Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
My experience with freezing them the way that JaundeOne does is to make sure you "glaze" them, like the commercial guys do with the salmon they freeze, then they will last a long time. SS
Sushihunter
Active Member
Here's what I've been doing with my Prawns:
I pull the heads off the live Prawns and have a big pot of boiling salted water (I use only sea salt).
I drop them in in small batches of 30 or so, so as not to drop the water temperature too much. Heat is on MAX. Once the water is boiling again, I watch them for about a minute or so, untill they start to float.
I scoop them out and rinse them under cold tap water, and place them in a large bowl.
Between batches, I have to skim the scum off the top of the boiling water or it will boil over - not a good thing.
Once they are all cooked, I package them up - 100 to a large ziplock bag, and lay them out in the freezer.
After a few hours, I pull the bags and bounce them off the counter to keep them from freezing into a solid mass. Then it is back into the freezer.
They seem to get a pretty good glaze on them as they are pretty wet after cooking and cooling.
I keep most of them in the big freezer in the basement, and one bag in the top freezer compartment in the kitchen. I pull out what I need from day to day as the urge hits me. They thaw out quickly under cold running water - 15 minutes max.
If I were planning on keeping them for longer than a couple of months, I would glaze them more or freeze them in solid blocks of salted water.
Here's a tip: SuperStore has some Red Thai Curry Chicken dishes that you can pick up in the freezer section. There is lots of sauce in these - more than they really need for the amount of chicken they put in them. I will bake off a couple of chicken breasts, and cube them up to add to this 6 minute microwave dish, and toss in about 20 or 30 Prawns. Very yummy!
I pull the heads off the live Prawns and have a big pot of boiling salted water (I use only sea salt).
I drop them in in small batches of 30 or so, so as not to drop the water temperature too much. Heat is on MAX. Once the water is boiling again, I watch them for about a minute or so, untill they start to float.
I scoop them out and rinse them under cold tap water, and place them in a large bowl.
Between batches, I have to skim the scum off the top of the boiling water or it will boil over - not a good thing.
Once they are all cooked, I package them up - 100 to a large ziplock bag, and lay them out in the freezer.
After a few hours, I pull the bags and bounce them off the counter to keep them from freezing into a solid mass. Then it is back into the freezer.
They seem to get a pretty good glaze on them as they are pretty wet after cooking and cooling.
I keep most of them in the big freezer in the basement, and one bag in the top freezer compartment in the kitchen. I pull out what I need from day to day as the urge hits me. They thaw out quickly under cold running water - 15 minutes max.
If I were planning on keeping them for longer than a couple of months, I would glaze them more or freeze them in solid blocks of salted water.
Here's a tip: SuperStore has some Red Thai Curry Chicken dishes that you can pick up in the freezer section. There is lots of sauce in these - more than they really need for the amount of chicken they put in them. I will bake off a couple of chicken breasts, and cube them up to add to this 6 minute microwave dish, and toss in about 20 or 30 Prawns. Very yummy!
Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
Cooking as Sushihunter states, in sea water, works very well and you know they are done when they start to float. I like to use a "mirafoix" (not sure if the spelling is correct). This is a mixture of celery, onions and carrots that are added to the water when boiling, try it, I think you will like it. When cooking small batches I also find that 2 minutes seems to work well with an immediate cold water bath to stop the cooking process..... SIR, I am sure you could add to this thread......... :0) SS
spring time
Well-Known Member
the way I do it is, first: rinse in sea water a couple of times just before taking boat out of water because the throw up stuff,( I use a milkbone container with hole in it) then take the heads of then put on cookie sheet single layer, then put in freezer, every 4-6 hour or then ever I think of it spray with water. do it till they get a thick crust of Ice on it, then brake them up, and put in freezer ziplock bags , then put ziplocks in vacuum bags and seal. the ziplock prevents the tail spikes for puncturing vaccum bags. I had prawns for a year and they still tasted good( all though anything taste great in garlic and butter).
Sushihunter
Active Member
A friend of mine who has been doing quite well on Prawns uses this method:
Place about 40 - 50 raw Prawn tails in a aluminum foil pie plate, and cover with a paper plate. Mark date and number on the paper plate, then vaccuum pack the two plates.
The plates keep the stickers from breaking through the bag.
Place about 40 - 50 raw Prawn tails in a aluminum foil pie plate, and cover with a paper plate. Mark date and number on the paper plate, then vaccuum pack the two plates.
The plates keep the stickers from breaking through the bag.
Sushihunter
Active Member
Mirepoix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mirepoix, a culinary combination of onions, carrots and celery. A common ratio of ingredients is 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot and 1 part celery.
Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
Thanks Sushihunter, now I know how to spell it. I tried spell check and it didn't come up with anything......... SS
Sushihunter
Active Member
Don't feel bad - I didn't know how to spell it either.
But working in restaurants most of my life, I knew what it was and knew where to look it up.
/Google is your friend
S
SIR
Guest
Sorry - went crazy at the Resort with guests and boat tours for a few days. We tried salt vs fresh water and it did not seem to make any difference so as one method involved having to walk back and forth from the float with pails if water and the other didn't we went the easy route. In theory the salt water would freeze more slowly in the freezer than the fresh water which is a bad thing as you want to freeze them as fast as possible.
I personally don't like the idea of cooking prawns before freezing them as many of the recipes we use require cooking the prawns in something, as opposed to having the option of adding them right at the end of the cooking process, which means I'm going to have to cook them twice that way so the texture is not going to be good. We've even tried just reheating cooked frozen prawns by a quick emersion in boiling water after they are fully thawed but if you are serving them standalone they seem to take on a soft bitty texture that is just not as nice as when you eat them right after being cooked from raw.
I don't like the on sheets in the freezer option as that is going to let the cold air in the freezer swirl around the prawns while they are freezing which if they are headed is going to start the freezer burn process around the exposed end. To deal with the "how many prawns we need" issue we use a tall round tub that hold 50 prawns and a small square tub that holds 25. A freezer bag or vacum pack would be my next choice for short term 30-60 day storage.
All the mentioned techniques are going to get the job done. We just find the ice blocks seem to yield to longest storage with a cooked product tasting as close as possible to the original (not the same, but close).
I personally don't like the idea of cooking prawns before freezing them as many of the recipes we use require cooking the prawns in something, as opposed to having the option of adding them right at the end of the cooking process, which means I'm going to have to cook them twice that way so the texture is not going to be good. We've even tried just reheating cooked frozen prawns by a quick emersion in boiling water after they are fully thawed but if you are serving them standalone they seem to take on a soft bitty texture that is just not as nice as when you eat them right after being cooked from raw.
I don't like the on sheets in the freezer option as that is going to let the cold air in the freezer swirl around the prawns while they are freezing which if they are headed is going to start the freezer burn process around the exposed end. To deal with the "how many prawns we need" issue we use a tall round tub that hold 50 prawns and a small square tub that holds 25. A freezer bag or vacum pack would be my next choice for short term 30-60 day storage.
All the mentioned techniques are going to get the job done. We just find the ice blocks seem to yield to longest storage with a cooked product tasting as close as possible to the original (not the same, but close).
Sushihunter
Active Member
Hmmm, sea water - I just use the dried stuff and add it to tap water [
)]Anything that gets the job done!
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Sushihunter
Active Member
Hmmm, sea water - I just use the dried stuff and add it to tap water [
)]Anything that gets the job done!
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
Hi SIR, just in case you were referring to my comments regarding cooking the prawns, I have never tried that before freezing, for the same reason you stated. What I was suggesting is that if you are going to boil your prawns to cook them, a Mirepoixseems to enhance the flavour..... 
SS
ps Thanks Gimp for helping me figure out the signature thing!
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll49/mauricepiquette/seaswirlstiper.jpg
SSps Thanks Gimp for helping me figure out the signature thing!
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll49/mauricepiquette/seaswirlstiper.jpg
Striper Sniper
Well-Known Member
Hi SIR, just in case you were referring to my comments regarding cooking the prawns, I have never tried that before freezing, for the same reason you stated. What I was suggesting is that if you are going to boil your prawns to cook them, a Mirepoixseems to enhance the flavour..... SS
ps Thanks Gimp for helping me figure out the signature thing!
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll49/mauricepiquette/seaswirlstiper.jpg
SSps Thanks Gimp for helping me figure out the signature thing!
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll49/mauricepiquette/seaswirlstiper.jpg
drhook
Active Member
Right on 'Sir'. Just to add to your post, freeze in fresh water in 750 ml yougert tubs. Feeds enough for 2 people. I sort out my prawns putting in 22-24 large, 34-36 medium, and 42-44 small. If you're a real stickler, you can top up the container after its frozen with a tiny bit of water to cover the top most prawns. As you have mentioned, the other alernative is to freeze in zip loks by lowering in a sink of water to remove all the air. Works well but a little more fussy.
As far as cooking and freezing goes, I agree with your comments completely but I do cook, vaccum pack and freeze batches of 15 for the wife who likes to add them to her salad at lunch. Re-cooking or heating as you mentioned is a no-no with prawns.
drhook
Active Member
Right on 'Sir'. Just to add to your post, freeze in fresh water in 750 ml yougert tubs. Feeds enough for 2 people. I sort out my prawns putting in 22-24 large, 34-36 medium, and 42-44 small. If you're a real stickler, you can top up the container after its frozen with a tiny bit of water to cover the top most prawns. As you have mentioned, the other alernative is to freeze in zip loks by lowering in a sink of water to remove all the air. Works well but a little more fussy.
As far as cooking and freezing goes, I agree with your comments completely but I do cook, vaccum pack and freeze batches of 15 for the wife who likes to add them to her salad at lunch. Re-cooking or heating as you mentioned is a no-no with prawns.
