Thread: Cleaning Fish (crappie)

From experience in restaurants fish if properly handled when caught can go 7 to 14 days on ice with no problem. Fresh water fish max 7 days and salt water fish max 14 days. The fish must be immediately caught, gutted, rinsed inside and out. Then packed in ice with ice layered between each fish. The ice chest drain plug must be left open. So no water is allowed to accumulate in the bottom of the chest. Every 12 hours the fish must be re-iced on top. Every 3rd day transfer the fish to another ice chest to ensure ice is layered between fish. When used the fish are filet then immediately cooked. I learned this from a French Master Chef. As long as water and air is kept from the flesh it will prolong the spoiling process. You can also filet fresh caught fish and wrap each filet individually in plastic and layer in ice with the same process. It will only hold for half the time. 4 days for fresh water fish and 7 days for salt water fish. Fish iced and kept dry is at a temperature of 32 degrees but is not frozen.