What can give rocket salad (Eruca Sativa) a fish smell? I bought an 'already washed' plastic tray of rocket salad (arugula, or _Eruca Sativa_) enclosed in a sealed plastic bag. It has been kept in the refrigerator for four days. When I opened it, some 12 days before the "best before" date, I noticed a strong smell of fish. I am a regular consumer of this sort of vegetable, I also have some in my garden, so I know how it smells. Yet, by searching on the net I realized that other people have lamented this fish smell in their pre-washed arugula salads. I am wondering now where does this fish odor come from? Can it come from the plant itself, or is it a side-effect of industrial washing? What exactly is giving this smell? Bacteria, molds, natural decomposition of the plant's essences, or something else? (Following my instinct I threw the salad away, but I did taste a few leaves and it did not taste 'bad' or 'foul'. It was just the smell that was off.)

Complete guess - the arugula could contain or be decomposing into amine-containing compounds (known to have a fishy smell).

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