Freezing/storing fish without gutting and cleaning?

[Black_Blade]

Just wondered if this this ruins the fish...would think that when thawing them out again, would cause the guts to contaminate the fish before they are fully thawed out enough to proceed with cleaning them.

 

Got some fish from a friend and was going to cook them up but wife was worried that it may not be safe. Not being sure myself I came on here to find out. The fish has been frozen for a week or so...well wrapped.

[Beans]

Way back in the early fifties, I used to fish the Otanabee in the late evening/nighttime for smallmouths with surface plugs...we threw them in the freezer and gutted them the next day or so while they were still frozen, chopped the heads off, and once thawed we would then fillet them...the guts stayed in one frozen clump so there was no contamination...must of been ok as we ain't died yet...

[tjsa]

Not a problem in my opinion. Have had to do it a few times. As Beans said, the guts stay frozen a bit longer than it takes to entirely thaw out the fish. The belly area will thaw out a bit quicker than the meat of the fish, but the guts will stay frozen long enough for you to open them up and remove the entrails.

[GBW]

it shouldn't be a problem at all. after all when you are out ice fishing for a day and the catch has been on the ice out of the hut all day some times they freeze...

[bassdreamer]

I been freezing my fish that way my whole life.I was told by my dad if you gut the fish and then freeze it,the inside will have a better chance of getting freezer burn ,depending on time it's in the the freezer.

[Leecher]

I remember back when my dad would freeze the brookies he caught, in a plastic bag, fill it up with water, throw them in there and a few week later thaw them for a snack.... tasted just as good as the day they were caught..... don't see a problem with freezing them whole.

 

Leechman

[Whitespinnerbait]

Use to snare rabbits back in the days and sometimes they were frozen for two or three days before we could get to them .. once back home they were thrown in the freezer and thawed / gutted at a later date... :wacko: