What A Fishy Tasting Steak Reveals About Your Beef's Quality

If there's one thing you don't expect from your steak, it's a fishy flavor. (That should be reserved for seafood, but even seafood shouldn't taste fishy; It's supposed to be clean and mild.) If you're tucking into a steak at a restaurant or home and it tastes fishy, that's a sign your steak has gone past its prime.

Although some grass fed beef may have a fishy or gamey taste because of the cow's diet, that unpleasant flavor often means that the steak is old, which is never a good thing for meat. However, it may not mean that it's completely spoiled, so be sure you know how to tell if your meat has gone bad by checking for unusual colors, mold, and off-putting odors. 

As a steak begins to break down, it releases the chemical trimethylamine (TMA), which is commonly found in seafood products. This chemical is responsible for the development of that flavor, although there may not be any color changes to signify that the meat has gone bad. To avoid eating a steak with a fishy taste, make sure that you're buying the freshest meat possible. This will provide you with steak that has broken down as little as possible, meaning less TMA was produced before consumption. 

The best way to avoid excess TMA in your meat is to know when it was produced and how long it's good for. This way, you can be confident that your food isn't going to taste fishy by the time you cook it. Steaks will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-5 days after purchase.

You should still check the dates on any beef you buy before bringing it home to ensure it's as fresh as possible before you store it yourself. During beef production, different producers will use either dry-aging or wet-aging before the meat is sent to the store. These methods can take anywhere from one to three weeks, allowing the enzymes in the meat to break down and create a better product for the consumer.

This process does not translate to your home. Once purchased, the meat is at a stage in its life cycle where it should either be prepared and consumed or frozen for storage. Look for signs of your frozen meat spoilage like ice crystals or a slimy texture. Failure to do so will result in, at best, fishy-tasting meat and, at worst, foodborne illness.