I have always used the "freeze them in a block of ice" method. Thinking about using the vacuum sealer this time. Any pros or cons?
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I have always used the "freeze them in a block of ice" method. Thinking about using the vacuum sealer this time. Any pros or cons?
I have a vacuum sealer and I would rather have them frozen in ice personally. IMO no better way.
I changed to a vacuum sealer this year . But works best if I drain fish well and them lay out an old towel covered with a couple layers of paper towels . Spread fish single layer and pat top dry with more paper . Sure beats worrying about leaky bags in the freezer and they take up less room . The fish seem to store just fine . They also thaw much quicker when frying times comes .
If you have extra time to vacuum seal them it works but it's better than freezing in water. Only advantage is takes up less room in freezer but takes a lot more time to do it that way
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I personally like to seal mine. Removes the worry of water logging them when thawing and definitely saves space in the freezer. I'm also picky, literally, about my fillet's being "clean" and the prep for sealing them gives me the opportunity to make sure they're ready to cook when thawed.
A few things I've learned when sealing: dry them without drying them out; this prevents a stinky mess with the sealer and as I said before, no worrying about water logging your slabs when thawing. Use the lightest seal or just enough to get all the air out without sucking the slabs dry.
I do believe the storage life does take a hit, but I've only seen about a year and a half storage time. I've had a few fillet's come out overly soft, for lack of a better term. If I had more fishing time/fish I could test out different theories but I'm not that fortunate.
Good luck with whichever you choose.
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My wife just freezes them in a block of ice. Been doing this for 40+ years works for us.
One trick I use especially on ground meat when vacuum sealing, I buy gallon twist tie bags. i.e. not Ziploc Lightly pat fish dry and place in twist tie bag. Chase out air and make 1 fold. Put fold toward open end of vacuum bag. Chase out air and seal. This causes the moisture to go all the way around the bag and you are sealing by then. With ground meat I will roll it around in a strainer before doing this. (Usually deer)
water logging your slabs when thawing. have never heard of that? didn't even know that was a concern really. have been freezing in water since a glimmer in my grandaddys eye. have had some fish hold up well over 2 or 3 years and can't tell the difference. if air cant get to them they will hold for a long time. i put mine in a little bucket i got from caseys convienent store they get their icing in for their donuts. put the baggies with the fresh fish and water in them that way if the bags leak it doesn't get all over the freezer.
Put however many I need for a mess in ziplok, fill with water. Hard to beat. I have used a sealer but didnt like it any better.
I just found a tip from the FoodSaver site for freezing fish. Here it is:
1. The Pre-Sealing Process Is Paramount
As with most foods you preserve with the FoodSaver® System, the steps you take before freezing significantly affect the freshness of your catch. It's important to pre-freeze the fish first so that it retains its moisture, juices and form. Depending on how you plan on ultimately serving the fish, you can either freeze the catch whole or slice it into portions first. Either way, pre-freezing is essential. Keep your fish in the freezer for about one to two hours before preserving it with the FoodSaver® Food Preservation System.
I feel like a cave man, I put all fillets in sink and sprinkle with salt work the salt in then quick rinse to remove any bad stuff I missed. Blot quickly with paper towel. and layer them with plastic wrap between them so they separate easy. Put a mess in each bag, seal them up. Put several bags in a gallon bag and seal that up. It never is around for more than 3 months or so.
OFF TOPIC<<<BUT
My wife is from Vietnam, salt is common to clean food. Salt bath is helpful in removing chemicals and pesticides from fruit. Grapes especially. Also we prep our rice in a bowl or pan of salt water and squeeze our rice at least 5 times before cooking. Try it...take several handfuls of rice put in a bowl of water , stir it around a little then grab a handful and squeeze in the sink and watch stained water run from your hand. From then on you will want to clean your rice. repeat until water is clear you have squeezed out. Jasmine rice seems to have less pesticides than other strains of rice
Another Food Saver user here.
Food saver also. Folded paper towel across the sealing end to catch the juice when it's vacuuming.
Back in the day, we would slam the whole five gallon bucket of fish, uncleaned and covered with water, in the chest freezer! I kid you not. When the freezer was full, about 6 or so buckets, we thawed em all and called crew for a fry!
Never any issues. Crazy things you did, when your mind wasn't right,
Wouldn't do it now, on a bet....:fish
I was taught the ice block method by my dad and that's all I've ever used.
I found a few bags of crappie in the bottom of the freezer a couple of weeks ago. They must have been in there for years. I thawed them and fried 'em up with some hush puppies. Tasted just as good as fresh.
I used a vacuum sealer for a while but put fish on cookie sheets and partially froze the fish, then put in bags to seal . Was time consuming and bags were not cheap (compared to freezer bags ) . Bought a small freezer to just keep deer/fish. Would not go back . jmo.Attachment 276203
I freeze my dove( if there are some left) in a gal. milk jug. My crappie are in a food savor bag.
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I do both, about the same for me.
I changed to a vacuum sealer this year. I am going to have to try the pre freeze method. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by silverside
Adding to my previous answer, the folded (rolled) paper towel, goes inside the bag, above the fillets, below the seal. This eliminates the prefreeze step for me.
Just pat them a little bit, leave a little moist, and put in the bag.
I double seal both ends.
Freezing in plastic ice cream gallon containers, with a little salt, works fine too.
Just depends how my back feels, and how late I fished.
I use a vaccum sealer but in a little different way, I do a egg wash, I make a dry breading usually crushed saltine crackers,some crushed garlic bread crumbs,a little shore lunch,ect.
I dip the fillets in the egg wash,bread them up good and lay them on cookie sheets and put them in the freezer 5-6 hours then vaccum pack. I put different amounts in the bags for different size meals, when it's time to make fish I don't unthaw them first(the breaded frozen fillets can easily be pride apart with a butter knive) the frozen fillets go into a frying pan with in butter med heat 12-15 minutes there done. I've and baked the in the oven this way too, we eat fish a lot more often just because it's so convenient and fast...I've had them in the freezer up to 6-7 months this way and there fine,usually there ate long before then.
I have a Food Saver but still freeze my in water. Tastes better to me that way.
I do both and can't really tell a difference.
I always bag my fish in zip lock bags with water. It is important to fill with a little extra water, hold bag upright, zip bag 3/4 shut, start squeezing lightly to let all air bubbles escape with excess water, & then quickly zip shut while water flowing. Also, he taught me to never wash fillets before freezing, as it removes natural oils that will help preserve fish from “freezer burnt” taste. Thaw in cool water & rinse fillets well before cooking. It works! We’ve kept fish 2-3 years this way... Of course, now with 6 mouths to feed we rarely keep any over 5-6 months! [emoji13]
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I cut up the fillets , put in bag , fill with water, put on species, number , date frozen . Went the other route and hated putting on a cookie sheet freeze and then come back to seal . :juggle
I use the ice glaze method :
Put fillets on a cookie sheet and freeze for two hours,then dip them in ice water and put them in freezer bags and place them back in your freezer.
Thats what I do tooQuote:
Originally Posted by JigRigPreacher
I been using a Food Saver brand ONLY for the pass 8 years.
The only way to go. GREAT !!!
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Zip lock bags faster. Less steps . Sealer saves space but I bought a bigger freezer . JMO
I fillet and brine them for a few hours, and then rinse and use vac seal bags. They taste fresh even one year later.
I don't know squat about this stuff but usually I just filet fish and stick them in a zip loc bag, suck out the air and freeze. Got some crappie last week and decided to try something different. I filet then all and when done rinsed then good. Then put them into a beat eggs. Out of there and into a ziploc bag of Italian bread crumbs. Shake and then layed them out on a piece of wax paper on a plate. Filled the plate and recovered with wax paper. Did it till all were done then stuck it in the freezer long enough to freeze. Put the piece's in ziploc bags and back in the freezer. To cook them I got a bunch of oil in a pot and deep fried them. Boy did they come out good! Gonna try that with cats if I get any this year.
I agree. But I squeeze most of the water and all of the air out.Quote:
Originally Posted by ccollins
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