freezing your catch

[ibanez72781]

I apologize if this has already been discussed.

How does everyone freeze fish? I don't have a food saver. I heard the best way is to put water in a freezer bag with the fish and freeze. Any help would be great.
Thanks

[er-e-is]

What kind of fish and how do you cook them? I take trout fillets, cut into 2'' wide strips, bread them (egg wash and Itallian Seasoned bread crumbs), place them flat on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Once frozen I vac seal them, again flat, so they don't stick together. When ready to cook go straight from the freezer to the deep fryer. Almost as good as fresh.

[ibanez72781]

I would be freezing perch fillets.

[evaxx]

we freeze our perch by soaking them overnight in salt water once filleted (obviously), and then draining that off, and putting them in ziplock bags, getting all the air out and freezing. they last us like 5 months if they last us that long. we eat fish often, so im not sure how long they'd last, but ours dont last that long taste just like they were caught that day, so there pretty fresh. we do that with all our fish, saltwater fish, freshwater, panfish, big fish. doesnt matter. 

happy fishing.

[Zern]

I never tried soaking them in salt water over night. Will have give that a try.

 I take the fillets (perch&bluegill) rinse them off good and put them in a ziplock baggy covered with water. Measured out for one meal per baggy. But I have the same problem as Evaxx. They never last that long in the freezer to find out how long they will last!!

 good eating!!

[icerod]

I do the same as evaxx does it except i put fresh water back on the fish in the freezer bag.  That way there is no freezer burn on the fish if in too long.. My fish will last about 6 months to a year doing it this way.  Usually the fish don't stay in the freezer that long, but on occasions they have and they taste just fine.

[Russ-T]

Zip lock bag filled with water. force out all the air then freeze. I've eaten fish that's been in the freezer two years later and they were fine. (to much stuff in freezer and a bag of fish were hidding). I have a vacuum sealer but this is still how I freeze my fish.

[wallyboss]

First I put about 6" of water in the sink, then I put my fillets in a plastic bag ( I use milk bags that I wash out.) then I put that plastic bags in the sink to get all the air out of the plastice bag. then I close with a twist tie.  Then I put that bag into another plastic bag and fill that one with water.  I used to put the water straight in with the fish but I found that the fillets were too watery when I thawed them out.   My takes a bit longer but it sures makes a difference .

[deam]

I fillet fish boneless and skinless without water put a meal portion in sandwich bag then in larger freezer bag with other portions.Have used water to get air out of bags.

[jasper jo 09]

I vacuum pack all of mine they take up less room in the freezer. I have eaten them as far as 16 month later and they were just fine. I also do the salt water soak.

   Hook-em & Cook-em  Jasperjo

[MoJoRisin]

for perch or gills - cover in water in ziplock bag and freeze. I have some that I just used about 1 month ago that were pushing 2 yrs. I gotta get into more because my stock is depleting. Just let them drain well when you take them out before breading.

That or bread them fresh and freeze on sheetpan with clear plastic between layers -  then seperate them and put into ziplocks and put back into freezer - ready to fry up!!

[swillerjig]

Anyone freeze fish whole?? My buddy said for short term you can just stick em in the freezer whole uncleaned??  Thaw em out cut em up and eat??  He said your only freezing the fish once,  (frozen from being on ice)??