Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska How to freeze Salmon?

I haven't been to Alaska in a couple years and got the craving for some fresh slamon. I ordered 20lbs of Silver. What is the best way to freeze the fillets?

Thanks for the help,


ddj

1. Cut into meal-sizes.
2. Vacuum seal.
3. Put in freezer.
4. Drink a beer while you wait.

I really like #4.

I actually have a 6 pack of Alaskan Amber chilled.



ddj

Don't be stingy with them. Enjoy them before the cut surfaces begin to degrade. I have yet to see a way, vacuum sealed or otherwise, in which the cut surface does not lose the fine flavor with time. Six months is long enough. I doubt that three-four pounds of salmon per month will be too much.

Take it to a professional and pay the $1 a pound to get it done right.

Who did you order from, and how much did you pay?

Calvin,
I've been wanting to order some Salmon as my family loves them. Got any advice?

Or contacts?

I really don't know right now. Their used to be some guys who sold their own product, but it seems they gave up on it, as it was more trouble than it was worth.

there is several retailers in Ketchikan ... of the fresh stuff.

The Fish House

This is the place I've been working for this summer.

The first few years I caught salmon (in the way-back years) I would dip the roasts (I didn't know how to filet then) in a vinegar solution to cut the slime and then dip in a citric acid (crushed and dissolved vitamin C solution) to retard oxidation. The fish was then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then freezer paper.

I need to go back to that method or get a newer/better vac packer.

I learned my lesson with the foodsaver. 3-5 months and it tastes like fish.

I gladly pay a local guy to fillet and professionally vacuum pack my May caught king salmon. (was 75ish pounds this year) Kids and I have fun catching them, we drop them off at his dock, and pick up the perfectly packaged salmon a day later, which tastes great much much longer than the foodsaver stuff. I ended up giving 20ish pounds away to the boatless, and it was a product I was proud to give them.

I have tried absolutely everything over the years from freezing/water dipping through the vacum bags, and simply feel that fish just loses something after 3 weeks in a freezer. It's fine on day 21 and blah on day 22. I'm convinced there must be some fat soluable enzymes that degrade regardless of temperature or wrap. I do have access to an 80 below unit out at work. It's used to store blood and hormone samples. Someone would have a cow though if they found a nice silver on the shelf.

I've wondered about something along that line. Typically I put up some or all of our frozen salmon as vacced filets. By spring I am always trimming them before they're cooked. Last fall I simply headed and gutted, washing well before rolling them, bellies in into tightly rolled plastic wrap, quite a few wraps of it. With those I simply sliced off the exposed cuts at the head and tail and roasted them. One has to allow more time, obviously, for whole roasts versus the quick result of roasting filets. However, the edible result seems very acceptable, even to sometimes fish glutted "customers". I really prefer not to cut on previously frozen fish if I can help it.

However....

One way to salvage filets that might be just a bit long on the frost: cut the tail section where the pin bones end; cut off the strip above the pin bones; remove the line of pin bones and discard. Cut the boneless pieces into finger sized/shaped strips (working finger sized); put them in a bowl with more than a stingy skosh of Yashida's marinade and let soak for a few minutes. Lay the pieces separately on an oiled cookie sheet skin down. Cook carefully under the broiler until they begin to brown lightly. Cooking takes 5-10 minutes depending on whether the broiler is hot to start with. Kids seem to enjoy these salmon McNuggets.

Thanks Guys.

A friend of mine gave me a Pikes Place Fish Market gift certificate for my birthday. I bought 20# of Silver and King, #10 of Dungeness,and #5 of Halibut, Ling and Black cod. The Silver was $6.99/lb. I am debating on buying a nice Vacuum packer for the fish.

I have a few questions:

What is a good vacuum sealer?

Does the fish need to be frozen a bit before I vac them so they don't get compressed?

Thanks for any help,


ddj

Trout----That's a good friend cause Pikes Place ain't cheap....the quality is usually is in inverse proportion to the cost because the local yuppy Seattleites haven't an f'in clue as to what fresh fish is...but I digress.

I prefer to freeze my salmon fillets before vac sealing and then when defrosting don't forget to break the seal (poke a hole in the bag). I've always used a foodsaver but am in the market for an upgrade due to my experience with vac packed fish. I usually smoke any fish that has been in the freezer for more than six months and rotate fresh fish thru.

Keep fresh water away from the saltwater fish.

The biggest detriment to good fresh tasting fish is to NOT OVER COOK IT!

Good luck.

The best way to freeze fillets is , don't! Freeze them in the "round." Meaning, catch the fish, bleed by breaking the gills, throw in freezer whole. Do not remove the slime from the skin. Hair, hide, guts and all. This way no bacteria gets to the flesh because the hide is on the fish.
I've done it this way for years. Take the fish out of the freezer and then clean it. Cook as desired.
Frozen this way, I've used fish that was 8 months old that were as fresh as just caught.

A friend of ours bought a single-bag commercial machine, and it (and the bags that it uses) is a big upgrade... it was also about a grand.

...but the bags are cheap.

That's kinda' what I'm looking for. A good machine and bags make all the difference.

Getting them really cold often works.

Brn Bear, nothing tastes as good as fresh after freezing, but I do agree with the whole freezing. I often do the same with an additional glazing and put into a fish bag. IMO, fish that freezes best are in order of best to least(retention of original characteristics): red salmon, black cod, silver salmon, ling cod, king salmon, true cod, halibut. Proper care of fish is critical. Bleeding and put on ice are foremost.