How to properly store fresh fish. Fish storage. Other preservation methods

Fish, thanks to their useful properties and taste characteristics, is one of the most popular products, from which a variety of first and second courses are prepared, eaten pre-salted and smoked, or processed into minced meat. Many of those who regularly use this product in their diet think that it is not difficult to save fish, for this it is enough just to put it in the refrigerator.

Even the storage of fish in the refrigerator compartment must be organized correctly so as not to face the fact that in a short period of time the product will deteriorate and become unfit for human consumption.

Fish dishes are especially tasty and healthy if a completely fresh product is used for their preparation. If you plan to cook the fish not immediately after the catch, but the next day or every other day, then you can maximize its nutritional properties and taste characteristics by placing it in the refrigerator for storage. Proper storage of fresh fish in the refrigerator, for which it should be prepared accordingly, looks like in the following way:

Carcasses of fresh fish are cleaned of scales, thoroughly gutted, washed both outside and inside. Cleaned and washed fish carcasses are dried using cloth or absorbent paper.
Fish carcasses are placed in a cup or plastic container of a suitable size. If the size of the fish does not allow them to be placed in a container as a whole, then they can be cut into pieces and stored in this state. The container, after laying the fish in it, is closed with a film or a sealed lid.

The product, after it is placed in a container for further storage, can be additionally poured with marinade, which can be used as citric acid. Such a marinade will not only make fish meat more tender and give it additional taste properties, but will also act as a preservative. Coarse salt can also be used as a preservative that protects the product from spoilage when stored fresh, with which carcasses or pieces of fish are rubbed from the inside and outside.

The method described above allows you to store fish in the refrigerator, without fear that it will deteriorate, for no more than 2 days. If it is necessary to lay a fresh product for storage for a longer period of time, then it should be frozen for this purpose using the appropriate compartment of the refrigeration device.

Storing fresh fish in the freezer

Freeze in freezer household refrigeration device is recommended only very fresh and high-quality fish. In this case, you can count on the fact that it will be stored for the maximum possible period of time for such conditions - 3-6 months. It is best to freeze at a temperature corresponding to the "super freeze" mode, so this process will go faster. The carcasses of the fish to be frozen can be both scaled and not removed, but they must be gutted, thoroughly washed inside and out, and then dried with paper towels or napkins.

The advantage of storing frozen fish, the carcass of which is not scaled, is that such a natural coating protects the meat fibers from destruction, so that dishes from such a product will be juicy and tender.

Before laying in the freezer, the product in carcasses or in cut form is placed in plastic bags, while unpeeled carcasses and fillets cannot be placed in the same bag. The need to comply with the latter requirement is explained by the fact that harmful microorganisms from the scales can spread to unprotected flesh, which can significantly accelerate the deterioration of such a product.

For storage, it is better to allocate a separate compartment of the freezer, as the characteristic and very persistent smell of the product can saturate other products in the immediate vicinity.

The period of time during which the product stored in the freezer retains all its nutritional properties and taste directly depends on its type and degree of fat content. So, frozen red fish, the pulp of which contains quite a lot of fat, can be stored up to 12 months. The pre-salted product is not stored very well in this way, which is explained by the fact that due to the salt present in the pulp and on the surface of the carcass, it is quite difficult to subject it to high-quality freezing.

In order for the product that was stored frozen to be tasty and juicy after cooking, it must be properly defrosted. Those housewives who defrost such a product in a sink or container of water, immediately taking it out of the freezer, are completely wrong. When defrosting in this way, not only the structure of the pulp is disturbed, but also its taste deteriorates significantly. To prevent this from happening, the product from the freezer is placed overnight in the refrigerator, where it is defrosted gradually, in the most gentle mode for it. Re-freezing can also worsen the taste and structure of the product, which should also not be done.

How long does smoked fish keep

A product obtained by cold and hot smoking differs not only in cooking technologies and taste characteristics, but also in shelf life. In order for the period of time during which such products not only do not deteriorate, but also retain their original taste and nutritional properties, to be as long as possible, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions. So, storing cold-smoked fish in the refrigerator, wrapped in wax paper, will extend its shelf life up to 10 days. In a similar way, it is recommended to store hot-smoked fish, which was subjected to significant thermal effects during cooking, for no more than 3 days.

To further extend the shelf life of the smoked product, it can be frozen so that it can remain fit for consumption for up to 3 months. Another way to store a cold-smoked product in a common chamber of a refrigeration device, in which its shelf life is at least a month, is as follows:

prepare a concentrated solution of sodium chloride;
soak a piece of cloth in the resulting solution and wrap carcasses or chopped pieces in it;
the product wrapped in such a cloth is placed in the refrigerator.

Whichever method is chosen for storing smoked fish, it must be periodically inspected for discoloration and the appearance of traces of mold on the surface.

How to store cooked fish dishes

No less relevant for housewives is the question of how to preserve fish when it is already cooked in one of the generally accepted ways.

In such cases, it should be borne in mind that boiled or fried fish, consumed in its pure form or present in dishes as an additive, was subjected to heat treatment during preparation, which is not the most in the best way affects the shelf life of such products. Under normal temperature conditions, for example, being on a festive table, thermally cooked fish can be stored for no more than 2 hours, after which it should be put in the refrigerator. But, even being in the cold, being placed in a cup or container, covered cling film, such dishes can be stored no more than 2 days.

Recently, Japanese dishes have become very popular, some of which contain raw fish. To store such dishes before consumption, it is necessary to use special sushi cases in which their shelf life lasts up to a day. After being removed from such a container, if some of the dishes remain uneaten, efforts should not be made to further store them so as not to risk one's own health.

How to store dried and dried fish

It is not so difficult to save fish if it has previously been salted and dried. If the drying was done correctly, and the meat contains a minimum amount of moisture, then such a product can be stored for a year, while observing the following recommendations:

In the cool season, it is better to use cardboard boxes for storage, placing them in a dry and well-ventilated area.
If the room in which the product is stored is too hot, then you can put it in the freezer of the refrigerator, which, however, will not increase its shelf life.
It is not recommended to wrap dried carcasses in newspapers, which can cause such a harmful metal as lead to appear in the meat. Properly store fish so that harmful substances do not appear in its composition by wrapping it in wax paper or placing it in cloth bags.
If dried or smoked fish has deteriorated, and a specific smell has begun to emanate from it, then such a product must be thrown away immediately, without trying to restore its taste by cleaning or thermal exposure.

How to store salted fish

Salted and salted fish, if it is purchased not in a vacuum package, but in brine, without packaging at all or cooked on its own, it is better to store it in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to 3 0. When such conditions are created, different kinds salted fish have the following expiration dates:

salmon of moderate salinity - up to 3 days;
herring contained in brine - up to 3-4 weeks;
salted mackerel, the meat of which is characterized by high fat content - up to 10 days.

The period during which salted fish will be suitable for human consumption also depends on the degree of its salinity. So, if a lightly salted product cannot be stored in the refrigerator for more than 6 days, then for a product of medium salinity, the shelf life is about 2 weeks, and for a highly salted product - a month.

Storage of minced fish

It would seem that the question of how to preserve fish from which minced meat has already been prepared should not cause any particular difficulties, because such a product can simply be frozen for these purposes. Minced meat can be stored frozen for no more than 3 months, and if it was prepared from initially low-quality raw materials, then even less. Immediately after preparation, minced meat can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours, and if this product is in store vacuum packaging, then it can be stored in the common chamber of the refrigeration device for no more than a day. If minced meat is prepared from raw materials from which a specific smell has already begun to spread, then the shelf life of such a product, even if all the necessary conditions are created for this, goes on for hours.

It is not often possible to find good fresh fish in the store, but if you are lucky and decide to take an extra portion, then the question will certainly arise of how to properly store the fish so that the product stays fresh for as long as possible. Today we will share with you some simple advice Thanks to which the fish will lie in the refrigerator a little longer and will not deteriorate.

The most important rule to remember is not to store fish in plastic bags where it will suffocate. It is better to use wax paper and wrap the fish in it. And what other secrets are there to help preserve the freshness of this rather capricious product? Let's figure it out together.

Fish preparation

Before sending the fish to the refrigerator, care must be taken to properly process it. Keep in mind that the insides of the fish begin to deteriorate first of all, therefore, having bought not a fillet, but a whole fish, it should be gutted and the gills removed. If you know in advance that you do not plan to cook fish on the day of purchase, then ask to cut it in the store. So you save time and effort.

As for washing fish before putting it in the refrigerator or freezer, opinions usually differ. But if we are not talking about fillets, but about freshly gutted fish, then it is better to rinse it under running water to remove dirt. Next, the fish must be thoroughly wiped on all sides to remove all excess moisture. Paper towels are great for this. And do not save on them, because the less moisture remains, the longer the fish will last.

Secrets of storing fish in the refrigerator

Fish should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Usually it is on the top shelf closer to the wall, but modern refrigerators may differ, so pay attention to special icons and pictures that will tell you where to store this product.

Another great tip is to store the fish the way you store it, i.e. put it on ice. For this, it is better to use crushed ice, but ordinary cubes will also work. Take a container of a suitable size and put ice on the bottom in an even layer. Next, place a fillet or whole fish on it and fill it with another layer of ice.

Place the container of fish on the top shelf so that the temperature is low enough. This simple tip will help you extend the shelf life of fresh fish by up to 2-3 days. Just make sure that the ice does not melt, otherwise the fish will end up in the water and quickly deteriorate.

Freezing fish

If you bought fresh fish, then it is better not to freeze it at home. Despite the fact that modern freezers are quite powerful and keep the cold well, they cannot be compared with those freezers in which industrial freezing of fish is carried out. By sending the fish to the home freezer, you run the risk of disrupting its cellular structure and getting a product that is too dry when defrosted.

But if there is no other choice, then try to freeze the fish correctly. First of all, cool it first in the refrigerator, placing it in an airtight bag, and only then send the fish to the freezer. And note that it is best to freeze fillets or small pieces of fish so that the freezing is more even.

How to save a fish if it is still alive

The easiest and most affordable way to keep a live fish is to wrap it in soaked burdock or nettle leaves and put it in a cool shade. With this method of storage, some fish species, for example, crucian carp, carp, and tench, can remain alive for up to two - three days. If the weather is hot, you can use a cage lowered into the water in a shady place to store live fish. However, it must be remembered that this method is suitable only for storing live fish, while “sleeping” fish cannot be stored in water, it will quickly deteriorate.

How to save a fish if it is already "asleep"

If the fish is large enough, it makes sense to first carefully gut it and remove the gills. Dried fish is shifted with nettles, put in a basket and put in the shade.

In cool weather (spring or autumn), the shelf life of fish is 1-2 days. Just hang it in a dry ventilated place. If you remove the gills from the fish and gut it, the shelf life of the fish can increase up to 4 days.

To preserve fish for 3 days, you can use the simplest natural preservatives: salt, sugar, vinegar. It is necessary to dissolve 1-2 teaspoons of sugar (with a slide) in half a liter of 9% vinegar, soak a cloth napkin with this solution and wrap the fish previously sprinkled with salt.

How to keep fish for a long time

If you are thinking about how to keep the fish even longer, you can apply a more complex method. First you need to gut the fish, remove all the insides and gills. It is especially necessary to carefully remove the gallbladder, try not to damage it, otherwise the spilled bile can spoil the taste of the fish. Then the head, spine and internal cavity of the fish are abundantly sprinkled with coarse salt. Outside, it is also necessary to salt the fish by rubbing salt against the scales. After that in abdominal cavity fish put the leaves of nettle or couch grass and put in a basket, also shifting nettle or couch grass.

You can salt and gutted fish. In this case, it should be washed well, placed in a salt solution and pressed with oppression. After a while, remove the fish from the brine, hang it in the air to let it dry. The time a fish spends in brine is determined by its size and how long the fish is stored, the larger the fish and the longer you want to keep it, the longer it should be in the brine.

In order to salt fish in large quantities, it is best to use small barrels. Previously, oak barrels were used for this purpose, now it is quite problematic, so it is quite possible to get by with modern food containers. These can be both barrels and plastic buckets with hermetically sealed lids, the main thing is that these containers do not react with saline. Before salting, the fish must be gutted, the gills removed and the scales removed. Then wipe each carcass dry (you should not wash the fish) and rub with coarse salt. Prepared carcasses are tightly placed in a container and the lid is tightly closed. After some time, the fish will "give juice" and will be in a natural brine. For better wetting of the whole fish with brine, the container should be turned over from time to time. Fish salted in this way can be stored for up to six months.

In order to wilt the fish, it must first be salted. This is done in the following way: small fish they are not gutted, but simply sprinkled with coarse salt, laid in several layers in glass, porcelain or enameled dishes, covered with a lid or simply an overturned plate. Put oppression on the lid and leave for several hours. After the fish is salted, it is dried with a napkin and hung out in a dry, shaded, preferably well-ventilated place. To protect against insects at first, the fish can be covered with gauze. It is better to hang the fish by the tail. To do this, you can use paper clips or wire hooks. Fish hung out for drying should not touch each other. It takes a long time for the fish to dry. The drier the dried fish is, the longer it can last. Large fish is prepared for salting differently, it must be gutted and rubbed with salt from the inside, and when hanging for drying, insert spacers from wooden sticks into the belly. If the fish is very large, then you can dry it not with whole carcasses, but with fillet plates.

There are two ways to smoke fish: hot and cold. The fundamental difference is in the smoke temperature and smoking time. Cold-smoked fish has a much longer shelf life than hot-smoked fish.

During hot smoking, the temperature of the smoke is very high, the fish is almost above the smoldering sawdust. With this method, the fish is partially baked, partially smoked. The consistency of the finished product is quite loose. Hot smoking time is from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the size of the fish and the design of the smokehouse.

With cold smoking, the smoke temperature is much lower, about +40 degrees, but the density of the smoke must be very high. The time of cold smoking can be 3 - 7 days. With this process, the fish is partially dried, partially smoked. The consistency of the finished product is more elastic and dry.

There are a lot of designs of smokehouses for hot and cold smoking, these can be both stationary and folding camping smokehouses. It is now quite easy to find a smoker design that is right for you on the Internet.

Fresh fish and seafood have not only excellent taste, but also great health value. If you are interested in how to store fish so that it stays fresh longer as after the catch, then when buying it, you need to pay attention to its appearance and smell. Despite the truth of the old German saying: “The oven is the best place for freshly caught fish" - there will be times when you need to store it or seafood for a few days before cooking.

How to store fish properly?

Since fish is delicious and very healthy, it is not surprising that nutritionists recommend eating it at least once a week. However, the fish will not retain its freshness if it is stored in a normal refrigerator. We are pleased to inform you that Liebherr refrigerators have all the conditions for best storage fish.

Consider a few important rules how to properly store fresh fish.

Pay attention to the freshness of the fish when buying

The fresher the fish you buy, the longer it can be stored. So how do you know if the fish is fresh or not? When buying, follow our advice below.

The fish should have a slight smell, in most cases - the aroma of the sea or iodine. Stale fish has an unpleasant odor.
Shiny, elastic and elastic scales are a sign of fresh fish.
Fresh fish have open, bulging, bright and translucent eyes. Dull and gray eyes are inherent in stale fish.
Gills should be light and shiny. Yellow and brown shades characterize stale fish.
If possible, press hard with your index finger on the scales of the fish. Fresh fish will be firm and elastic, and there will be no trace on the scales after pressing. Flat fish should not lose their shape when you pick them up.
Ideally, if the seller stores the fish in a container with ice, and not on ice, it cools better.

How to store fish in the refrigerator?

Keeping fish at the right temperature is the key to success

Microorganisms contained in fish affect its shelf life. The refrigerator slows down the activity of microorganisms and extends the shelf life. However, +5°C in conventional refrigerators is not suitable for storage, as the optimum temperature range is -2°C to 0°C to preserve fish and seafood. For this reason, in ordinary refrigerators, fish will remain fresh for a day, respectively, it can only be stored for one day. Of course, you can set the refrigerator temperature lower, but then it will be too low for other foods. To solve this problem, it is best to take a separate container filled with ice cubes and place the fish in it. Thanks to this, you can store it in a regular refrigerator for one or two days longer.

Everything is much more convenient if you have a refrigerator with a section, and even better if with. The question arises: “How long can fish be stored in this zone?” The BioFresh container is maintained at a temperature of around 0°C, which allows you to extend the shelf life of fish up to two days.

At -2°C fresh fishcan be stored in a container for up to 4 days.

More better fish retains its freshness for four days in a container at -2 °C. Refrigerators with BioFresh and BioFresh-Plus are ideal for anyone who wants to enjoy the pristine taste of fresh fish and seafood.

How to store fish in large quantities?

Lovers fishing there is a need to freeze large quantities of fish. Before freezing, it must be fresh, it must be washed, cleaned and dried from residual water. Ideally, it should be prepared for later consumption as quickly as possible after being caught. If you caught the fish yourself, then you need to cut it up and then pre-freeze it on a tray without packaging to avoid sticking. In order to properly store fresh fish, it is recommended to place it or its fillet in thermal bags for complete freezing later.

It is also important to choose the right and sealed packaging. Cooler bags and thermal packs are ideal for this purpose. Optimal storage conditions for fish are achieved in vacuum packaging. Packaged fish must be labeled with the date of storage, weight, type of fish and information about its intended use.

Before placing the prepared fish in the freezer, it is necessary to activate the "super freeze" function. This will allow you to quickly reduce the temperature in the freezer or low-temperature chest, create a cold reserve so that the value does not rise above the set limit when a large amount of defrosted food is placed in the chamber. Thus, fish can be stored for a long time.

Also note that frozen fish should not be stored longer than 6 or 12 months (depending on fat content) because the fat in fish can deteriorate over time.

How to defrost fish?

Frozen fish is best thawed slowly in the refrigerator. If it is to be used in soups or stews, it can be cooked halfway thawed. Fish to be cooked in the oven or pan must be completely defrosted.

Find out more aboutBioFresh

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of fish for the human body, and there is no need to talk about the benefits of fresh fish - it is obvious. Buying fresh fish is much more convenient and safer. You never know what condition the fish was in, the salted fillet of which is on the counter. And it is even more difficult to guess how many times they froze and under what conditions they kept frozen fish. Therefore, to be sure that there is a healthy, fresh and high-quality product on the table, you can only buy fresh fish or catch it personally. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how and how much fish can be stored in the refrigerator, but this is extremely important.

The most important thing about storing fresh fish

It is optimal to store fresh fish at a temperature of 0°C to 2°C, but in refrigerators it is higher.

To maximize the shelf life of fresh fish, put it in a container with ice.

If there is no refrigerator nearby, you can wrap the fish in a clean cloth generously dipped in saline.

How to properly store fish

Not every housewife knows how to properly store fish. And so most, without hesitation, send this product to the refrigerator to wait in the wings. But this is a big mistake.

Fresh fish should be stored at a temperature of 0°C to 2°C, and in refrigerators it is an order of magnitude higher.

Of course, you can set the desired temperature, but then the quality of other products that are in the refrigerator will suffer.

If the refrigerator does not have a separate zone where you can set an individual temperature, then the fish can be placed in a plastic container and surrounded by ice cubes. So she will be in ideal conditions, and a tight lid will protect food lying in the neighborhood from the fishy smell.

What if there is no way to put fresh fish in the refrigerator? Folk ways will come to the rescue:

Fresh fish will keep for up to three days in a well-ventilated room if cleaned and the entrails, fins and gills removed. In this case, it is important not to wash the carcass, it is enough to wipe it with a clean cloth or paper towel. It remains only to rub the fresh fish with salt and black pepper.
Fresh fish will last up to two days if wrapped in a clean towel soaked in a mixture of vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Before storing fresh fish in this way, it should be sprinkled inside and out with coarse salt.
Fishermen often use this method of storing fresh fish: they dig a hole deeper and place a bucket of fish in it. It is great if the pit is located in close proximity to the source (spring water is an additional cooling for the fish). From above, a container with fresh fish is covered with an umbrella, a rag, and anything, just to protect the fish from insects and sunlight.
In winter, fresh fish can be stored on the balcony for 2 days if it is cool enough there (no more than 2 ° C).

How long can you keep fresh fish in the fridge?

And yet, the best place to store fresh fish is preferable is the refrigerator.

At the right temperature (2-5°C), fresh fish will stay fresh for up to two days. If we are talking about a cooler bag, then the shelf life is reduced to 8-12 hours, so the cooler bag can only be used for transporting fish.

How and how much to store fresh fish in the freezer

Fish can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. But before freezing, it must be cleaned of scales, fins, gills, head and entrails. At the same time, fresh fish should be frozen immediately, and not after it has been in the refrigerator for three days.

If necessary, the carcass can be cut into portions if it is not planned to cook it as a whole.

The prepared carcass is placed in a food plastic bag, tightly closed and sent to the freezer. You can defrost fresh fish at room temperature or in cool water. It is important to remember that no fish can be re-frozen.