Does freezing fish for a week or so improve its table fair?
Submitted by br3nno on Sat, 2015-09-19 01:40
So a friend knows someone who owns a trailer in shark bay. They gave me some real top quality fish, it was probably put in an ice bath, filleted then strucked to perth.
Now I've caught whiting, snapper and dhufish myself. I bleed all my fish and eat them fish. But this fish was probably a week fresh and it was the best tasting fish I'd ever eaten. I think it was a snapper species, but anyways, does freezing for a bit improve the taste?
Cheers
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BC
Meeuwissen
Posts: 755
Date Joined: 29/03/13
I prefer my fish fresh
the only advice I would give is once the fish are filleted put the fillets in a bucket of salt water. Once you kill a fish bleed it and put it straight in a ice slurry. The only thing I'll put in a freezer is shark fillets for 2 weeks to.get that ammonia smell out.
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luke george
Posts: 554
Date Joined: 13/04/07
99% of fish will be better
99% of fish will be better fresh, as meeuwissen mentioned shark is good to freeze for a while first but almost everything else eat it as fresh as possible. I try not to allow filleted meat to sit in water as I believe it waterlogs it and can soften the it up
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
When Bob & I caught
fish, he spiked the fish, cut their throats, put in a ice slurry till we got home (in boat) to fillet. He found that having the fish in the ice slurry on the way home to fillet kept the flesh firmer, easier to fillet. We cryvac'd all fish and then froze immediatly, as we had our onsite van in Leeman at the time all fish caught was frozen, except for when we had a fed of nice fleshly caught (either) dhuie, BB, snapper or whiting. Bob used to freeze shark (small) after bleeding etc.
Shark was frozen as stated above for at least 2 weeks. My favourite fish, love shark. Was so happy one time out, caught 3 whiskieres (had to move) and I was in heaven.
I could never tell the difference between fresh or frozen as ate fish under dures hahahaha except shark.
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WestOz
Posts: 45
Date Joined: 10/08/15
Up here Bluebone, Snapper
Up here Bluebone, Snapper and Trout freeze really well. I generally spike, bleed them, then on ice till home then fillet and vacuum seal and into the freezer. Have kept them frozen for months at a time and still taste great.
aaasnapper
Posts: 218
Date Joined: 15/01/10
Agree with what is mentioned
Agree with what is mentioned above, although the most important step is to never wash your seafood in fresh water. I will use the seawater to wash the fish/fillets that the fish was brought home with. Similarly, as Luke mentioned don't soak the cleaned fish of fillets in the water as it will turn mushy.
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Meeuwissen
Posts: 755
Date Joined: 29/03/13
Definitely never clean with freshwater
I have had to educate friends on this who thought it wouldn't matter. I have never had my fish go mushy in a bucket of salt water, possibly because I put block ice in there. Also before we vacuum seal the fish we put it in the fridge uncovered so it sucks some of the moisture out.
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choc
Posts: 670
Date Joined: 05/01/12
Roberta is onto it with the
Roberta is onto it with the ice making flesh firmer and easier to fillet.
The only fish (except sharks) that I know of, that freezing makes better, is Blue Groper. Also cleaned squid tubes freeze really well and cook up nice and tender.
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Don't drop your fillets into water.
Fresh or salt, it just washes the oils out, and the oils in fish are what gives it flavour. See that stuff floating on top of the water, that oily sheen? Theres some of your flavour, and you are throwing it out. Very noticeable with most kinds of fish. "But how do you get the blood/slime off? " I hear you say. if you handle it carefully, you won't get any. If the fish is properly bled then properly chilled in a slurry, there won't be any blood flowing. And, if there is, just scrape it off. The odd scale? don't worry about it, flick them off when you are prepping for the table. I'll even cut a very thin layer of flesh off, if necessary, if there is any blood, as the enzymes in blood will turn the flesh brown where it touches, and spoil the flavour a bit. But that can be cut off when you prep for the table as well, if necessary.
When filleting, try not to cut the gut contents, as bile (yellow/green stuff)will REALLY send the flesh off, most people know this. The quick chilling of caught fish in a good slurry really is the biggest advance in keeping fish good for the table--several days in a good slurry is no worries for quality, different to just leaving them on ice. They'll fillet better, as the flesh is set, and if the flesh temp is kept low during the filleting/packing process, and they are then frozen QUICKLY, the quality will be right up there.
IMO, dropping your fillets in a bucket of water belongs to the age of chucking unbled fish in a hessian bag and leaving them lying in the bottom of the dinghy all day, long past.
tassy
Posts: 372
Date Joined: 30/06/14
There is no occasion when
There is no occasion when frozen fish is beter than fresh. fresh water ruins fish. Frsh fish is best of all at all times :).
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JohnF
Posts: 2839
Date Joined: 07/07/10
Squid is better after being
Squid is better after being frozen IMO. Everything else fresh is best.
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holth
Posts: 812
Date Joined: 09/10/06
Yeah see it all the time.
Yeah see it all the time. Guys filleting fish at the ramp then rinsing under the tap water.
Worst one was last time at Exmouth l watched some guys every day wash quality fillets at yardi homestead filletting table with bore water. I did mention about not rinsing especially with that crap water but they didnt care.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Day After
I leave all my fish on ice till the day after we get in, that way the flesh sets properly and makes them easier to fillet.
DO NOT wash the fillets in either fresh or salt water, all you are doing is rinsing the goodness out of them. If you have a bit of crap on a fillet then trim it off don't wash it or wipe it off. Once filleted, either wrap in many layers of clingwrap or vacuum seal as many do then freeze.
Shark improves out of sight if frozen for at least a week before eating.
mallesh
Posts: 254
Date Joined: 18/11/10
My opinion
Never wash the fillet in fresh water.
Always look after your catch..
Rules in my boat
1. Respect the fish and kill it humanely as possible
2. Never through the fish around, be gentle
3. Once bled give a quick wash and straight in ice slurry.
4. Once filleted never wash the fillet
5. Cray vac the fish when the fillet is cold and fresh
6. Don't waste the wings and fish frames (Good for stock or straight on the bbq)
7. Enjoy what this country has offered us.
Cheers
Keep Fishing. Stay Relaxed.
kirky79
Posts: 1354
Date Joined: 13/01/12
Oldbull
Posts: 179
Date Joined: 21/09/15
Don't wash
Spike fish and into an ice slurry. Even frozen water bottles in sea water will do. Flesh will set over a few hours.
Fillet as clean as possible and just scrape off any blood, guts or scales. Do not wash unless you have made a real mess and then in salt water quickly to just rinse off. Dry fillet with towel. Ice crystals of water will damage the fillet. Keep skin on and cryovac or into freezer bags. Get into a freezer asap and keep fillets separated as much as possible so fillets freeze quickly. Cryovaced fish with skin on will last months.