TenMile
Well-Known Member
Hey all,
I'm interested in what everyone does to freeze and/or keep your fish for fresh eating over the winter.
Personally, I fillet my catch (at home, never at the cleaning stations as I am concerned about bacteria -- gut them and bleed them either on the boat or at the cleaning station tho'). I then place the fillets in a ziplock bag and fill the bag with water until the fillets are covered and then freeze. I find this method prevents freezer burn and you can thaw the fish in about a half hour or less by simply dropping the bag into warm tap water. The fish stays in good shape for about 6-12 months this way. You have to be careful not to let the fillets bob above the waterline -- if the meat gets exposed to air, it burns.
This weekend, I am trying to cold smoke some pinks for the first time. Found a great recipe here for Lox (I am a cold smoked fan, don't really like the hot smoked stuff -- at least the varieties I've tried). http://www.sausagemania.com/loxmania.html I have a Weber BBQ with a smoke-tray that I've never used and will see how it works -- just have to keep the temp below 90C.
What do you do? Vacuum pack? Smoke? Sushi? Other?
I'm interested in what everyone does to freeze and/or keep your fish for fresh eating over the winter.
Personally, I fillet my catch (at home, never at the cleaning stations as I am concerned about bacteria -- gut them and bleed them either on the boat or at the cleaning station tho'). I then place the fillets in a ziplock bag and fill the bag with water until the fillets are covered and then freeze. I find this method prevents freezer burn and you can thaw the fish in about a half hour or less by simply dropping the bag into warm tap water. The fish stays in good shape for about 6-12 months this way. You have to be careful not to let the fillets bob above the waterline -- if the meat gets exposed to air, it burns.
This weekend, I am trying to cold smoke some pinks for the first time. Found a great recipe here for Lox (I am a cold smoked fan, don't really like the hot smoked stuff -- at least the varieties I've tried). http://www.sausagemania.com/loxmania.html I have a Weber BBQ with a smoke-tray that I've never used and will see how it works -- just have to keep the temp below 90C.
What do you do? Vacuum pack? Smoke? Sushi? Other?