Freezing salmon for later processing

[Theb55]

I have a small window this year for catching salmon. I plan quick freeze my catch and thaw and process it later - smoking, freezing and canning.

My understanding is Sockeye are frozen, as is, that is without gutting and gilling and then thawed later for processing. That way prevents oxidization of the meat.

The other option is to gut and gill and freeze.

I have never tried freezing for later processing but circumstances right now do not allow me to catch, process and freeze/can.

What is the consensus out there?

 

[Hookin'up]

I have to say bleed them out and gut them before freezing


Sent from my rotary phone using tapacrap!

 

[Tugcapitan]

I've never heard of freezing a salmon without gutting it?!

 

[captmike]

I've never heard of freezing a salmon without gutting it?!

commercial guys do it all the time-no freezer burn

 

[Theb55]

I understand that if you don't cut the salmon, no ozidization of the meat occurs and they remain much more in tact. But has anyone done this and what are the results.

 

[Tugcapitan]

Huh, who knew? Not me!

 

[walleyes]

Do your self a favor and get a vacuum sealer. I as well do all my salmon fishing in one week for the whole year and I have been running a vacuum sealer for the last 5 years and it has made the whole difference. I always gut and clean my fish as soon as possible, this is usually at the dock. The smaller fish are beheaded and gutted and washed clean then vacuum sealed and in the freezer. The large Chinook are filleted left joined at the tail then in the sealer and froze. It takes a bit of practice to get the sealing right when dealing with wet products and losing the seal on the bag. This can be eliminated by laying a rolled out flat piece of paper towel along the bag just inside of the seal, as the vacuum sucks out the air the towel catches and holds the moister leaving a nice dry seal that last for ever. The large fish are used for canning and smoking at a later date. We will take out 2 or three fish, thaw them, smoke one and can a couple, enjoy it and repeat as we want. The ones left whole are left for eating however one may want. But let me be honest with you,, if done right vacuum sealing is the closest thing to eating fresh there is. It is remarkable. A Coho can site in the freezer for 8 months and when you thaw it it is so darn close to fresh its remarkable.. Way better than anything you can buy in a store.

Another thing I have done is the last few years I have brought my own freezer out with me. I bought a small apartment freezer that I load in the back of my truck and unload it where ever I stay. I crank it as cold as possible and my fish freeze fast. and they are mine. Too many times I had fish sit in a camp ground or lodge freezer for 2 or 3 days and not be frozen yet. They have to many fish in them and to many guys opening them all day and the fish don't freeze right. The product is of poor quality.

Lets face it,, it costs us a bundle to do that fishery we may as well spend a couple more dollars to ensure our product is as best cared for as it can be. We spend $50,000.00 (min) on boat and gear and don't want to spend a few more dollars to ensure the fish is taken care of.

 

[uclueletcharters]

There is no way to totally get away from freezer burnt meat if it's frozen for an extended period of time you just try to minimize it. A fella I know in the fish trading game said it's caused by oil migration and unless they are flash frozen and vac packed in a minimum 3 - 4 ml thick packing the meat will get burnt quicker. A couple of ways I have frozen fish with good results is to cut them into thick steaks 6 - 8" put each in a freezer zip lock and put water in the bag to rid any air. Then under water squeeze as much excess water out of the bag and zip closed under the water. The skin will protect the fish as does the ice block and if there is any burn meat it will be at the ends where you can shave a cm off each end and then fillet and your fish will be in excellent shape. The other method if you don't have a vacuum packer is to fillet the fish and portion to your dinner size for each heavy duty Zip lock freezer bag then put the bag under the water in the sink and it will push most of the air out and zip shut under water( this method doesn't require water in the bag). When you pull it out it looks vacuum packed it's quick and convenient. To be honest I have a vacuum packer which I used for a while but I'm back to the push the bag under the water poor mans vacuum packing system with the filleted fish.

 

[walleyes]

Well again,, its a matter of doing it right to begin with..

But each to his own.

 

[hambone]

Gills and guts out, then freeze.

This is how it was done when I worked at a fish market during my high school years. You will have showcase fillets so long as you don't cut into the meat before freezing.

 

[uclueletcharters]

Hambone is right so long as you can eat an entire fish the best method is as he said gutted gilled and frozen whole.

 

[Big_Shank]

If going the vacuum packed route, just make sure to cut the pouch open before thawing or the pouch will crush the fish and turn it mushy while it thaws...

 

[Theb55]

I have a very good vacuum sealer which I will use but cannot use it immediately. I will wrap my fish very tightly in freezer paper and place in a plastic bag. I plan to thaw and process in September/October. Jars of regular and smoked salmon as well as a variety of frozen salmon. What I was more interested in was whether to freeze them without gutting and de-gilling. I've seen arguments both ways but as of late, it seems that oxidation begins when you cut the fish so freezing them without cutting seems to be catching on more and more. I was more interested in getting feedback this method.

 

[Cuba Libre]

yes-- and belly burn starts almost immediately if you dont IMMEDIATELY remove the blood and guts. The fish will begin to decompose as soon as it dies. Dont risk your fish--- bleed/gill and gut, and chill immediately.

 

[RiverBoy]

There is nothing more unappetizing than the thought of eating that fish after it has been belly burnt, not bled or cleaned properly. Last year my mother got some sockeye given to her that were frozen whole and she brought over for me to fillet. It was like dealing with one ball of slime inside and out. The meat looked bruised and it was full of blood. I have an extremely strong stomach ( I clean up crime and trauma scenes for a living ) and it was all I could do to prevent from vomiting. I told my mother to feed it to her cat and I gave her fresh stuff I had caught at Browns Bay that morning.

 

[tubber]

Take proper care of your fish on the water. (bleed, chiil, gill and gut, chill and drain) Bag and freeze them whole. Wrap the frozen fish in polyster and wool fishing clothes and bury in salt ice for the trip home. When you get home, vacuum pack the cohos whole and cut the Chinooks into family size chunks with a sterilized bandsaw and then vacuum pack them. Thaw the smoker/canner pieces in the fall. I would avoid thawing and re-freezing the pieces you are not canning/smoking to avoid the cells breaking down and leaking too much. Just fillet and eat the ones not going in the smoker/canner through the winter/spring.
Or, if you can't borrow a bandsaw, pack all your dressed fish un-bagged in coolers of salt ice which you drain often. They will last for 5 days easy if you take care of them from the moment they come out of the net. Then cut and vacuum pack when you get home.
If you can't get access to a bandsaw or salt ice, make more shorter trips.

 

[Tsquared]

"Freezing salmon for later processing
I have a small window this year for catching salmon. I plan quick freeze my catch and thaw and process it later - smoking, freezing and canning.

My understanding is Sockeye are frozen, as is, that is without gutting and gilling and then thawed later for processing. That way prevents oxidization of the meat.

The other option is to gut and gill and freeze.

I have never tried freezing for later processing but circumstances right now do not allow me to catch, process and freeze/can.

What is the consensus out there?"
On freezer trollers it was always gut and head the salmon, then freeze. After they are frozen you dip them in water to glaze them. I never saw anyone freeze them whole. The seine boats threw them in an ice slurry in their hold whole but they weren't frozen. Maybe things have changed with the processing now happening in China.
T2

 

[Bows Up]

I have frozen whole fish. They are bled immediately and in my freezer within hours of being caught. I have done it with pink, chum (both OK short term) and sockeye. Sockeye works the best. Smoked some last week, aside from trimming the bottom half inch of rib fat, it was in great shape. Coho and spring get vacu sealed, so I have no idea what the results would be frozen whole.

Friend cans. He partially thaws and the guts come out frozen.

I couldn't believe freezing whole would work but it does. YMMV.

 

[KV1]

Freezing whole with guts in I have seen and witnessed months later and fish looks perfect. Arctic is so cold you pull the fish out and it freezes within minutes. I clean fish at the dock after fishing but that's just me

 

[tubber]

We brought 200,000lbs of whole sockeye back from Bristol Bay twice in 1980 and 1981. They went from the gillnetters into our hold which was chilled to about -18C by adding many sacks of salt to seawater and running it through a then state of the art chiller system. They were frozen solid. They all went in cans in Vancouver. It can be done. Tuna are often blast frozen in the round. I got a couple of a boat in Steveston last year. Tasted good to me. I just don't like the idea of freezing, thawing and re-freezing.