crappie fillet keeping and freezing?

Heading out to rough river tommorrow for my first trip of the season although by these reports of high water and lake drawn downs, it doesn't look to promising. I have a question which im sure has been brought up on here, but was wondering how people keep their fillets fresh in the fridge and how they freeze their fillets. I used to catfish alot and would soak the fillets in water in the fridge in a covered bowl and then freeze in water in a freezer bag. Works out well. I'm finding this not to be the case for crappie fillets. I had some frys were the fish were real mushy after being soaked in salted water. Also, when freezing in water, the unthaw would just shred the fillets. This was the method i was taught for fillets in general. Any suggestions as how to keep and freeze crappie so i can have good tasting fish later and not just on the day i catch them.

I've always froze my fillets in a freezer bag filled with water. They come out just the way I put them in. I've never had any problems like the ones you are describing...Thumbs Up

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Originally Posted by Tube man

I've always froze my fillets in a freezer bag filled with water. They come out just the way I put them in. I've never had any problems like the ones you are describing...Thumbs Up

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Same with me.

same here i fillet my fish then i soak them in saltwater i use a milk jugs some times cut the top off and freeze milk jugs with my fillets and sometimes i use feezer bags

I freeze mine in ziplock bags with just enough water to cover them, add a pinch of salt, squeeze ALL the air out of the bag then to the freezer.

Are you trying to fast thaw your fillets? I either thaw mine at room temp or in enough cold water in the sink to float the bag. No warm or hot water to thaw. That will turn the fillets to mush.

I have used the freezing in water method for 40 years and it has worked fine. Of course most of the fish...really all of the fish were eaten up within 6 months before starting over. But I also started using the Food Saver Vacuum System about 10 years back for meat and fish. You have to pre-freeze the fish first, or put a paper towel at the opening to the bag or you will not get a seal if there is a lot of water being sucked into the machine. The advantage to the Food Saver System..or any other vacuum system...is space. I have read on forums where some people have had a few bags break the seal while in the freezer and the fish would get freezer burned. This has never happened with me but I only use the Food Saver bags which are really tough. I no longer have a stand alone freezer so space is at a premium for me.

Regards

for crappie if I am not going to freeze I will keep in the frig a few days , but with NO water. I wash them and put them in a sealed bowl dry.
As for the freezer, I cover them with water in a ziplock. Works great.

Good luck

I have 2 freezers 1 in the shop a side by side and a old freezer in the basement,the one in the shop is a self defrost and I have lost some fish because of thawing and refreezeing, the old freezer in the basement will stop time!! Never lost any in it and some are a year old!!
Rowdy

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Originally Posted by jiggshooter

same here i fillet my fish then i soak them in saltwater i use a milk jugs some times cut the top off and freeze milk jugs with my fillets and sometimes i use feezer bags

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why the salt in the water?

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Originally Posted by springhillwantabe

why the salt in the water?

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Mainly I believe it's to disolve the blood from the filets ... could be a holdover from the days of using salt to preserve food, and just passed down from generation to generation. My family did it (three generations before me), and I learned it from them ... so they must have learned it from generations before them.

.. cp

Saltwater is what will make them mushy, don't soak them,
it just speeds the deterioration process.
Put them in a zip-lock bag filled with water and freeze as fast
as possible.
Thaw as quick as possible too.
Soaking is the worst thing to do for fish.

Salt pulls the blood and oil out. Not really that big of a deal on crappie but it really helps on other, more bloody and oily fish.

I soak most all of my wild game except deer in salt water before freezing it.

Like dux said, a fast defrost will make fish all all types mushy every time.

I finally invested in a vaccum sealer. I love it!!! Works great for filets, deer steaks, deer roasts, etc.

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Originally Posted by Quackrstackr

Salt pulls the blood and oil out. Not really that big of a deal on crappie but it really helps on other, more bloody and oily fish.

I soak most all of my wild game except deer in salt water before freezing it.

Like dux said, a fast defrost will make fish all all types mushy every time.

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thanks used to soak our wild game i sw but never used it on crappies

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Originally Posted by JTMavs

I finally invested in a vaccum sealer. I love it!!! Works great for filets, deer steaks, deer roasts, etc.

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Recently picked up a vacuum sealer and everything I have sealed has sealed well. If it's a liquid or wet meat, mine has a tray that catches the liquid and seals well. We buy bulk meat and seal it in family sized packs.

Maybe just my imagination but I always felt like fish cought during hot weather like the end of summer were more on the muschy side.I fish for sauger a lot on the Ohio an the first ones caught have a tendency to be like that. After the water cools down they seam to be ok.one more thing you may try . Make sure your grease is 350 to 400 when you fry them,an above all else use peanut oil, makes all the difference in the world.

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Originally Posted by JCCLARK

Saltwater is what will make them mushy, don't soak them,
it just speeds the deterioration process.
Put them in a zip-lock bag filled with water and freeze as fast
as possible.
Thaw as quick as possible too.
Soaking is the worst thing to do for fish.

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Originally Posted by watergate

Maybe just my imagination but I always felt like fish cought during hot weather like the end of summer were more on the muschy side.I fish for sauger a lot on the Ohio an the first ones caught have a tendency to be like that. After the water cools down they seam to be ok.one more thing you may try . Make sure your grease is 350 to 400 when you fry them,an above all else use peanut oil, makes all the difference in the world.

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I have read somewhere that you should not soak fillets, just keep them on ice, but don't let them lay in the melted water. I always soaked in salt water because it takes a lot of the blood and oil out of it, or at least that's what i've been taught. Maybe i shouldn't soak the fillets because they are a very light fish. I guess my fry daddy could be crapping out also and not heating at the correct temp. Anyways, i'll have to wait and see because i went on Tuesday first time out this year to Rough River and came home with nada. Lake was 5 feet over summer pool and they have been pulling about a foot a day. Water temps were 54 in the morning and then ranging from 58 to 61 degrees. The fish i was able to locate were scattered at best and too small. The wind didn't help either. Casted jigs and the old minnow and cork. Had to go to Mike Lennings restaurant to get my fish that night.

I've always put them in a zip lock freezer bag with enough water to cover the fillets. I will then squeeze out all of the air, seal the bag and lay flat in the freezer. Squeezing out the air and laying them flat in the freezer helps eliminate freezer burn by keeping the fillets under the water plus it makes it easier to stack and store the fish. I've had no issues freezing them like this and they will last over a year.Thumbs Up

I also soak and freeze in bags of water. I do fill the bags all the way with water to eliminate any air in the bag. My crappie and sauger turn out fine everytime.

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Originally Posted by crappie75

I have read somewhere that you should not soak fillets, just keep them on ice, but don't let them lay in the melted water. I always soaked in salt water because it takes a lot of the blood and oil out of it, or at least that's what i've been taught. Maybe i shouldn't soak the fillets because they are a very light fish. I guess my fry daddy could be crapping out also and not heating at the correct temp. Anyways, i'll have to wait and see because i went on Tuesday first time out this year to Rough River and came home with nada. Lake was 5 feet over summer pool and they have been pulling about a foot a day. Water temps were 54 in the morning and then ranging from 58 to 61 degrees. The fish i was able to locate were scattered at best and too small. The wind didn't help either. Casted jigs and the old minnow and cork. Had to go to Mike Lennings restaurant to get my fish that night.

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Hey if you were at Mike Linnigs on Cane Run you coulda stopped by my house and picked up some Blugill fillets! I have some left from last fall. LOL! I live right up the street from there! If it don't rain or freeze me out I'll be down at Rough this weekend. If you see a man and woman in an older Pro Crappie 175 say hi! Good luck!

Killum

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Originally Posted by crappie75

I have read somewhere that you should not soak fillets, just keep them on ice, but don't let them lay in the melted water. I always soaked in salt water because it takes a lot of the blood and oil out of it, or at least that's what i've been taught. .

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Try it both ways and see for yourself.
I don't soak mine. :D

something i was shown from a guide in kentucky....take your fillets and shake as much water out of them just after you have cleaned your fish...i run them under running water to get most of the blood off...then tightly roll them in sarran wrap....then you can put your "bundles" of fillets in a ziploc bag....this works good up to 6 months in the freezer and i've never had any trouble doing this....keeps the big bags of frozen fillets from taking up space in the freezer

Clean em, wash em, cover them with water in a ziploc bag. Thaw in sink at room temp always worked best for me.

A lot of people soak catfish to lessen the flavor and make it milder,
That's what is done for strong tasting fish.
It works, that's what soaking does, removes/lessens the flavor.
Let it sit long enough in water and it'll turn to mush.
I can't think of any reason to do that to crappie.
There's just not very much flavor to start with.
I think they taste much better without soaking.
they also are better when fresh, cleaning them while alive is the best,
the meat is more pink and firmer.
They loose that when stored on ice.
Fish meat starts deteriorating right away once cleaned.
If you're going to keep it for more than a few days
before eating, the quicker it's frozen the better.