Fresh Fish vs Frozen Fish

[Jonny]

I'm just wondering whether most people, in a blind taste test, could tell the difference between fresh fish or frozen fish* after it's been pan-fried your favourite way?

 

I don't think I could tell. Maybe my taste buds just suck.

 

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* Not frozen "freezer-burnt", just frozen for a few weeks.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i don't rinse my fish or freeze it.

[ehg]

Almost daily For 20+ years i've had either fresh or frozen fish and can tell immediately by taste and texture the difference between them. The larger the fillet the easier it is to tell them apart. Fresh is way better by a mile.

 

Having said that smaller panfish (perch, crappie, sunfish) are still pretty good after even 6 months in freezer if wrapped properly.

[Jet]

I heard this tip and wonder if anyone can verify its legitimacy. If you have to freeze a fish for later consumption, to preserve its flavor you should freeze it in the water from the body of water it was caught. Anyone heard of this practice?

[anders]

Dont do that...gross.....I have had walleye that someone did that too...i didnt finish the piece.

 

Can i tell between frozen and fresh...yes

 

Best way...dont freeze....catch em, clean em, cook em...the best way. That way when you go out fihsin again you dont come back with more fish and the fish in the freezer start gettin pushed to the back while you eat the fresher ones.

[pike slayer]

i've heard of this practice, my buddy does it all the time and i think it tastes worse after. i probably couldnt tell the different between fresh and frozen. i think its all in your head.

[Billy Bob]

I know vacuum pack my fish then freeze them and they are very close to fresh fish......

 

Another VERY good way to freeze fish is get some plastic square 1 qt containers. Pack as much fish as you would for one meal. Fill with fresh tap water and put into the freezer for a day or two. Then take out the container and put under hot water upside down. The ice block with the fish will drop right out. Now you have the container for the next fish you bring home. Slide the ice block into a plastic bag and then into a small paper lunch bag, fold over the end and tape closed. Mark what kind of fish and date on the paper bag. You now have a very professional looking way to salt away fish for a later date. These square blocks stack up very nice in a deep freezer and will hold up for one year.

[Jonny]

Another VERY good way to freeze fish is get some plastic square 1 qt containers.

 

Nice idea. What I've done so far is pack fillets in a Ziploc bag (not a freezer bag - the regular sandwich bag will do just fine and not rip in the freezer). Add tap water, zip mostly shut, then press a little to get the air out, and label with a "Sharpie" marker. They're compact too, because they flatten out when you stack them.

 

I used to use this method (minus the water) for moose hamburger and package it in one-pound portions. Lost one in the bottom of the freezer for two years and it was still good!

[Fishnwire]

I can usually tell the difference, fresh is better. I like to avoid freezing fish whenever possible. Sometimes though, you have to. I double zip lock 'em and that's that. I try to use them up within a month or so.

 

One time my Father-in-law kept a fair size pike he took from shallow water in July. It tasted slightly strong...a little "game-y" when we eat some of it fresh. I frooze the leftover uncooked fillets and when I got around to thawing and eating them a month or so later, they actually tasted a little better. More milder, which is what I like.

[ozaibak1]

If its fried I find it harder to tell the taste, but it is still discernable. When cooked / bbqed regularly, there is a huge difference in quality of taste.

[Rich]

More of a texture thing usually for me.. unless it's a not so bland fish like trout or salmon. A tip for freezing any species, especially salmonoids is to scrape the mucus off the skin before freezing. It will make a much milder tasting fish when thawed and keep the meat firmer.

[Billy Bob]

Nice idea. What I've done so far is pack fillets in a Ziploc bag (not a freezer bag - the regular sandwich bag will do just fine and not rip in the freezer). Add tap water, zip mostly shut, then press a little to get the air out, and label with a "Sharpie" marker. They're compact too, because they flatten out when you stack them.

 

I used to use this method (minus the water) for moose hamburger and package it in one-pound portions. Lost one in the bottom of the freezer for two years and it was still good!

 

Before I invested in a vacuum sealer I used zip lock bags. I would put hot dogs, pork chops etc......... and then zip the bag almost completely closed but leaving a small opening in the middle. Then insert a straw (free at Mc Donald's) and suck out the air while quickly zipping the bag shut. This works pretty well and it cost nothing to do.

 

Bob

[kickingfrog]

No question, fresh is better. Frozen is the only way to go if you want to have a dinner a week, a month or 4 months later.

 

Some other tips for freezing your fish:

 

Clean it sooner rather than later. Always a good idea whether freezing or not, though not always possible.

 

Don't clump the meat up into a pile or on top of each other.

 

After you've wrapped your fish (lots of great ideas above), put your fish into the coldest part (usually the bottom) or your fridge for a few hours. Then put into the freezer (nearer the bottom, if you can find it, the better). Better to use the big freezer if you have one.

 

When you want your frozen fish take it out long before you cook it and let it thaw in your fridge. If your stuck, thaw it in cold water, but make sure the water doesn't come in direct contact with the flesh.

 

The keys are to freeze the meat (or any food) as fast as you can. Small pieces, lots of surface area, chilled in the fridge first, use the big freezer.

 

And then thaw it slowly.

 

Those are standard food prep guidelines.

[Big Cliff]

First of all preparation is the key. If I am fishing for fish for the freezer or just to eat, I like to pack them on ice as soon as they are caught. I make sure they are cleaned right away when returning home then I put them in fresh water and leave them soak in the fridge over night. The next day I rince them, pack them in ziplok bags, add water, squeeze the air out, seal and freeze. They taste almost as good as fresh!

[MCTFisher9120]

I ate some frozen walleye curtsy of my uncle and it tasted great, not sure of the "fresh" taste of this particular fish but when were camping we generally try to freeze a few bass then have a large fish fry. Never have I had bass that tasted bad frozen.

 

However, if somebody want's to provide the food for the test, i'll be there to do the "testing" of the fish

[Garnet]

I prefer crappie frozen it makes the fillets firmer the rest fresh if possible.

 

Garnet

[bigugli]

Some fish just do not do well frozen. Crappie, unless dried out in the freezer a bit, tend to be mushy once thawed. Other panfish it makes no difference. With the new over/under slot limits on pike and walleye, you are supposed to keep them whole for measurement. That makes a big difference in the taste of a fish when frozen

[Jonny]

With the new over/under slot limits on pike and walleye, you are supposed to keep them whole for measurement.

 

Are you certain of this? (With all due respect, just want to make sure!)

[wallyboss]

I used to put my fish in a plastic bag and then fill it with water but it seems like the flesh soaked up some water and tasted watery. What I do now (because I am too cheap to buy a vacuum sealer) first I fill the sink with water. Then I put the fish in a plastic bag hold the bag under water in the sink to get all the air out and I close the bag carefully not letting any water in. Then I put the bag with he fish in another bag then I fill that one with water and freeze. I have found walleye that had been at the bottom of my freezer for 2 years and it was as fresh as the day I caught it. Air is the definite enemy of anything in the freezer.

[Billy Bob]

Some fish just do not do well frozen. Crappie, unless dried out in the freezer a bit, tend to be mushy once thawed. Other panfish it makes no difference.

 

Over the years (40+) I have not found that with Crappie. This is my favorite eating fish and have frozen MANY and never had a problem with them....... it could be improper care before you even cleaned them. Crappie are one of the most delicate fish out there and I keep them alive in my live well right up until they are filleted. Then they either head for the frying pan or a quick trip into the deep freezer.

[bigugli]

Are you certain of this? (With all due respect, just want to make sure!)

I am all too certain. We fish Nippissing on a regular basis. We got dinged our first year up at a roadside check for not having our fish readily measurable. Nippissing has a slot. Only proof that the fish are legal is to keep them whole but gutted. You cannot get an accurate measurement of length off a fillet.

[wallyboss]

I am all too certain. We fish Nippissing on a regular basis. We got dinged our first year up at a roadside check for not having our fish readily measurable. Nippissing has a slot. Only proof that the fish are legal is to keep them whole but gutted. You cannot get an accurate measurement of length off a fillet.

I would fight a ticket because the way I read the regs are if you are fishing they should be whole but as soon as you are transporting they can be filleted as long as you leave some skin for id'ing purposes.

 

Here is the part of the regs that says that.

 

The fish that you catch and keep may be cleaned. However, please remember that fish taken from waterbodies where size limits are in effect must be readily measurable at all times, unless the fish are:

 

 

 

Being prepared for immediate consumption

Prepared at an overnight accommodation for storage

Being transported on the water from a temporary overnight accommodation to your residence and you are not engaged in sport fishing

Being transported overland.

[bigugli]

Travel from Niagara to North Bay to fight a ticket? Which do you think would have cost more?

 

Remeber that the summary is just that, a summary, and at the MNR you are always guilty unless proven innocent.

Edited June 4, 2009 by bigugli

[Jonny]

I am all too certain. We fish Nippissing on a regular basis. We got dinged our first year up at a roadside check for not having our fish readily measurable. Nippissing has a slot. Only proof that the fish are legal is to keep them whole but gutted. You cannot get an accurate measurement of length off a fillet.

 

Oh yes, I knew that, but I think you said they had to be kept whole in your freezer?

 

With the new over/under slot limits on pike and walleye, you are supposed to keep them whole for measurement. That makes a big difference in the taste of a fish when frozen

 

I never heard of having to keep them whole once you get them home and prepare them for the freezer, whether there was a slot limit or not.

 

According to Wallyboss's post, you wouldn't even have to keep them whole if transporting overland (in other words you could clean them once you're off the water and before you head home), but I might do that with slot limits in effect anyway.

 

You do have to leave at least a square inch of skin on fillets before you get them home, so the species can be identified. I was stopped once on the Foleyet highway (before slot limits) and the CO's checked that.

[wallyboss]

I usually fillet on shore before leaving the lake, i just don't cut the tail off, so the 2 fillets are holding together by the tail. And I wait until I get home before I skin them to freeze.