Can You Still Eat Fish If It Smells Bad?

If you notice an unpleasant smell, you should stop preparing and eating the fish, even if you want to fry it for 6 minutes on both sides. The older the fish, the stronger the smell. You probably won’t want to eat it with relish either.

The smell of very fresh fish is reminiscent of: salt water, pond, seaweed. Fresh fish smells like fresh fish, grass, harbor or neutral.
If the fish is still edible, it smells sour, fruity or even vegetable. Spoiled fish smells putrid, of cabbage, acrid, penetratingly fishy. In any case, keep your hands off!