Freezing crays - methods??

Hi all,

What are people's thoughts in freezing uncooked crays?

Traditionally I drown my crays then individually wrap them up in 500mm square BOPP plastic wrapping sheet.  This was commonly called "Cray Wrap" which commercial use to wrap up crays.  I found it kept the crays in good codition when frozen for months.

I have exhausted my supply of the plastic and cannot seem to get the same stuff anymore.

1.  Can anyone give me the heads up on where I can get some more?  Use to get it from Dysons Plastics in Balcatta but they have closed down.

2.  Are there any other methods to freeze uncooked crays?

 

Pots will be permanantly coming out of the water in about 4 days time.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Chris


Vinesh87's picture

Posts: 2751

Date Joined: 02/04/11

Wrap them in butchers paper!

Sun, 2014-12-14 10:02

Wrap them in butchers paper! Thats what i do. I have a couple from last year that i left in the freezer to see how they went. and yep all good!

Walfootrot's picture

Posts: 1386

Date Joined: 23/07/12

Put them on ice for 1/2 hr

Sun, 2014-12-14 15:15

Put them on ice for 1/2 hr then in plastic ziplock bags.

Dont like to drown them in fresh water as they start to obsord it.

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Paul_86's picture

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Date Joined: 27/03/09

http://fishwrecked.com/forum/

Sun, 2014-12-14 16:11

http://fishwrecked.com/forum/freezing-crays
Have a read of this mate, I asked the same question a few weeks ago and got lots of different methods.
I ended up putting crays in a bucket in the fridge for an hour to put them to sleep, then cutting off the feelers and legs, giving them a rinse off and then wrapping up tight in glad wrap and placing in the freezer head down.

Posts: 29

Date Joined: 23/01/14

 I have started to shell them

Sun, 2014-12-14 16:39

 I have started to shell them raw and then criovac the meat, I also have the other way of leaving them in the shell warped in baking paper and in a plastic zip lock. First season for me only time will tell

Posts: 401

Date Joined: 01/02/09

Apparently

Wed, 2014-12-17 08:11

 You are not allowed to have processed cray tails unless you are eating them that day.

Posts: 401

Date Joined: 01/02/09

Apparently

Wed, 2014-12-17 08:11

 You are not allowed to have processed cray tails unless you are eating them that day.

Scotte's picture

Posts: 1142

Date Joined: 07/12/06

Glad wrap then freeze

Mon, 2014-12-15 09:16

Glad wrap then freeze

dkonig82's picture

Posts: 2091

Date Joined: 06/07/10

Was always newspaper for me

Wed, 2014-12-17 04:42

Was always newspaper for me (after obligatory chill out period in the esky) then wrap the newspaper tight with some gaffa - straight into the freezer

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When asked by a non-fisherman 'how many fishing rods do you really need?' the correct answer is either:

n+1 (where n is the number of fishing rods you currently own); or

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OLD BANGA's picture

Posts: 267

Date Joined: 02/04/10

Milk Carton

Wed, 2014-12-17 06:42

Most crays will fit nicely into a 1litre milk carton when you cut off the feelers. Put the date of capture on the potside of the carton. Easy to store in the freezer. Always bleed the cray before freezing-cut off feelers and hang upside down for about 5 mins, you don't end up with all that black gunk in the cray. Works for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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OLD BANGA

OLD BANGA's picture

Posts: 267

Date Joined: 02/04/10

Milk Carton

Wed, 2014-12-17 06:57

Put the date on the outside of the carton, my fingers are too thick !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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OLD BANGA

Posts: 32

Date Joined: 25/10/12

 Remove the tail from the

Wed, 2014-12-17 14:46

 Remove the tail from the head, place the tail in a cryovac air sealed bag and it should stay fresh for a year

Vinesh87's picture

Posts: 2751

Date Joined: 02/04/11

Except it's illegal ?

Wed, 2014-12-17 16:30

Except it's illegal ?

Belly Fish's picture

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Date Joined: 09/03/12

Perhaps a change is required

Wed, 2014-12-17 16:52

That's one rule I don't think makes any sense.  Having to leave crays whole until ready for consumption makes storage problematic and guarantees they won't keep as long....and for what valid reason?

I've heard it's so Fisheries can come into your house and check if they are size, but I really don't buy that.  If that were true, then why don't we have to keep our fish whole as well so they can be measured.

In my opinion, the time for Fisheries to measure anything is at the ramp.

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Date Joined: 26/04/14

 

Wed, 2014-12-17 17:33

 

uncle's picture

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Date Joined: 10/02/07

totally agree

Wed, 2014-12-17 17:27

with you belly fish

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bussogirl's picture

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Date Joined: 19/12/13

 My old man used to wrap them

Thu, 2014-12-18 17:02

 My old man used to wrap them in buters paper, try that like vinesh87 said to! 

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A REAL WOMAN WILL MAKE YOU TAKE HER AND COMPETE FOR THE BIGGEST FISH