To preserve, retain colour, taste and prevent freezer burn, there is no better way of storing your fish than vacuum packing it. To get the best results, it is important that the fish is as fresh as possible and that it has been kept chilled. The length of time that fish have been held on ice or in chilled storage greatly affects the storage time of the frozen product. This means that you should buy any fish you intend to freeze as freshly as possible and should keep them as cold as possible right up to the point at which they are put into the freezer. Experiments have shown that lean fish held for two days on ice will last up to 12 months in a freezer before any loss in quality is noticeable. The same species of fish which have been held on ice for seven days can only be stored for 2 months in a freezer before a loss of quality is noticeable.
As a general rule, the ‘leaner’ the fish, the longer that it can be stored for in the freezer. However, this is complicated by the fact that different species of fish contain different types of fish oil. For example, Halibut, Sole and Flounder will keep for about three times as long as Trout and Salmon stored under identical conditions.
Whichever type of fish you are going to freeze, it is the exclusion of oxygen and moisture which dramatically reduces the speed of the breakdown of the oils present in the fish itself. This is why it is so important to produce a good vacuum and to use good quality vacuum bags which are relatively impermeable.
There are very large differences between the permeability of packaging materials, with cellophane and polyethylene (used in cheap plastic bags) offering very little protection to seafood products compared to quality PVC vacuum bags.
We supply a range of high quality vacuum bags which have been designed to pack fish. The smaller of these are ideal for Trout and fish weighing up to 1KG whilst the larger sizes are best suited to whole Salmon or similar sized fish.
It is possible to fillet fish before packing and storing and this is to some extent a trade-off between longevity in the freezer and convenience. As a general rule, whole fish will retain their flavour longer than filleted fish. If you do want to fillet fish first then the best way to pack them is with two fillets to a bag with the skin on the outside. This is less important if you are planning on eating the fish relatively soon, but if you plan to store the fillets for more than a couple of months then this method is recommended.
So far we have talked about packing fresh fish for the freezer. However, if the fish you have bought is already frozen then you can still extend its freezer life by vacuum packing it. Simply puncture a few holes in the existing wrapping, place the fish plus the wrapping into a vacuum bag and pack it as though it was a fresh fish. This will remove the air from the existing packaging.
It is not generally recommended to store fresh fish in the refrigerator for any length of time as (unlike meat) the ‘fresh’ flavour of fish deteriorates rapidly. Smoked or cured fish, for example smoked salmon or gravadlax will keep better in the fridge if it is vacuum packed as this prevents it from drying out which is the main problem with thin slices of cured fish. The best way to pack these is to place the items on a polystyrene tray or a foil fish board and then to slide the board into a vacuum bag before vacuuming and sealing as normal.
Remember that vacuum packing is not a substitute for proper temperature control. All fish products should be stored in the fridge or freezer even if they have been vacuum packed. The vacuum packing process will prevent loss of flavour and will improve the appearance of products which have been frozen but you should not try to store vacuum packed fish for any longer than non-vacuum packed fish.
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