fish storage

[uncle_bender]

i have some sculpin that i caught wednesday the 28th, does any one know how long it will stay fresh in the fridge?

[rockbass]

fillet the fish to your liking, then put the flesh in water filled baggies, and you can keep them frozen for up to a year. in the reefer, you can keep them underwater for about two weeks, or uncovered for two to three days.....let your nose be your guide....

[Fisher-of-Men]

Cleaning the fish is a must. I wouldn't eat a fish the next morning even if it had been in the fridge all night, if it hadn't been cleaned the day it was caught. The freezer is the best bet if you're not going to eat it right away. If it's in the fridge, you might be able to eat it on the third day but you better use your sniffer first. :wink:

Merry Christmas!

Fisher-of-Men

[Granny Fish]

IMHO - if the fish has been chilling in the frige for the last 7 days I'd feed it to the cat. I never let my fish sit in the frig for more than three days before I eat it.

Fish spoils very fast. It's important that you clean your fish as soon as possible after catching them or keep them alive until you clean them, as soon as they die bacteria starts to grow. Keep them cold until ready to eat or package up and freeze. It will last about 3 months in the freezer at the right temps. If you want it to last longer, invest in a vacuum sealer like Food Saver. You can get one for about $150 and your fish will last up to two years. Although, I can't remember fish ever lasting that long in my freezer.

[one_leg]

You didn't eat them as Sashimi the minute you got home? :shock:

If you don't freeze any of your fish you'll always have a great excuse to go fishing. You need more fresh fish!!!!

In any event, if you don't have a Food Saver vacuum sealer, you can keep them in Zip Lock Baggies.
It's best to not expose them to water if possible. I don't even rinse them in saltwater on the boat anymore.


Morgan, who works as a deckhand on the Spitfire at Redondo Sportfishing, told me how he would prepare fish for freezer storage if he didn't have a FoodSaver.


Pat the fillets down to remove as much moisture from the surface as possible, and place them in the baggie between more dry paper towels. Squeeze out as much air as possible before placing them in the freezer.

One_Leg

[Granny Fish]

Pat the fillets down to remove as much moisture from the surface as possible, and place them in the baggie between more dry paper towels. Squeeze out as much air as possible before placing them in the freezer.

That works pretty good. I have to agree about the water. In any case, your fish are only good in the freezer for about 3 months in zip locks, they begin to degress in quality after that. Vacuum packing extends the shelf life quite a bit more, up to 2 years at least. Really good if you catch lots of fish or are slow about getting around to eating them.

I noticed at Costco today you can get the Food Saver for $100 with the rebate. Makes a great Christmas gift. :wink:

[sansou]

Granny fish is spot on about vaccum sealers. I bought my first one a few years ago, and I wish I hadn't waited so long before doing so. Saves you tons of food, and the quality is far superior to freezer bagging, or the old school way of freezing your fish in milk containers.

The fact of the matter is, you can still get "freezer burn" on your fish even with a vacuum sealer, if you do not follow two basic rules:

1. make sure what you are sealing is relatively dry. (you don't want air pockets in your bag)
2. chill down your fillets/whole fish in the freezer before sealing, and then place it in the coldest part of your freezer immediately. If you're filleting a bunch of fish and sealing them, just put those already filleted pieces of fish (pat them down with paper towel first) in the freezer on a paper towel to get chilled down, instead of keeping them in room temp air. This trick expedites the freezing process.

Why?

The slower your product takes to freeze, the bigger the ice crystals will be. Bigger ice crystals essentially translates to crappy taste/meat texture and overall quality upon thawing. This is why fish processors employ "flash freezing". Faster the freezing, the smaller the molecules, the longer you're product will stay "fresh" and taste "fresh" upon thaw.


* I realize you can brine and freeze too, but I personally think that the brining cuts down on what recipes you can use the fish for later on....but I do agree brining will dramatically cut down freezer burn and extend shelf life. To each their own!

[Sparky70]

Vaccum sealers work great.
Just as an expierment I sealed some beaf-jerky homemade, stuck it in the freezer, dated the freezer bag. That was 3 years ago, took it out last week and it still tasted good.