How long can you keep frozen fish?

Needadventure · 12-12-2011, 06:54 PM

I was cleaning out my freezer in preparation for the holidays, and I found some frozen trout and catffish from a year ago. Is it still good or should we just toss it?

Grandpa · 12-12-2011, 07:03 PM

We clean the freezers just prior to hunting season each year. Fish over a year old gets chucked. When I started chucking more than 1 or 2 packages of fish a year, I quit fishing so much.

Pathfinder1 · 12-12-2011, 07:13 PM

I usually trek VERY far,
when all around me old fish are.

Hi...

Just consulted a sticker I keep on my refrigerator. Fresh, lean fish - to 6 mos. Fatty, fresh fish - 2 to 3 mos.

wvbreamfisherman · 12-12-2011, 07:25 PM

If it's not a fatty fish, and it's not freezer burnt, it's probably still good. I've found that thwe best way to freeze fish is to dissolve a little salt into water, put it in a ziploc bag with the fish , squeeze all the air out and freeze. This prevents freezer burn and keep the fish in good shape.

I generally use older fish in chowders or something similar.

Fatty fish can go rancid pretty quick, especially if exposed to air, even when frozen, so use it first.

My $0.02

Theosus · 12-12-2011, 07:53 PM

Always freeze fish divided in two sacks. If you're curious about it being good, remove half, prep, fix and give to someone who likes fish. A few days later call and ask how the fish was. If they say, man it was tasty but I got really sick, throw out the other sack.

Given all the investments in time effort and equipment, I found the cheapest way to get fish is just to go to Sam's Club.

wvbreamfisherman · 12-12-2011, 08:41 PM

I really don't freeze all that much fish, as it's much better fresh, but sometimes I hit it lucky and have some extra.

Lamebeaver · 12-12-2011, 10:20 PM

about a year.

ponderosa · 12-12-2011, 11:57 PM

Whenever we are in Seattle, we buy a couple salmon and halibut from the fish market and bring it home for the freezer. We use a vacuum sealer that removes all the air, and have kept fish in good shape that way for a year. We never have any left longer than that. We have also frozen fish in regular ziplocs, just pushing out as much air as we can. It didn't last nearly as long, maybe six months at the most.

LeadOperator · 02-02-2012, 09:39 PM

+100 on the vacuum sealer. I've eaten fish a year and a half old & it was just like it came out of the water. I've had left-over barbque brisket a year later & tasted like it just came outta the pit. Great little appliance.
By the by...it works great for packing extra clothing for a hiking or rafting trip. Pack a complete change in a bag, seal it, and viola...clean dry clothes at the end of the day on the water that takes up very little space.