Yes — Papain (natural Papaya-based enzymatic meat tenderizer) works well here. It's a broad-spectrum protease, meaning it doesn't discriminate between beef, game, or fish; it breaks down protein bonds wherever it finds them, which is exactly what's needed to hydrolyze fish into smaller peptides.
Because fish flesh is far more delicate than red meat, adjust your approach:
- Use less — start around 1/8 tsp per pound rather than standard meat ratios.
- Shorten contact time — aim for 5-15 minutes instead of 15-30, since fish proteins break down quickly.
- Watch closely — past a certain point, fish can turn mushy or overly soft, so check texture as you go.
- Dissolve before applying — for broths, ferments, or protein extraction, mix a pinch into a small amount of water or brine first so it distributes evenly over the fish instead of concentrating in one spot.
Since it's pure powder with no additives, you get a clean, predictable enzymatic reaction without other ingredients interfering with the process.