Abstract: Freshwater fish products are popular among consumers for their high protein and low fat contents and favorable flavors and aromas. Substances that contribute to favorable flavors are generated through various complex biochemical reactions acting on soluble substances in fish. These complex reactions include protein degradation, lipid oxidation, the Maillard reaction, and the interaction between the Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation. Favorable flavors in processed freshwater fish products are major indicators of quality and predictors of consumer preference and exert an important influence on the industrial production and promotion of processed freshwater fish products. This paper systematically reviews the flavor characteristics, flavor formation mechanism, influencing factors and regulation methods of prepared freshwater fish products. In addition, on the basis of a full understanding of flavor formation, important research directions in the future development of prefabricated freshwater fish products are also discussed. In future research, it's necessary to continuously innovate the technology, pay attention to the dose-response relationship between the concentration of flavor compounds and their flavor characteristics, and determine the concentration range of key flavor compounds in freshwater fish and their products that can present acceptable umami and produce fishy odor, so as to realize the precise regulation of the undesirable flavor of freshwater fish and their products.