day you buy it. (FYI, I would not marinate fish overnight because fish is very delicate and can absorb the marinade in a short time, such as a half hour).

If it smells fishy, it is fine to eat, but it should not be stinky! The fish is starting to go bad if it has a sharp, strong odor.

Thanks. I'm trying this recipe (and it actually calls for 2-3 day marinade, which seems long, right?)
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-nobu-miso-marinated-black-cod-117238

Did you get black cod (sablefish) or cod? I think there may be a diference since the sablefish is oilier and probably holds up better than regular cod.

The Nobu black cod is delicious - might have to try that recipe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cod goes bad really fast (way faster than Salmon), so you should try to eat it the day you buy it. (FYI, I would not marinate fish overnight because fish is very delicate and can absorb the marinade in a short time, such as a half hour).

If it smells fishy, it is fine to eat, but it should not be stinky! The fish is starting to go bad if it has a sharp, strong odor.

Thanks. I'm trying this recipe (and it actually calls for 2-3 day marinade, which seems long, right?)
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-nobu-miso-marinated-black-cod-117238

Did you get black cod (sablefish) or cod? I think there may be a diference since the sablefish is oilier and probably holds up better than regular cod.

The Nobu black cod is delicious - might have to try that recipe.

I bought regular cod since this is my first go at it. This fish is probably fine, I just don't want to make people sick!
The recipe looks promising, but we'll see. The Nobu black cod dish is, indeed, delicious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So annoying. I wish I had checked the cuts. The dude put the fish in the paper (with several end cuts, I later found out) and I was too nervous to check it out while he was packing it up. Lesson learned, I guess. I feel like it's probably safe to eat, no? It just might not taste as great?

Why were you nervous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So annoying. I wish I had checked the cuts. The dude put the fish in the paper (with several end cuts, I later found out) and I was too nervous to check it out while he was packing it up. Lesson learned, I guess. I feel like it's probably safe to eat, no? It just might not taste as great?

Why were you nervous?

Ha! I'm guess I'm a bit sheepish when it comes to buying food I know little about. It's silly.

[Anonymous]

I've returned food to Whole Foods several times. Usually it's produce.
Last month I returned a pound and a half of white fish. I had just kept it overnight in the fridge and it was not right. I lost the receipt so I just brought the fish (double wrapped in plastic) to the customer service counter.

[Anonymous]

I've gotten burned several times by Whole Foods when buying fish. Now I just don't.

[Anonymous]

Don't eat it. You will get sick.

[Anonymous]

Next time you get fish, go to one of the Korean grocery stores. They do much more turnover of product so fish tends to be very fresh. It can be intimidating though. The other advice whether it is Whole Foods or Korean, or any other fish/meat counter, choose exactly what you want pointing at specific cuts/fillets. Generally you want towards the head for the most tender fish or around the belly for the oiliest. Tail is tougher since that's how they push themselves around in the water 24/7. Interesting fish where this doesn't apply is Japanese eel, the tail end is better than the head in that one case.