Freezing fish

bubbles22222, Jul 18, 12:51am
Bought too much fresh fish and want to freeze some, is there a way i should freeze it, is it just put it in a plastic bag( have googled and it said to fill a bag with water and put fish in with tight seal) but any other ideas
jan2242, Jul 18, 12:54am
I freeze it just in a plastic bag. I would think if the bag was full of water the fish juices would drain into it once defrosted? Not heard of that one before.
doodle28, Jul 18, 1:02am
We freeze fish by drying it, placing flat in a bag (single layer), press out any air and seal plastic bag. Only put enough fish needed for a meal in each bag. Don't freeze it in a big lump. We prefer eating frozen fish within two months of freezing.
snoopy221, Jul 18, 1:02am
Okay read ONCE and learn
Fish has to be kept chilled and can NOT be frozen. so.
The *trick* is to fill the bag with sufficient water to encase the fish in a block of ice.
ice being a stable compound does not go below zero degress and the fish is actually chilled and not subjected to below zero temperatures.
Now ya catching heaps and ya tnink-
Damn That make SENSE. And ye try it.
The ultimate kicker is when ya mate and his missus invite ya"s round for dinner after a day's fishing.
And ya get told later there were 2 fillets on each plate one was fresh that day.
The other had been frozen 12 months and they weren't game to try it.
And ya could NOT taste the diferrence.
It Works-K
mousiemousie, Jul 18, 1:03am
I just freeze it in a plastic bag.
rainrain1, Jul 18, 1:45am
Yes freeze as is in plastic bag
bubbles22222, Jul 18, 2:32am
thanks for your replies. it was so delish and melt in the mouth stuff that i don't want to freeze and will have it again tommorrow night for dinner :)
doodle28, Jul 18, 3:52am
Never put fish in just water. If you have to, use sea water or salted water. Plain water makes the flesh contract! You will wreck it, agree to use for the next day or two, will be fine, keep the air out of it.
melford, Jul 18, 4:28pm
As soon as buy filleted fish I immediately egg and breadcrumb it then place it on an oven tray until it freezes. After that I wrap each fillet in gladwrap then place in plastic zip lock bags. It is always as fresh as the day we caught it or bought it. Never ever freeze fish in lumps as when thawing you lose all the flavor in the expelled water. Make sure the fish has not already been frozen and thawed when you buy it.
buzzy110, Jul 18, 5:50pm
Wise advice. When we fish I always bring back a bucket of clean seawater to clean fillets and fish in. It is easy to tell the difference between those processed with sea water and those with fresh.

But I am unsure of freezing them in seawater. Salt water doesn't freeze well in a domestic freezer. I'm going to try it though.
illusion_, Jul 18, 6:32pm
just pat dry if needed and vac-pac it well (get a decent machine for this) and it will turn out very well

any half assed methods will give half assed results. a waste of good fish
buzzy110, Jul 18, 10:14pm
Currently, this is how I prefer to freeze my fish. I found that without vacuum packing it doesn't take long before the flesh gets freezer burn. I would probably use the method suggested by nanee2jlp but I personally don't eat crumbed fish. It would be excellent for cooking straight from frozen though.

One other tip. Don't fully defrost frozen fish. Fish should not be bought to room temperature before cooking either. It is much better cooked from cold and the colder the better imo.
autumnwinds, Jul 20, 6:41am
** bumps another interesting thread about fish freezing process - help for those who may not be aware. **
strathview, Jul 20, 7:18pm
I freeflow my fish fillets. Lay them flat in heavy plastic bags on trays and freeze. Cook them from frozen do not defrost. Use over a period of three months or if founder or blue cod up to six months. Have never had freezer burn.
cleggyboy, Jul 20, 8:47pm
When I used to go fishing, I used to prepare the fish for freezing on board my boat. It only was washed in salt water then drained and packed in plastic bags and into the chilly bin of ice until I got home. No fish I caught went anywhere near fresh water it stuffs it immediately.
kevymtnz, Jul 20, 9:11pm
do not wash with plain water unless cooking straight away otherwise dont and freeze asap
buzzy110, Jul 20, 11:35pm
Well I tried it and it is by far and away the absolute best method of freezing fish ever. Fish tastes and cooks exactly like it is fresh out of the water. Even vacuum packing is not a patch on freezing in salt water. I'll never do it any other way now.

So now I place fillets in a bag and then cover with salt water. Place in the freezer till it is solid and seal the bag with a vacuum sealer.
gardner12, Jul 20, 11:36pm
have found if you live near the sea to freeze in salt water comes out as if fresh from the sea, we had a beach house and did a lot of fishing and froze to bring back to town like this
nauru, Jul 21, 1:15am
Thanks for sharing that info buzzy, I didn't know that tip for freezing fish. I always vac pac.
rainrain1, Jul 21, 5:27pm
Fish keeps very well frozen I find, as long as It's not left too long in the freezer. I freeze it all the time.
deano, Jul 21, 6:23pm
We catch a lot of fresh fish and have bought a good vacuum pack machine which does keep fish well. But I was brought up to NEVER wash fish in water as it opens up the flakes - so I just pat it dry with a paper towel.

Interestingly, we were in Canada staying with friends once and we had turbot for dinner one night and they had frozen it in water. Seemed very fresh to us. First time I'd ever seen that so perhaps it does work well.
socram, Jul 24, 4:41am
I always buy a load of monkfish when the local shop has it. Unbag it all, check for any bones then split it into large and small pieces then just bag and freeze as is, 1 meal per bag.

Small pieces go into stir fry or gumbo type rice dishes, larger pieces get coated after partial thawing. Never had an issue just as long as the fish is fresh when you buy it.