By inoculating Lactobacillus sakei， taking the natural fermentation as control， the effects of the strain on edible quality and volatile flavor in stinky mandarin fish during fermentation was analyzed. The results showed that the characteristic garlic clove of stinky mandarin fish inoculated with Lactobacillus sakei was regular， whiter and brighter than the same phase of natural fermentation group. The color of fish of inoculated fermentation group， including brighter and whiter， were better than natural fermentation group； the hardness was lower than natural fermentation group and the springing， adhesiveness， cohesiveness and chewiness were all higher than natural fermentation group. 36 volatile flavor components were detected in the two groups， the volatile flavor in inoculated fermentation group during the fermentation process changed more significant than in natural fermentation group. The content of malodorous methanethiol in the finished products decreased obviously and the components with plant fragrance such as linalool， alpha-terpineol， alpha-pinene and limonene and so on were increased obviously， which enhanced the flavor of products. The research results had important value for enriching the basic theory system of stinky mandarin fish fermentation.