Brining Chovies......frozen too long?

[Pippen]

Hey Guys,

The last 3 times I have brined chovies using what's available here in Vancouver they just don't seem to firm up that well? Is it Rhys Davis chovies that are in the clear package with the blue writing on it and some white/red as well......and NEVER are sealed tight? Pretty sure that is the brand but anyhow.....using my usual mixture these ones firm up somewhat but far from what I've had earlier this year.

I picked up some from Derby at PN&T en route to Kyuquot that I believe were North King and those things firmed up absolutely beautifully.

Is it possible they may have just been frozen too long and compounding that fact that Rhys Davis chovies aren't vacuum sealed like North King etc???? I was most disappointed in them this morning when I yanked them out of the fridge.

Have never noticed it before this late in the year....and wouldn't buy that brand normally but selection is limited over here.


Oh well.....I'll see if they work this morning.

 

[Aces]

I use the Rhys Davis anchovies myself. I usually dry salt them top and bottom the night before and they work great for me.

 

[spring fever]

I use the Rhys Davis anchovies myself. I usually dry salt them top and bottom the night before and they work great for me.

I usually use brine. When you dry salt do you just bury them in the salt or dust them? Will they stay good for say 3 days on the boat? Might want to change the way I do things. Thanks.

 

[getbent]

Work well for me Scott...I salt both top and bottom and that is it...stiffen up well.

Guy

 

[Pippen]

Ya......I usually brine for overnight and then they are just salted in coarse salt which they have been doing since about 5:30 this morning. We had the same issue with them on Sunday as my buddy did them in a VERY concentrated brine but they were pretty "noodly" still.

Shawn/Guy....when you guys just salt them do you thaw them first before the "dry" salting or let em start from frozen?


Thanks guys.....I'll report in later to see how they work!

 

[the fog ducker]

Rhys Davis is my first choice , never had any probs Scott , i salt the crap out of mine 1 or 2 days before ,
almost leather like everytime , no water , just layered in course salt , ziplocks or small tupper ware ,
i have a bag still in the freezer brined from 2 weeks ago , still look awesome

perhaps a bad batch,,
not big on the north king , just my preference ,most of us at my dock agree...
ryhs seem ta look rounder , healthier to me , packaged straighter too ,
maybe the vacuum packing of the north king actually squishes them , dont know..
but use what we can get at times , they all work i guess..

fd

 

[Deewar25]

Ya......I usually brine for overnight and then they are just salted in coarse salt which they have been doing since about 5:30 this morning. We had the same issue with them on Sunday as my buddy did them in a VERY concentrated brine but they were pretty "noodly" still.

Shawn/Guy....when you guys just salt them do you thaw them first before the "dry" salting or let em start from frozen?


Thanks guys.....I'll report in later to see how they work!

let it thaw some first...say an hour out of freezer..same deal, I just dry brine - just cover still in package, seal them up in a non-hole bag, fridge for 2-3 days, take em out, remove the water/salt, rebrine, good to go. Put them in fridge when done for the day. My last batch were in the fridge for at least 2 weeks and still great last trip out.

 

[Pippen]

Thanks Guys.

Ducker....not sure if the ones I got from Derby were North King or not....he'll likely chime in and correct me.

 

[getbent]

Rhys Davis is my first choice , never had any probs Scott , i salt the crap out of mine 1 or 2 days before ,
almost leather like everytime , no water , just layered in course salt , ziplocks or small tupper ware ,
i have a bag still in the freezer brined from 2 weeks ago , still look awesome

fd

Bingo!...that is all I do...hopefully they are thawed first but just straight salt either way and lots of it.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Rhys Davis chovies are my go to bait. I dry and wet brine. Depends on the day. If I need them quickly I dry brine straight rock salt. If I have time to defrost I wet brine with a heavy amount of rock salt and local clean seawater, not marina or beach water.

Bought chovies and herring locally this year in Courtenay they were vac packed. One was Bluewater bait and there was another I bought not sure of the name. I was really disappointed. I bought 2 packs of herring and a pack of chovies this way and will avoid in the future. They were fresher looking but once defrosted lots of the scales were missing and had some sort of coating on them.

 

[the fog ducker]

Thanks Guys.

Ducker....not sure if the ones I got from Derby were North King or not....he'll likely chime in and correct me.

not sure , i use ta get get Rhys from him couple years ago..

sent ya a pic
see ya soon

fd

 

[GDW]

Rhys Davis is by far the most popular brand and they are a local company so feel good supporting them. I doubt the anchovies are local but at least some of your money stays here.

My guess is you didn't add enough salt. I prefer the non vacuum sealed baits the vacuum packing deffinetly squishes the bait a little.

 

[Pippen]

My guess is you didn't add enough salt. I prefer the non vacuum sealed baits the vacuum packing deffinetly squishes the bait a little.

Hey GDW......I have brined up tons in the past and did nothing different; was just thinking they may have been "old" or something to that effect??

Dry salt it is gonna be for this kid from here on in......I am sure they'll make better snacks that way too should we run out of chips and beef jerky.

 

[profisher]

How much you have to salt or brine or do nothing at all to your baits depends on how freshly caught/killed and packaged it was. The fresher it is and the less time it has sat in cold storage, the more you will have to salt or brine it. I like Rhys anchovies but prefer year old stock which has sat in -28 for almost a year. That bait is way firmer and I never salt or brine it. I just let it thaw in a bucket of sea water on board and it is good for the entire day.

 

[tortuga]

Stock up early in the season because the later batches are usually spawners and the bellies blow out regardless of packaging or brining.
Was told this by a bait distributer

 

[el.Pereh]

When you guys to the dry brine, is it in the fridge or freezer?

 

[Tips Up]

I too like Ryhs Davis bait. I found the vacuum sealed stuff gets squished and also found the brand I tried were not starved so the bellies blew out easy.

I like to open the frozen pack and lightly cover with salt for an hour or so just to thaw the ice around them and have the anchovies come off the styrofoam. This keeps the tails, scales ect. from breaking off and being left stuck to the styrofoam. I like my chovies in tact.
Then into a wet brine in a mini cooler for 48 hours if possible. The colder you keep them the slower they brine so usually left on the counter for a while then into the fridge.
I also try to keep them in a shady spot on board and not let the water get warm.
Storage in fridge if used within a week. Freezer if longer.

Tips

 

[Tips Up]

Also buy it by the case. Split with friends.
That way it is in the freezer at home anytime you want to go and will cost you around $5.50 per pack instead of $6.90.
Saves you over $50.00 on a case of 40.

Tips

 

[Revenge]

$6.90 thats a deal its self. I've seen them for up to $11.00

 

[Derby]

Hey Pippen give me a call ...just have a couple questions for you then we can figure it out....

Just to answer a few questions...all anchovies come out of the US at this time because we just simply don't have a harvestable amount of anchovy's in BC waters. These are package under the different company labels.....All labels or in most cases our distributed by just a couple BC company's so the money from theses sale support local economy..... Those distributing company do support a lot of organizations that support our fishery's so the company do give a lot back to all that support them in most cases...... Bait is not much different then any other tackle that we use....as fisherman we fish with what gives us the most confidence & best chance to pound on the fish..... With that being said there is certain things that one must look for in Anchovies ....much like when you go buy a good steak.... its really not something I can explain but what I have experienced over the years being involved in the bait business... ...personal I have had bad bait from every anchovy label out there, some labels our better then others. When I have had some bad stuff its usually because I didn't take the time to look at what's in the packages or in the earlier days knew what I was looking for..... so take the time to look at the product in the package regardless of the label.....like everything about fishing it's all about the little details......if you take care of all the little details the rest will come together.....