Methods of filleting and preserving your catch...What do YOU do?

[Sk8man]

My son and I differ on our methods and I thought it might be something worthy of discussion on here. I fillet all my fish (no skin) "old school method" with a standard salt water type fillet knife (a couple sizes) and then I divide the fillets up into usable amounts and put them in zip lock bags and fill them with water completely immersing the fish so that no visible air pockets are there (to prevent freezer burn) and immediately freeze them. I have eaten the fillets up to three years later after doing so and they are excellent.

 

My son uses an electric knife to fillet his fish and then uses a vacuum packaging machine to preserve his for the freezer. He has a bunch of kids so his never last long so I don't know the differences there

 

The downside to my method is that the bags take up a lot of room in the freezer compartment. Anyone know the "shelf life" of the vacuum method?

 

What do you folks do?

[momay4000]

_{I vacuum seal everything using a Food Saver (cheapo model) and have done this for many years. I seal venison and salmon/trout along with other meats such as pork roasts. I always fillet my fish and store without skin. I do about 4-6 deer (including jerky and many smoked products) a year and probably 20-30 fish annually.}

 

_{Pros - food is always fresh and tastes good up to about a year although all food is eaten before that so I'm not sure if it would last longer, easy to store and stack the bags in the freezer, no need for extra liquid in the bags}

 

_{Cons - sometimes when I'm processing many fish or two or three deer at once, the machine has an "auto shut off" feature so the pump doesn't burn out which is extremely annoying, bags are pricey. Sometimes the pin bones can pierce the bags.}

 

_{All in all, I love the vacuum sealer I have. In about 8-9 years, I'm on my third unit but I use them a lot}

[GAMBLER]

I start by bleeding them out in the cooler on the boat.  When I get back home, I filet the meat off, filet out the pin bones, then cut the skin off and last remove the red / brown tissue off the back side of the filets.  If the filets are going in my freezer, I vaccuum seal them.  If they are going to the guys at work, I just throw them in ziplocks and let them freeze them the way they want to. 

[lineman49]

I start by bleeding them out in the cooler on the boat.  When I get back home, I filet the meat off, filet out the pin bones, then cut the skin off and last remove the red / brown tissue off the back side of the filets.  If the filets are going in my freezer, I vaccuum seal them.  If they are going to the guys at work, I just throw them in ziplocks and let them freeze them the way they want to. 

  +2 here, but I do beleive freezing them in water the taste is much better. I just had vacuum sealed ones & told the wife the frozen water ones are better & she agreed!  (thats a first) lol

[Big Dave]

Fillet them out taking off the dark fatty meat & pin bones and vacuum seal them.   We also can some.  Thats a good way to do it too.   Dosen't require any freezing to keep the fish that way.

[Sk8man]

What exactly is involved in the canning method Dave?

[hermit]

Scale, fillet with regular knife, vacuum seal, freezer.  This covers all my bases for using fillets.  Depending on recipe I'll skin it or not after it's defrosted. 

 

Last year I tried cutting steaks.  Scale and gut, then using a cleaver cut through until I hit backbone.  Leave the cleaver there and whack it with a good sized stick hard enough to chop the backbone and go the rest of the way through the meat.  Worked pretty well but don't do this on a nice or metal table.

 

I have a hard time believing freezing in water is actually better it would tend to bleed flavor out.  But I've never tried it so haven't compared myself.  I've done a bit of IQF with fishsticks though, bread, freeze, mist, freeze again.   Helps keep the freezer burn down.  I vac these too.

Edited April 2, 2013 by hermit

[Sk8man]

Hermit - as long as you freeze them right away and keep the flesh away from air there is no leeching out of the oils etc. and I've been doing it since the early 70's. One of the things that triggered the idea way back then was an article in the newspaper where a Wooley Mammoth was discovered encased in ice and when the scientists thawed it out the meat was still edible after hundreds of thousands or millions of years,,,,they actually scarfed up on some to test it.

[hermit]

Oh okay that makes sense, thanks.  I'll give that method a try this year, the vac bags are really expensive even by the roll.

[Big Dave]

Get a ball canning "blue book"  There is a fish repice in there.   We use the hotwater bath cut the fish into small pieces &put  into the jar.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt for a quart jar and fill the jar with water leaving the 1/2" head space. Use a knife to get out the air bubbles out of the jar.   Put the lid and ring on and put in the canner.  Cover the jars with water and bring to a boil , turn the heat down and simmer them for 3hr.  Make sure they stay covered with water.   We let them cool down over night.   We do it on the blow off days during the fall derby.  We use a one of the turkey fryers with the large kettle you can get a bunch of jars in at once.   You can use the canned salmon like tuna fish from the store.   Salmon loaf or patties ,  dip,  Mix some in the Mac & cheese.  Etc.   They say to use the pressure canner, but we have done it with the hotwater method for years.

What exactly is involved in the canning method Dave?

Edited April 2, 2013 by Big Dave

[Sk8man]

Thanks Dave....sounds as though you have it down to an art form

[jimski2]

First thing is to ice the fish on board the boat as soon as they are landed. Put several inches of ice in the bottom of the cooler to keep the gurry that drains from the intestines of the fish. Removing the gills and intestines is important. Alaskan fishermen place the fish in a saltwater brine that is cooled well below freezing by ammonia refrigeration, then dipping them in fresh water to glaze the flesh to keep air off it. That is how the prized salmon returns top dollar at the markets and restaurants.

[Silver Fox]

Water freezing is by far the best for longevity. Try something, fillet a fish immediatly after catching it and fillet a fish after its been in the cooler on ice. You will be amazed at how firm the meat of the fish you fillet right out of the water is!

[LongLine]

As soon as I get them out of the net, I remove the hook, snap a picture, let them go and savor the moment. 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Tim Bromund]

As soon as I get them out of the net, I remove the hook, snap a picture, let them go and savor the moment. 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

How do the pictures taste?  Do you normally smoke them??

[Chas0218]

I start by bleeding them out in the cooler on the boat.  When I get back home, I filet the meat off, filet out the pin bones, then cut the skin off and last remove the red / brown tissue off the back side of the filets.  If the filets are going in my freezer, I vaccuum seal them.  If they are going to the guys at work, I just throw them in ziplocks and let them freeze them the way they want to. 

I do the same except I cut them into smaller meals and if they wont be in the freezer for long I just use a quart freezer bag throw the fillets in then fill with water until covered then put in freezer. The water encapsulates the fillets and dont let them become freezer burnt.

[jimski2]

Minimum length laws must be observed before fileting fish on board your boat, Skin must be left on for specie identification and possession limits.

[LongLine]

How do the pictures taste?  Do you normally smoke them??

Actually I've gone digital but that's why there's drool all over my screen. 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)