Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600800
10/13/97
1. Use fresh fish, cleaned and dressed. 2. Cut fish into appropriate serving pieces. Fish can be frozen whole or as portions. The most economical way to freeze fish is in meal-size packages of steaks or fillets. To separate one frozen fillet or steak from another, insert a double layer of wax paper between fish portions when they are packaged for freezing. 3. Dip fish in one of the following solutions to help preserve quality. FOR LEAN FISH (almost all Great Lakes fish): Add 1/2 cup salt to each quart very cold, almost frozen water. FOR FAT FISH (salmon, lake trout, whitefish): Add 2 tablespoons powdered ascorbic acid to each quart water. Place fish in solution for one minute; drain on paper towel; dip again. 4. Wrap or place fish in airtight, vapor-proof package. To wrap fish, pull the wrap tightly around the fish, squeezing out any air pockets. Never freeze large containers of fish. It may take three days before the center of the pack freezes. In the meantime, quality will deteriorate. Packages freeze from the outside toward the center, and the food expands when frozen. This pressure may turn the fish in the center of the pack to mush. 5. Store in freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Fatty fish are best used within a few months.