Thread: freezer burned fillets...

Originally Posted by Buckrub

I froze my fillets in a baggie with water, for years. It keeps them fresh, that's for sure. But it's hard to thaw correctly. The huge ice 'cube' takes a long time to thaw and some fillets are thawed way before others. But it does keep them fresh.

I got a vacuum thingy, and I love it. However, I learned a trick. The first time I tried fish, the seal came undone in the freezer after a few weeks. I think the problem is that fish are wet, and the vacuum sucks moisture up into the seal area, and that won't hold once frozen. And it's probably impossible to get the fillets dry before vacuuming.

So, I finally figured out to seal them as normal, then use the part of the machine that makes bags, the sealer part that works without vacuum, and make about 3-4 additional seals past the first one. Then if the first one breaks because it's wet, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th one won't, it'll hold.

Works.

If you fish a lot and don't have one of these, get one. They're the cat's meow!

Thanks I'll have to give the xtra seals a try. Haven't had any problem with seals breaking.
I pat the fillets dry then roll up a paper towell in top of the bag to catch any moisture. Easy to remove when fish is thawed.

Another vacuum sealer tip:
If your sealer is "cold" run the sealer without the bag in it to let the heat strip heat up.
This will ensure the plastic will melt enough to give a good seal.
I try to fill all my bags and seal them all at once to keep the heat strip nice and hot. Works pretty good.

I pack my fillets flat, large ones 3/4 inch thick, one layer in a quart bag. Squeeze all the air out. The bags are never over one inch thick with fish. This allows the meat to freeze completely through quickly. This is my secret to fresh tasting fish six months later.
When you freeze fish in water, the outer layer freezes and forms an insulation that keeps the inner portion from freezing for hours. This gives bacteria time to go to work to cause the funky, unfresh, smell and taste.
A man named Birdsey discovered this years ago.

Originally Posted by blairarnold

I put them in a freezer bag, add enough water to cover them and then carefully "burp" out all the air when sealing. I have opened packages 2 or 3 years later that got lost in the freezer and have never had any to freezer burn. They even taste as good as those that have just been in there a month or so. I never have had a vacuum sealer & always wondered how well they work.

Same here. I've never had freezer burned fish, and they taste good after a whole year in the freeze. Since this works for me, I've never felt the need to buy a vacuum sealer.

this may sound alittle weird but i've been told to freeze the fish whole. this keeps it from being freezer burned, i have actually tried and it works but just the sound of freezing the fish whole with guts intact didn't sound to tasty. to my surprise it worked pretty well, kind of like just keeping the fish on ice.

what you do is basically wash/rinse the fish and throw them in a freezer bag and just freeze the whole fish. when ready to clean, throw them into some water and let thaw. they look like you've just caught them. weird but it works