How to Properly Freeze River Fish in the Freezer + at home, secrets, methods

How much and how to properly store fish: frozen, chilled and fresh

Every person who likes to eat fish and various fish dishes must know how to store fish, and what the shelf life of this product may be. After all, if you do not follow some rules, then there is a big risk of not only not enjoying a wonderful dish, but and get poisoned and end up in the hospital.

In the last article, we shared recipes and ways to quickly and easily prepare canned fish at home. This is one way to preserve fish at home.

And this article describes the simplest and simplest ways to store the product.

Also very important! Note:

If the packaging is vacuum, its integrity should not be damaged during defrosting.
We do not recommend storing dry-frozen fish and seafood (not covered with a protective glaze) for longer than 3 months; (!) By the way, FisH2O does not sell dry-frozen fish, and our protective glaze is no more than 4% according to GOST
Seafood can be defrosted by rinsing in cold water and started cooking.
Boiled frozen shrimp - defrost and eat! We do not subject to repeated heat treatment
There is no need to defrost semi-finished products. This is probably clear to everyone

How to choose the right fish for consumption or for long-term storage?

Fish can be purchased in several types:

Fresh. This is the best option to buy;
Chilled. It also has pretty good taste;
Frozen. This species can be purchased if the carcass was brought from afar;
Thawed. It is better to refuse this purchase option, because it is unlikely that anyone will provide reliable information about how many times it was defrosted before.

In order to choose the best quality products, you should adhere to the following rules:

The fish should have a pleasant smell, and the aroma of the sea is also quite acceptable;
It is important to inspect the appearance: the scales should shine and fit tightly together;
You need to examine the belly especially carefully - it should not be swollen;
The fish's eyes should not be cloudy;
The carcass should be dense and without marks on it when touched by hand;
You should pay attention to the gills: they should be clean, free of various deposits, mucus and stains;
It is recommended to make purchases in places where storage standards are observed;
When purchasing packaged fish, you should pay attention to the expiration date;
If the product was frozen, then you need to inspect it for damage to the skin and white spots - this is evidence of a low-quality product.

How to store fresh fish so that it does not spoil for a long time?

If you purchased fresh fish, the ideal option is to cook it immediately. However, this is not always possible.

Fresh fish cannot be stored at room temperature. It should be in the refrigerator. However, you shouldn’t just put the product in the refrigerator. Before this, the carcass must be washed well, gutted and dried - these actions will help maintain freshness.

It is recommended to store fish at a temperature of about minus two degrees, but all refrigerators are capable of maintaining this mode. In this case, there is one trick: before putting the fish in the refrigerator, you need to place it in a container with ice cubes.

How does freezing affect fish?

Repeated freezing significantly affects the condition of the fish. Changes that occur to the product:

the taste of meat deteriorates;
the volume of water in the composition increases;
omega acids and oxygen molecules inherent in fresh fish are destroyed;
the amount of microelements, protein and vitamins decreases.

Also, ice for transporting fish contains preservatives that are absorbed into the product. If you do not prepare the product immediately after freezing, their presence in the composition will significantly deteriorate the quality of the product.

Storing fish in the refrigerator

Particular attention should be paid to observing the shelf life of carcasses. Only a well-preserved product can bring true pleasure from eating it. It is important to put already prepared delicacies in the refrigerator, otherwise they may lose their freshness, taste and subsequently become unsuitable for consumption.

It is unacceptable to store fish in the freezer for storage again. If the meat has already been thawed, then it should be eaten, because during repeated storage, freezing will have a very strong and significant effect on the taste, nutritional properties, and, in principle, will make its further consumption simply unsafe.

For convenience, many people do not freeze the whole fish, but use it for minced meat. It is easier to store because it fits more compactly in the freezer.

Which rule applies

What law argues: “frozen” as spelled?

The root from which two spellings of the morpheme were formed is the verb “freeze”. This expression does not contain prefixes and is classified as an imperfect form of verbs. The rule is: a participle formed from this type of verb contains a double “-n-” in its construction. An adjective that is formed in the same way contains a single letter “-n-”. The difference between these parts of the Russian language becomes noticeable only in the composition of the sentence. A dependent morpheme is used with a participle. There is no such word with an adjective; it does not denote an action, but defines the characteristics of an object. For example: sliced pear – pear cut in the evening. This grammar norm explained to us: “fresh-frozen” is spelled correctly.

Example sentences

A clear example of how the analyzed morpheme is written correctly:

To grill fresh frozen fish, you need to marinate it a little less than regular meat.
The fish frozen yesterday will be useful to us in the winter, when prices for it will rise many times higher than in the summer.
Fresh frozen pollock of very good quality is sold in a fish store, not far from home, I cook it for my children, they really love baked fish.
It is better not to eat frozen meat that has been stored for more than three months, especially if it has been subjected to secondary freezing.

How to write incorrectly?

According to the explanatory dictionary, the use of a participle with a single “-n-” and, accordingly, the use of a double letter in an adjective is considered incorrect.

How to prepare fish for long-term storage at home (video)?

Almost anyone can catch fish or buy it in a store. But preserving it for a long time is a whole science. This video shows how to store fish. Its further processing and preparation after salting.

How to properly defrost fish during long-term storage

Storing fish in the freezer is not such a difficult matter; after freezing, it is much more important to defrost it correctly and without errors. Many people in theory understand what needs to be done and how, but in reality it turns out that not everything is as simple as it initially seemed.

Often the fish is simply placed in a container with cool water, and then they wait patiently for it to melt. In fact, this is not entirely true. With this method, the meat loses most of its nutrients, the taste becomes worse, and the structure becomes soft.

It would be much more correct to listen to the simple advice that it is better to defrost fish meat in the refrigerator, placing it on a plate. In this case, you should take out the frozen product in the evening so that by the morning it thaws in the refrigerator and is completely ready for further preparation.

How not to defrost fish

To preserve the beneficial properties of fish when defrosting:

Do not use hot or warm water. The temptation to speed up the process is great, but the result will be disastrous: the meat will become flabby and tasteless. Water that is too cold will also not give the desired result.
Be sure to use several plastic bags to prevent liquid from getting inside.
The fish should not defrost completely; it is better to leave it with a small amount of ice. The fact is that the fish juice leaves with the melted ice, the product will turn out dry and tasteless.
Semi-finished products cannot be defrosted in an ice bath: they will quickly lose their shape.

Defrosting fish is not so much a difficult as a long process. But it is better to spend more time than to lose the minerals and vitamins contained in the product due to haste.

Are you freezing fish correctly?

There are several simple requirements for freezing fish so that it retains all its qualities:

clean, gut and rinse it under running water;
get rid of excess moisture, the less it is, the longer the fish will last;
Before freezing, store in the coolest possible place;
It is best to freeze fresh fish, this affects its shelf life;
the lower the temperature in the freezer, the longer the product will last;

if you purchased already frozen fish in the store, then just spray it with a small amount of water and put it in the freezer;
It is better not to freeze the fillet, as this threatens the loss of muscle juice; there are no such problems with minced meat;
Before storing a large specimen in the freezer, it is better to cut it into steaks, grease with vegetable oil and wrap each in film.

It is best to freeze in pieces, especially for large specimens. Not only do they take up a lot of space in the freezer, but they also harden more slowly, causing ice crystals to form in the muscle tissue, tearing it apart, disrupting the structure and preventing you from subsequently cooking a neat fish steak.

Freezing fish is a simple process, but its shelf life is greatly influenced by its initial freshness. Therefore, when going to the store, pay attention to the smell, as paradoxically, fresh fish has almost no smell.

It is also important to be able to defrost fish correctly: before you take it out to the table and start cooking, you need to let it thaw a little on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Never try to speed up the defrosting process using hot water or a microwave oven. At +30°C, fatty fish begins to spoil and loses its nutritional value.

If you love fish, but you are afraid of its short shelf life, then this article will help you figure out how to properly extend it in order to preserve all the taste. For example, how to properly freeze fish and how long to store it in this state.

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The diet of any person, especially a child, should include fish dishes.
But, unfortunately, it is not always possible and time to buy quality fish. Therefore, freezing will come to our aid. If you are lucky enough to purchase fresh fish of 3 kilograms or more, make the most of it: prepare several dishes and semi-finished products so that fish dishes are always at hand. It is imperative to prepare fish dishes from fresh fish of good quality. If you are going to freeze raw fish steaks with vegetables or other fish dish without heat treatment, then the fish must be 100% fresh, not previously frozen.

If you freeze fried fish or fried cutlets, you can use defrosted fish to prepare them.

As written above, the fish must be of good quality. The photo shows fresh river fish - silver carp.

From a whole carcass weighing 6 kg, I decided to cook and freeze fried steaks, pieces of fish with vegetables in foil, and fish cutlets before and after heat treatment.

Freezing raw fish steaks with vegetables in foil

It is very convenient to have something in the freezer for preparing dinner - fish steaks with vegetables.

So, you need to put a piece of fish on the foil, salt and pepper.

Place chopped vegetables on top of the fish, such as onions, carrots, bell peppers, etc., and drizzle with olive oil.

Cool this preparation in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Next, pack tightly in a bag (it’s better even in two, so that the fishy smell does not spread throughout the freezer), sign the label and send it to the freezer for storage.

Thawing raw fish with vegetables

You can put it in the refrigerator, or you can immediately put it in a preheated oven, freeing it from the bag, just lower the temperature by 10-15 degrees, and after 10 minutes increase it and cook according to the recipe.

Freezing prepared fish steaks with vegetables in foil

It’s even better to freeze fully prepared fish steaks with vegetables.

After they are completely cooked, they need to be cooled directly in foil to room temperature.

Next, transfer the prepared steaks with vegetables in foil to the refrigerator and leave for 1-2 hours so that the temperature of the product drops as much as possible.

It’s good to pack it in several bags, label it and put it in the freezer for storage.

Defrost

This ready-made dish can be prepared in several ways:

on the refrigerator shelf, and then heat in the microwave;
in the microwave oven on the “Defrost” mode (just make sure that the foil is of high quality, intended for use in the microwave, or remove the dish from the foil)
in the oven at a temperature of 150-160 degrees.

Freezing fried fish pieces

Fry the fish in flour in a frying pan according to the recipe. I don’t use breadcrumbs to bread fish because they can taste bitter, and this is very noticeable on such tender meat.

Place the fish pieces on a paper towel to remove some of the oil.

Cool the dish to room temperature on a plate.

Next, pack the fish in portions into bags and tie them tightly.

Cool the fish in the bag in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. If you are freezing fish that was cooked yesterday and was in the refrigerator, then you can skip this step.

Transfer the fish to the freezer, attaching an expiration date label to the bag.

Defrost fried fish

You can do this in the refrigerator, microwave oven on the “Defrost” mode, in an oven preheated to 150-160 degrees, as well as in a warm frying pan with the addition of a small amount of water (literally 1-2 tsp).

Freezing fish dish with side dish

It is very convenient to freeze a ready-made dish, which includes both a side dish and a main dish. You can take this container with you to work or heat it up for lunch/dinner.

The classic combination is rice and fish, but you can make such preparations from fish and mashed potatoes, fish and steamed vegetables, etc.

You will need a container in which you can not only freeze, but also heat it in the microwave. I use glass containers with a lid.

Place your chosen side dish and pieces of fried fish (or ready-made cutlets, zrazy, steamed fillets) into the container. Be sure to leave a little space (about 1 cm) to expand the volume when frozen.

Cool the food container in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

To prevent odors from circulating throughout the freezer, the container must be tightly closed with a lid and additionally packed in a bag. Attach a label indicating information about the contents of the container and the expiration date of the product.

Defrost

The dish should be on the refrigerator shelf, and then heated in the microwave or in a frying pan. You can also defrost in the microwave using the “Defrost” mode.

Freezing raw fish cutlets

Roll fish cutlets in flour (I use corn flour), place on a cutting board or flat dish covered with cling film. Be sure to leave gaps between semi-finished fish so that they do not stick together when frozen.

Such preparations need to be allowed to cool slightly in the refrigerator (about 30 minutes - 1 hour).

Next, transfer the board with cutlets to the freezer and leave there for about 3-4 hours at -18 degrees. During this time, the cutlets will freeze well and can be easily separated from the board.

Pack frozen cutlets in several bags, tie them tightly, label them and place them in the freezer for storage.

Defrost

cutlets need to be on the refrigerator shelf. If after defrosting there is little flour left on the cutlets, then roll them in flour again, and you can start frying.

Freezing ready-made fish cutlets

Prepare fish cutlets according to any recipe (fry in a frying pan, bake in the oven, steam).

If the cutlets were fried in a frying pan in oil, it would be a good idea to blot them with a paper towel to remove the oil.

After heat treatment, cutlets must be cooled first to room temperature, and then in the refrigerator.

If you are freezing yesterday’s cutlets that were already in the refrigerator, then you can skip this freezing step.

So, place the cutlets at room temperature at some distance from each other on a cutting board covered with cling film.

Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Afterwards, pack the cutlets into bags or containers (it’s convenient to pack them in portions), close/tie the container or bag tightly and sign the label.

Place the packaged cutlets in the freezer for storage.

Thaw in the same way as fried fish (in the refrigerator, microwave, warm oven or frying pan).

Shelf life of fish dishes in the freezer:

Raw fish steak with vegetables – 2 months at minus 18 degrees.
Baked fish steak with vegetables – 3 months at minus 18 degrees.
Raw fish cutlets - 2 months at minus 18 degrees.
Heat-treated fish cutlets - 3 months at minus 18 degrees.
Ready fish with side dish – 3 months at minus 18 degrees.

You can also freeze other fish dishes: casseroles, fish fingers, stuffed fish, fish stews, broth and fish soups.

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How to properly freeze fish to store in the freezer?

You can freeze fish in different ways, it all depends on what you will do with it next: whole unpeeled, whole gutted, in pieces.

If your fish is fresh or you want to freeze previously defrosted fish , then it is better to first gut and clean it. But at the same time, it is necessary not to wash the fish in water (do not put it directly into the water) but to wipe it, otherwise the next time you defrost your fish will fall apart. Next, it is better to grease the fish with a small amount of vegetable oil. And we freeze each fish individually, first wrapping it in cling film or foil.

How to freeze fish

This article was produced by our experienced team of editors and researchers, who reviewed it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Number of sources used in this article: 28. You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

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Excess fish caught for dinner will need to be stored in a certain way, since it will not be able to lie in the refrigerator for a long time. Freezing fish is the best way to preserve it. Plus, the fish are only caught in season for a certain period of time, so you can freeze them whole or as fillets to use throughout the year.

Number of sources used in this article: 28. You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

Freezing

In this storage method, fish are frozen in an environment where the temperature ranges below -7 to -18 C. Higher values disrupt the cellular structure and can dry out the fish. The type of fish determines its storage. The higher the fat content, the lower the freezer temperature should be when freezing fish, for example -30 C.

Proteolytic and microbiological processes in fish are completely interrupted during freezing. 85% of the moisture in fish turns into ice and the weights of fresh and frozen fish differ. Frozen fish cannot be stored for more than 4 months.