How Long Can You Keep Fish on Ice?

[ga.prime]

I caught some fish this weekend and am going to have a fish fry next Saturday night. Will it be all right to keep them on ice till then or do I need to freeze them?

 

[3waycross]

I caught some fish this weekend and am going to have a fish fry next Saturday night. Will it be all right to keep them on ice till then or do I need to freeze them?

That's a long time to keep them "fresh". You better freeze em. If you do try to do it DO NOT let them contact the ice there is sure to be bacteria present in the ice.

Keep in mind that Bacterial growth does not stop at near freezing temps it just slows down.

Just for general information. It is generally accepted in the foodservice community the Bacterial growth progresses geometrically for every 1 degree rise in temperature above 30 degrees.

Ex........ if it is growing @ 10 ppm @ 30 degrees. then @ 31 degrees it is 20ppm, @32degrees 40 ppm. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

[ga.prime]

Thanks for the advice, 3way. I didn't want to freeze them but I went ahead and did after that good explanation you gave.

 

[alisonb]

Aah ga, now your fish is going to be watery . 3way-what happens to that bacteria when you smoke fish?

 

[dun]

You can tell there isn;t any Filipino blood floating around. Their idea is to hang them for a week unrefrigerated with the guts still in "to bring out the full flavor"

 

[TexasBred]

Thanks for the advice, 3way. I didn't want to freeze them but I went ahead and did after that good explanation you gave.

Freezethem in water???

 

[upfrombottom]

I used to commercial fish some and the method that was universally used to determine if a fish is fresh is to check the gills. When they turn completely white it is no longer considered fit for sale or consumption. But people will buy frozen fish that were cleaned and no gills. Go figure.

 

[LazyARanch]

Someone (I don't remember who) told me the best way to freeze fish was to freeze them in MILK.

anyone ever hear of that, or use that trick?

 

[ga.prime]

Thanks for the advice, 3way. I didn't want to freeze them but I went ahead and did after that good explanation you gave.

Freezethem in water???

I always freeze them in water!

I used to commercial fish some and the method that was universally used to determine if a fish is fresh is to check the gills. When they turn completely white it is no longer considered fit for sale or consumption. But people will buy frozen fish that were cleaned and no gills. Go figure.

I already cleaned the fish, so couldn't look at the gills to tell freshness.

Aah ga, now your fish is going to be watery . 3way-what happens to that bacteria when you smoke fish?

Won't be that bad ali- not like store bought fish. I've eaten home frozen fish many a time and they're not watery like the store bought. By the way ali- you know ya'll have a big bunch of great white sharks swimming off the beach at Cape Town? Saw it on 60 Minutes last night.

 

[ga.prime]

You can tell there isn;t any Filipino blood floating around. Their idea is to hang them for a week unrefrigerated with the guts still in "to bring out the full flavor"

At the Chinese market in Decatur(Atlanta suburb), Ga. there's fish laying on the floor wrapped in cellophane. Didn't look very appealling. :lol2:

 

[3waycross]

Aah ga, now your fish is going to be watery . 3way-what happens to that bacteria when you smoke fish?

Smoke kills a lot of it I guess. One of the components of hardwood smoke is Formaldahyde. Draw your own conclusions.

A hot smoke would kill it anyway

 

[Beefy]

a lot of the people i see fishing on the side of the road just throw em on the ground and let em flop around and die and let the flies crawl all over em. i reckon if you fry it enough...

 

[alisonb]

It all depends on what kind of fish you have http://fishcooking.about.com/od/howtochoosefreshfish/a/storingfish.htm
ga, they have Great White Shark cage dives off Cape Town, some crazy folks even swim with the sharks :shock:.

 

[Jogeephus]

Aah ga, now your fish is going to be watery . 3way-what happens to that bacteria when you smoke fish?

I like to cold smoke fish usually around 70-90 F. I always salt or brine them before putting them in the smoke. This removes much of the available water which makes it hard for the bad things to grow. Fish might stay in these temps for 3-4 days but its worth the wait.

GP, where are the pics?! BTW - as long as you have some good cold slaw and plenty of hushpuppies no one will be complaining.

 

[ga.prime]

There you go, Jo.

Since you finished your woodworking project maybe you'll jump at the chance to get this rig back running. I think it just needs a torque converter or transmission or something.

 

[Jogeephus]

Pics! Now we are talking. I've heard the crappie were biting good. I need to make time to go.

As for the project, it still has plenty of paint so it looks doable. I also know where there are two loaders and a log trailer. All of them still have a little paint on them as well. Maybe if you grab your saw and I can grab mine we can jump in the logging business with very little investment. Ooops, we dont' have a truck. We need a truck. (always something standing in the way of my fortune)

 

[ga.prime]

Yes, we has a truck!

If we ever get through cutting on the first tract, we can load everything up and move to another tract!

Yeah, the perch were biting good last weekend. All the same size like the one in the pic. I hooked one big one but couldn't turn him. He went around the boat a couple times and headed south and the hook came out. Fishing with cane poles and minnows. Mighta got him if it had been on a spinner.

 

[Jogeephus]

Looks like we are in bizness! I'll be sharpening my saw and I'll be ready to get started say Monday morning. Better make that Tuesday or payday at the latest cause I really need to get some fishing in while they are biting. Bought a new boat last year and I haven't even got it in the water yet. I really need to reprioritize a few things in life before it passes me by.

 

[ga.prime]

Looks like we are in bizness! I'll be sharpening my saw and I'll be ready to get started say Monday morning. Better make that Tuesday or payday at the latest cause I really need to get some fishing in while they are biting. Bought a new boat last year and I haven't even got it in the water yet. I really need to reprioritize a few things in life before it passes me by.

Good thinking. Let's wait till after fishing season.

 

[Jogeephus]

Let's wait till after fishing season.

Most definitely. But don't you think it may be too hot then? Maybe we best wait till fall after it cools down. Hate for either of us to get heat stroke. Maybe after hunting season. Yeah, that ought to work real good and it will give us time to plan on how we are going to spend all our money. :mrgreen: