How do you do it?

ragincajun92

I normally fish for the sport of it and when I do keep fish I normally eat them that day or the next day. So my question is with all the craziness going on with this Virus thought it might be a good idea to maybe catch a few Flounder, trout, red, sheepshead or Whitings And freeze some. Just wondering the best ways to go about doing this so they don‘t go bad or taste bad? So any info or methods Are appreciated.

Fishingpervert

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DrCoke

I only eat salt water fish. I fillet, remove all blood line, and try your best to not use any water during fillet. Vacuum seal the fillet. I use paper towel to absorb any blood/juice prior to vacuum seal. 

Saltygatorvet

DrCoke said:

I only eat salt water fish. I fillet, remove all blood line, and try your best to not use any water during fillet. Vacuum seal the fillet. I use paper towel to absorb any blood/juice prior to vacuum seal. 

This is exactly the way to do it 

1outlaw

And too add, generally trout do not keep well.

spangler

Frozen fish is nasty.  But in hard times..

Saltygatorvet

I’ll add to thaw slowly ( takes at least a day) in the fridge, not on the counter or in water

tankered

spangler said:

Frozen fish is nasty.  But in hard times..

Sure, it's not as good as fresh but if frozen properly it's far from nasty.

Doc Stressor

If you vacuum seal fish they will stay pretty good for up to 6 months.  I've eaten grouper filets that were a year old and they were still OK.  Nothing tastes as good as fresh fish, but if you keep oxygen away from them and store them in a deep freeze rather than a self-defrosting freezer, they will be fine for up to a year. 

Oily fish like mackerel do not freeze well at all.  And soft fish like trout don't hold up very well either.  But lean fish like grouper, sheepshead, seabass, grunts, and snapper hold up pretty good. 

Using a deep freeze is important as is thawing the fillets out slowly.  Slow freezing, self-defrosting freezers, and fast thawing will cause the fish to taste dry after cooking.  This has to do with the kind of ice crystals that form and puncture the cell membranes.  You will see that upon thawing, liquid is extruded from the fish.  This can be minimized by rapid freezing and slow thawing. 

Also, don't rinse the fillets in freshwater before freezing them.  Rinse them after they are thawed.  Freshwater will cause larger ice crystals to form which will cause the fish to dry out more when they are thawed.  You can rinse fillets in seawater or a saline solution before freezing without a problem. 

Salty Dawg44

I agree. I don't rinse filets or steaks, but blot them with paper towels and immediately vacuum seal them. Keep fresh water away from the flesh. My only exception is a brine solution in the fridge overnight if I am going to smoke them, but that's something else.

Tarponator

I agree with the above.

Clean, pat dry, vacuum seal, then right in the freezer.

Of the fish the OP noted, flounder and sheepshead are about the only ones I'd keep/freeze.  Trout tastes great when fresh but freezes terribly, and I'm not really fond of frozen redfish either.

dragon bait

spangler said:

Frozen fish is nasty.  But in hard times..

Depending on species,  never clean saltwater fish with fresh water, freeze with no air in contact,
PS most sushi is made from frozen product

Drifting_By

You can suck the air out of a ziplock freezer bag with a straw for a poor man's vacuum seal.

demersalangeler

This is what I  do. 
*Catch the fish rip the gills to blead. 
*place in the chill kill. Gut them out if staying out for over 12 hours. (Chill kill is Saltwater and ice mixture.)
*place on ice. Ice both sides. 
*fillet fish. Remove skin. Blood line, and bones. 
*place back on ice until all are done. 
*wash the fillets in clean salt water. (If not available fill a container with some fresh water preferably with no chlorine and a lot of kosher salt, or sea salt. I mean a lot you want the water a white color.)
*place on towels to dry. Pat dry. 
*vacuum seal. Date package. Freeze immediately. Only place enough for 1 meal in each package. 
 (If a vacuum sealer is not available. Take a large container with enough cold water in it to submerge the bag do not let water in the bag. Seal bag. This force's the air out.)
*thaw slowly in the refrigerator. 

 White fish like snapper may last up to 3 months. Oily fish will not last as long. 
 

ragincajun92

Thanks fellas for the tips and ideas

tankered

Drifting_By said:

You can suck the air out of a ziplock freezer bag with a straw for a poor man's vacuum seal.

Or force the air out by submerging the bag in water and then sealing.