I bought too much copper river salmon for a party and I have to freeze some. What is the best way to do it without degrading the quality?

Susan Wilk
  • 4657 views
  • 9 Comments

9 Comments

scruz June 30, 2015
sorry to butt in again, but normally i use the quart sized bags. they don't need to be freezer zip locks. my fisher buddies have also given me vacuum sealed salmon which i had degrade on me as the bags were not very thick and the frozen ice crystals had put microscopic holes in the plastic. you could see little circles where air had gotten in and caused freezer burn. i don't have a vacuum sealer but i for this purpose i would use as thick (mil) plastic as i could find for the machine.
 
scruz June 30, 2015
the bag is completely filled with salt water surrounding the fish. all air bubbles need to be expressed before sealing.
 
scruz June 30, 2015
fishermen taught me this trick. i did not believe it until i had about 20 lbs. of fresh oregon salmon land on my table. in a large enough pan or bowl (you decide) dissolve a lot of salt in cold water. have lots of zip lock bags on hand. submerge one bag and one piece of fish (fillets or steaks work equally well) in bag. underwater, fold top of bag over to ensure all of the air is out of bag and zip it closed. freeze each back flat in freeze (making storage upright on side a space saver). one of my fisher buddies used to freeze fish in empty, clean milk cartons, but in my mind that is space wasteful. use the fish within several months or a half year. it comes out as good as fresh caught with zero freezer burn. a good way to buy fish on sale and then freeze it.
 
arcane54 June 30, 2015
Scruz, does that mean your fish is frozen in water? It's not clear to me how much water remains in the bag with the fish... Thanks for clarifying!
 
ChefJune June 29, 2015
Well, I hope you've already frozen it. But for the future, if you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can still keep if just fine for a couple of months double wrapped in plastic wrap and then in a double-seal freezer bag -- well burped.
 
Susan W. June 29, 2015
Chef June -- that is exactly what I ended up doing, after a ton of internet research, since I don't have a vacuum sealer. It's a pity to have to freeze such gorgeous fish, but hopefully I minimized the damage.
 
Niknud June 29, 2015
We usually get ~40-50lbs of salmon from Alaska fishing trip every year. Vacuum sealer has always kept them good in the freezer for the next 12 months. Sometimes we will can a bit of the haul if there are extra tail bits, but really, a good airless seal will work fine.
 
inpatskitchen June 28, 2015
If you absolutely have to freeze the salmon, a vacuum sealer is best, but don't keep it frozen for more than a month or two. Personally I would find some good recipes and use it up as quickly as possible.
 
Susan W. June 28, 2015
I wish I could. I'm going out of town and don't have a choice. Thanks for the advice.
 
Recommended by Food52