Freezing fish

Anyone know the info on freezing stuff ?

I caught some Ling last week, put it in a freezer for a week, cooked it and it
was as tough as old boots (might have been my cooking). I know that Pollock
isnt supposed to freeze well but skate you should freeze to get rid of the
ammonia taste.

"§ t î x" wrote in message
...
Anyone know the info on freezing stuff ?

I caught some Ling last week, put it in a freezer for a week, cooked it
and it
was as tough as old boots (might have been my cooking). I know that
Pollock
isnt supposed to freeze well but skate you should freeze to get rid of the
ammonia taste.

my old dad would soak skate wings in salt water for 24-48 hours that seemed
to work OK
Derek

In article , § t î x
wrote:
Anyone know the info on freezing stuff ?

I caught some Ling last week, put it in a freezer for a week, cooked it and it
was as tough as old boots (might have been my cooking).

The usual reason is freezer burn - if fish isn't well wrapped (or glazed)
then it dries out in the freezer and so toughens.

I know that Pollock
isnt supposed to freeze well but skate you should freeze to get rid of the
ammonia taste.

A great many fish require really fast freezing. Keep a set of freezer
blocks (of the sort that you use to keep a coolbox cool when camping) in a
fast section of your freezer then when you have a few fillets needing to be
frozen in top condition bag them then stack them alternately:
fillet/block/fillet/block and so on. The close contact gets them cold
-much- faster and reduces ice crystal damage. You can get fancy steel
sheets designed to do the same job if you want to be flashy. The blocks
must be already hard frozen btw or you get the opposite effect ;-)

Oily fish frozen this way should not be thawed before cooking. Cook them
straight from frozen - you can move them to the ice-cream compartment for 24
hours first if you like to make for easier cooking but don't let them get
any warmer than that and don't leave them there for more than a few days.

Pollock do freeze OK but they are one of the fish that lose quality quickly
once killed. They should be frozen as soon as possible and as fast as
possible - as above. In general summer pollock aren't worth freezing, wait
'til they have a thick jelly coat of autumn slime on them and the flesh will
be much richer.

Skate need hanging first. Traditionally you hang the whole fish on the back
of a shed door (this is MESSY) for 36 hours before skinning but I find it
better to prepare the wings, cut them thin if it's a big 'un, and then leave
them unwrapped in the fridge for 24 hours before wrapping and freezing them
- no need for the fast technique here.

All imo and ymmv.

Cheerio,

--

§ t î x wrote:
Anyone know the info on freezing stuff ?

I caught some Ling last week, put it in a freezer for a week, cooked
it and it was as tough as old boots (might have been my cooking). I
know that Pollock isnt supposed to freeze well but skate you should
freeze to get rid of the ammonia taste.

Not sure if it's the best way, but to prevent freezer burn (which makes the
flesh tough), I alway put my fish in a sealed freezer bag with plenty of
water in it, effectively storing it within an "ice cube". Putting it in a
tray while it freezes keeps its shape and most of the water around it. It's
always worked for me. Also just found (below) this on a website, and it's
pretty much how fish are frozen commercially. I'm going to try experimenting
with the methods below too.

We learn something new every day

Hope some of this helps anyway
Likewise


Lemon-Gelatin Glaze
To prepare glaze, mix ¼ cup lemon juice and 1 ¾ cups water. Dissolve one
packet of unflavored gelatin in ½ cup lemon juice-water mixture. Heat the
remaining 1 ½ cups of liquid to boiling. Stir the dissolved gelatin mixture
into the boiling liquid. Cool to room temperature. When cool, dip the cold
fish into the lemon-gelatin glaze and drain. Wrap the fish in moisture-vapor
resistant packaging, label and freeze.

Ice Glaze
Place unwrapped fish in the freezer to freeze. As soon as it is frozen, dip
fish in near-freezing ice water. Place fish again in the freezer a few
minutes to harden the glaze. Take fish out, and repeat the glaze until a
uniform cover of ice is formed. Wrap the fish in moisture-vapor resistant
paper or place in freezer bags, label and freeze.

Water
Place fish in a shallow metal, foil or plastic pan; cover with water and
freeze. To prevent evaporation of the ice, wrap the container in freezer
paper after it is frozen, label and freeze.

Still chuckling over the spectacle in Motherwell, on 15 Jul 2005, "§ t î
x" put down his happy meal and blurted:

Anyone know the info on freezing stuff ?

I caught some Ling last week, put it in a freezer for a week, cooked
it and it was as tough as old boots (might have been my cooking). I
know that Pollock isnt supposed to freeze well but skate you should
freeze to get rid of the ammonia taste.





I've frozen ling in ordinary plastic freezer bags and it has tasted fine.
Ling is delicious!

--

"Motherwell will beat Celtic - LMFAO @ you!" - ZB
"Is the game going to be televised at celtic park? with title celebrations
after?" - Colin Mckechnie
"I'm sure you're lovin' it, being second and all that. All the best." -
Paddy

Doo doo doo doo dooooooo...I'm LOVIN' it!

Wots a fish?

"Derek" wrote in message
...

"§ t î x" wrote in message
...
Anyone know the info on freezing stuff ?

I caught some Ling last week, put it in a freezer for a week, cooked it
and it
was as tough as old boots (might have been my cooking). I know that
Pollock
isnt supposed to freeze well but skate you should freeze to get rid of
the
ammonia taste.

my old dad would soak skate wings in salt water for 24-48 hours that
seemed
to work OK
Derek

"Keith M" wrote in message
...
Wots a fish?
snip
I saw one once