Are You Freezing Your Fish the Right Way?

So, you bought fish. Great! Are you going to cook them yet? If not, better store them fast before they go bad! 

Getting yourself fish then realizing that you don’t have the time to cook them just yet is perfectly normal and happens to the best of us. In fact, you shouldn’t have any problem as long as you freeze them properly.

In case you have no idea whether or not you’re freezing your fish right, you’ve come to the right spot! We’re sharing some tips and tricks to keep your fish fresh while freezing them:

1. Vacuum-seal them.

It’s important to remember that it’s actually the air that affects the taste and texture of the fish. So, you want to make sure that the packaging of your fish is absolutely tight and air-free, which brings us to vacuum-sealing. This method is sure to keep all the air out!

2. Glaze them.

Glazing fish is another way to help preserve the freshness of your fish. To do this, dip the fish in cold water and put them on top of a sheet pan. Pop the pan into the freezer until the water on the fish freezes. Afterwards, get the fish out, dip them in the water again, and put them back on to the sheet pan in the freezer. 

You should keep on doing this until there’s at least a quarter-inch of glaze on the fish. Once that’s achieved, pack the fish in the plastic bag and store them in the freezer.

3. Wrap them.

If you don’t have a vacuum-sealer, one workaround is to use a cling-wrap or any plastic wrap to cover your fish securely and tightly. Again, the goal here is to make sure that very little to no air seeps through the packaging. Otherwise, your fish might go stale and honestly, who wants stale fish, right? One downside, however, is that it’s not as effective in preventing loss of moisture and freshness as the first two methods.

Pro-tip: Date them.

While it’s not exactly required, labeling your fish with the date when you packaged them helps you keep track of their freshness. This way, you’ll know when’s the latest that you can preserve the fish and when it’s absolutely necessary to cook them.

Freezing fish shouldn’t go longer than six months. Once this time has passed, you can’t expect their quality, taste, and texture to be the same as when you first bought them, which means you pretty much spent your money on nothing. 

Fatty fish, like salmon and trout, have a much shorter shelf life and shouldn’t be frozen longer than three months. As a rule of thumb, those with the most fat need the most vacuum-sealing and shouldn’t be frozen for long.

When you’re ready to cook the fish, don’t defrost them through the microwave or with room temperature. Instead, place them in the fridge in the meantime or through cold water. To keep them fresh just before cooking, the fish should remain cold and be thawed gradually.

Now that you know all these methods and tips, you can save yourself from dealing with stale fish and keep them fresh in the freezer, instead!