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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Hardwater Cuisine => Topic started by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 03:32 PM

Title: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 03:32 PM
i just read an article on long term preservation of fish and was wondering the best way to preserve fish for just 7-10 days?

fillet then freeze or freeze the whole fish also to gut or not to gut?
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kappydick on Jan 31, 2005, 03:36 PM
bored or not bored?       lol   just kidding    looks like kueka is a bust for us
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 03:39 PM
why is that?
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kappydick on Jan 31, 2005, 03:42 PM
kill'em filet'em eat'em can't get any better than that
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kappydick on Jan 31, 2005, 03:43 PM
might want to add cook'em unless you like sushi
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: hardwater Rick on Jan 31, 2005, 03:48 PM
what is the reason arch?    I would not freeze a whole fish for days and then plan on eating it.. freeze fillets for months with vacum seal..
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 03:59 PM
i heard you get freezer burn even when you vacum seal i heard your supposed to rinse with ascorbic acid then freeze in a baggie or tupperware with water for anything over a couple weeks thats just what i read thats why i started this thread to find input from people whove actually done it
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kappydick on Jan 31, 2005, 04:03 PM
i've always heard to freeze them in water also, but i like to keep what i can eat that day or the next only, arch i'm the one bored not you...my truck will be finished tomorrow then this dude is going fishing for a couple of days..they say keuka probablt won't freeze this year
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: hali-man on Jan 31, 2005, 04:10 PM
I sometimes will leave fish frozen for a couple days, then clean and cook it.
Not quite as tasty, but sometimes you just don't have a choice.
Fresh is best!
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 04:11 PM
that stinks but theres alot more lakes we can hook up at though :tipup:

why im askin is sometimes i feel like fish during the week and only really get out during the weekends so if i get a couple fish on sat whats the best way to preserve them till thurs?
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: cnyfishing on Jan 31, 2005, 05:08 PM
Fillet them then freeze them in water.
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 05:09 PM
whats the best way to go about freezeing in water?
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kappydick on Jan 31, 2005, 05:18 PM
falling through the ice yuk yuk, man i need to get fishing
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 05:20 PM
at least now your truck is done and you dont have to bug your brother to take you  ;D :tipup: ;D
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kappydick on Jan 31, 2005, 05:23 PM
amen to that...and thank god for a bro like him....saved me about $900 on labor
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Jan 31, 2005, 05:24 PM
prob cost alot in beer though lol ;)
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: TheOutdoorsman on Jan 31, 2005, 05:26 PM
Frozen fish that's been filleted and put in the freezer for days is never the same as it was...I fillet the fish as soon as I get home...cook them as soon as I can!  If I have too many to cook for dinner...I put them on the smoker!  No use freezing...
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: TroutFishingBear on Jan 31, 2005, 08:26 PM
vacuum sealing is the way to go. If you have a quality vacuume sealer, you can save fish filets for several months at least in the freezer and it will taste as fresh as the day you vacuum sealed it. I don't know who said it causes freezer burn, but that's not correct.
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: archbishop on Feb 01, 2005, 07:11 AM
troutfishingbear no one said it i read an article thats why i started this post to ask people who have accually tried different things
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: Bear_Lake_Bob on Feb 02, 2005, 09:15 PM
Get a quart size ZIP LOC Bag. Place enough fillets in the bag for a meal. Add more than enough ice cold water to cover the fillets. Squeeze the bag to remove most of the air, leaving enough room for expansion. Zip it closed. Place this zip Loc Bag into another Zip Loc Bag and seal that one. I usually place a small card inside the 2nd Zip Loc Bag to indicate species, number of pieces, and date caught.

This method is as good as it gets, don't let anyone tell you different.The only freezer burn you may run into may be a small end piece sticking above the water line, which is rae if done properly. Fish preserved like this last for years.

Nothing beats going into your freezer during off season times, and pulling out a packet of these fillets. I usually buy store boughten shrimp, scallops and the like to add to the fillets I preserve, when I want a nice fish/seafood dinner( I let my guests eat all the junk seafood, and I hit the Perch or Callico fillets )works great that way!

Bear_Lake_Bob :'( :-* :-\ :P :tipup:
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: Fish Monger on Feb 03, 2005, 08:36 PM
I always gut mine. Then freezing lasts however long I want it to. I've eaten fish nearly a year old. I always freeze them in a ziplock back in water so that they are encased in ice. I actually find it easier to fillet once they have been froze then thawed, like the meat wants to seperate easier.
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: kerosenecounty17 on Mar 02, 2005, 07:46 PM
You guys might want to try a little trick I just picked up from an old guy I know.  Fillet your fish and bread them.  I like to use a flour/egg/cracker crumb breading.  After they're breaded, lay them out on a cookie sheet (or sheets if you did really well), and put them in the freezer (this way they freeze seperately and aren't all stuck together).  Once they're frozen, place them into a ziplock (or double ziplock) and throw them in the freezer.  It's really convenient.  When you're hungry for fish, grab a half dozen fillets out of the bag and heat up the deep fry'r.  It's simple, and it seems if they go straight from frozen to fried with no thaw time in between they taste as close to fresh as you can get.  The guy also said (and this makes some sense) that the fish will last longer because the breading helps to protect against freezer burn.  I don't know if that's true or not, as this is the first year I've tried it.  Any fish that I freeze from now on will be frozen this way.

kc17
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: C.C. on Mar 03, 2005, 08:24 PM
I USE THE WATER AND ZIPLOK BAG THING. GOOD FOR A YEAR OR SO.
          JIM
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: tuckerdg1970 on Mar 04, 2005, 05:07 PM
When freezing fish in water add a little lemon juice.
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: icejunky on Mar 15, 2005, 06:23 PM
fillet them for sure. If you have to freeze them, do so in small portions or one or 2 pieces, that way you can thaw only what you need.
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: HIMO on Nov 23, 2005, 01:43 PM
Hey arch, what I do is fillet the fish and put in tupperware containers. make sure the fillets are pushed down below the surface of the water and then put in the freezer. after the water freezes, take the ice block out of the container and vacumn seal. guaranteed, NO FREEZER BURN.

                                              HIMO
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: 4x4elk on Jan 07, 2006, 09:06 PM
I have froze fish for a year at a time in water and when it was time to eat it was just fine. But it did taste a little fishy ::)
Title: Re: preservation of fish?
Post by: sledneck on Jan 07, 2006, 10:20 PM
I have always frozen dove, quail, and pheasant in water as well... seems to help prolong shelf life with birds as well as fish.