Vacuum Sealer for fish?

Inventry
UnlistMe
Tennessee Deer Sporting & Deer Hunting Community Forum

Help Support TNDeer | Tennessee Deer:

C

Crosshairy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
3,509
City & State/Province
Bartlett, TN
My parents got me a Food Saver for Christmas. I guess I had said that I wanted one at some point, but currently don't have a lot of need for it (if/when I start processing my own deer, perhaps my story will change a lot).

My question is this...

Is it worth it to vacuum-seal fish for freezing? I normally put fish in a freezer bag and put enough water in it to cover the meat and then push the air out of the bag. Is it noticeably better for the meat quality to vacuum seal them instead of using this practice?
 
Yeah...stands to reason.

Basically, I'm trying to determine whether I can justify keeping it or not, because I just had ~$700 in car repairs come knocking, and it wasn't exactly expected.

I guess that's what the emergency fund is for, but I hate to keep something sitting around that I won't actively use.
 
I use mine always.Highly recommend it, I fried some fish after 2 yrs. in the freezer and it wasn't strong tasting at all. Not frost bit either. Use mine for deer, dove, turkey also.
 
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks Outdoor Cooking Fuel, 4 lb – Premium BBQ Smoking & Grilling Chips for Rich, Subtly Sweet Flavor – Ideal for Beef, Lamb, Poultry & Pork – Long Lasting
See price on Amazon
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks Outdoor Cooking Fuel, 4 lb – Premium BBQ Smoking & Grilling Chips for Rich, Subtly Sweet Flavor – Ideal for Beef, Lamb, Poultry & Pork – Long Lasting
Old Potters Smoker Wood Chunks 13-16 lbs for Grilling, Smoking, and Wood Fire Cooking ~ 2 x 3 Inches, (Hickory, 790 Cu in.)
See price on Amazon
Old Potters Smoker Wood Chunks 13-16 lbs for Grilling, Smoking, and Wood Fire Cooking ~ 2 x 3 Inches, (Hickory, 790 Cu in.)
Hickory Pizza Oven Wood 6 Inch, 15 lbs Box – Kiln Dried & Bark-Free Firewood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ Smoking & Grilling – Premium Hickory Wood Logs for Ooni, Gozney, Solo Stove, Bertello
See price on Amazon
Hickory Pizza Oven Wood 6 Inch, 15 lbs Box – Kiln Dried & Bark-Free Firewood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ Smoking & Grilling – Premium Hickory Wood Logs for Ooni, Gozney, Solo Stove, Bertello
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 8” Splits (Approx 39.5 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
See price on Amazon
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 8” Splits (Approx 39.5 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 6” Splits (Approx. 42 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
See price on Amazon
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 6” Splits (Approx. 42 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
Greenworks 24V 6in BL Pruning Saw w/Auto Oiler, Tool Only
See price on Amazon
Greenworks 24V 6in BL Pruning Saw w/Auto Oiler, Tool Only
Old Potters Kiln Dried Firewood - Cherry, 1100 Cu. in, 16-18 Logs ~ 8" x 2.5" Logs. Solo Stove and Cooking Wood for Grilling, Smoking, and Firepits, Cherry.
See price on Amazon
Old Potters Kiln Dried Firewood - Cherry, 1100 Cu. in, 16-18 Logs ~ 8" x 2.5" Logs. Solo Stove and Cooking Wood for Grilling, Smoking, and Firepits, Cherry.
Heritage Smoke Wood Hickory Pizza Oven Wood with Fire Starter - Kiln Dried Firewood 6" Hardwood Logs for Brick Fire Pizza Ovens & Grills, 6 lb, Low Smoke, High Heat, Competition-Grade Clean Burn
See price on Amazon
Heritage Smoke Wood Hickory Pizza Oven Wood with Fire Starter - Kiln Dried Firewood 6" Hardwood Logs for Brick Fire Pizza Ovens & Grills, 6 lb, Low Smoke, High Heat, Competition-Grade Clean Burn
39" Fire Pits with Wood Storage for Outside, Large Wood Burning Outdoor Fireplace with Chimney, Mesh Spark Screen & Fire Poker, Idea for Backyard, Patio, Party, Camping, Picnic
See price on Amazon
39" Fire Pits with Wood Storage for Outside, Large Wood Burning Outdoor Fireplace with Chimney, Mesh Spark Screen & Fire Poker, Idea for Backyard, Patio, Party, Camping, Picnic
Smoak Firewood Cooking Wood Mini Splits - USDA Certified Kiln Dried Pizza Oven Wood, Grilling Wood, Smoking Wood, BBQing Wood (8inch Pieces, 25-30lbs 1728 Cubic in - Hickory)
See price on Amazon
Smoak Firewood Cooking Wood Mini Splits - USDA Certified Kiln Dried Pizza Oven Wood, Grilling Wood, Smoking Wood, BBQing Wood (8inch Pieces, 25-30lbs 1728 Cubic in - Hickory)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change.
I bought one on a whim 3 years ago & I can't imagine life without it now. If I ever buy meat (rarely) I'll pull it out of the styrofoam & vac-seal it, if there's any chance it'll be going in the freezer.
I have vac-sealed & frozen fish, soups, stews, stock, herbs... basically anything that's going in the freezer, now gets vacuum sealed first. It makes a WORLD of difference to shelf-life & flavor!
 
I use mine on everything, but for fish this is what I do.

I cut the fish into serving size portions, then wrap enough servings for a meal in plastic wrap. I will pack several meals worth in one large bag. When I want some fish, I cut the Vaccuum bag open and remove what I need for that meal and reveal the bag. This saves bags and keeps the fish fresh. Usually when I am packing fish I am doing a lot at one time and if you try to do one meal per bag, you will waste a lot of bags.
 
Sure it works.....but I like to pat dry the fillets before freezing.
From this ...
TuesdaySC2012-1.jpg


to this.....
freezer2012_zps21d488b1.jpg


Oh yeah, and finally to this....
pecan crusted blackened redfish
IMG00054-20110206-13082_zps964ad787.jpg
 
Diehard Hunter said:
I use mine on everything, but for fish this is what I do.

I cut the fish into serving size portions, then wrap enough servings for a meal in plastic wrap. I will pack several meals worth in one large bag. When I want some fish, I cut the Vaccuum bag open and remove what I need for that meal and reveal the bag. This saves bags and keeps the fish fresh. Usually when I am packing fish I am doing a lot at one time and if you try to do one meal per bag, you will waste a lot of bags.
Click to expand...

This seems like a good idea. I haven't looked into the different ways to use the sealer yet. I've heard that you can get the sheets instead of the bags, and then maybe customize the sizes to cut down on waste?

Your idea seems good. So you're saying that you "unseal" maybe 2-3 meals at a time within the bag, but they are still wrapped in plastic and frozen, so they are OK to stay in the freezer a bit longer until you get around to eating those?

I wish I had this thing on my striper trip last year. I have some fillets in the freezer that I forgot to mark, and now I'm not sure what they are. HOPEFULLY they will taste OK. I used my typical approach of filling the bag with enough water to push the air out, but that doesn't seem to work as well for stripers (meat gets fishy easier).

You guys are making me hungry with all this fish fillet talk...
 
I will open the bag, take out what I want to cook for that particular meal, then reseal the bag and put it back in the freezer. I only take out what I am cooking that day so nothing ever gets freezer burnt.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top