Freezing crappie

[wolfmanjack051]

Just wondering if anyone uses a vacuum sealer when freezing fish, wondering if this would work or not. I've always froze mine in gallon icecream containers in water, just trying to cut down on the amount of space I'm using in my freezer.

[Speck]

I have used a vacume sealer. It works very well. I would lay all of my fillets on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with water to form a glaze of ice and freeze them. Then I would take them out and vacume seal them. They are seperated that way and you can open the bag and just take out the number you want and seal the rest back! Use wax paper on the cookie sheet to keep them from freezing to it.

[wolfmanjack051]

Just wondering if anyone uses a vacuum sealer when freezing fish, wondering if this would work or not. I've always froze mine in gallon icecream containers in water, just trying to cut down on the amount of space I'm using in my freezer.

I dont have the freezer space to do anything like that, I was wondering if you just put them in the quart size bag and sealed them up and then freeze them.

[jlittle23]

I have been using one for years and all I do is after the fish are cleaned and soaked I dry the filets with a paper towel to get the top layer of moisture off and then just put one meal worth in a bag and seal. It is really easy and the fish taste a lot more fresh than if frozen in water.
Also the time to defrost is a lot faster.
Hope this helps.

[MellerAM]

the main thing is getting them dry enough. when the sealer pulls tight, water flows across the line where it burns closed and prevents it from sealing fully

[red ranger]

has anyone used the one walmart sells? it is a hand pump with bags to match. it looks like you put this pump in a access hole that is on the bag and just pull the air out. it is less than $20 don't know how well it works but the fish won't last that long around my house any way.

[FAADAN]

I have been vacuum sealing them for years. Pat them dry and put them in a bag. You can bags of different sizes and seal up a meal's worth in each bag. I buy bags on a roll. Seal up one end, put the fish in and seal up the other. Keep for a year easy.

[beagle man]

Miss sharon does it the way you guys said except for specks way, that sounds like a good way to try, we do the pat dry and then sharon uses a square of paper towl and rolls it long ways and puts it in the bag and when the water gets sucked out it stays in the bag, what little it is that is, and it seals right up. course them mississippi crappie you have to use the xtra large size bags.

[Joedog]

I have been vacuum sealing them for years. Pat them dry and put them in a bag. You can bags of different sizes and seal up a meal's worth in each bag. I buy bags on a roll. Seal up one end, put the fish in and seal up the other. Keep for a year easy.

X2


Speck, you use a Ziploc Freezer bag then, not a vacuum sealer? Seems like if you use a vacuum sealer on frozen fiillets you'd have more air pockets than with just the fillets?

Also, I haven't had the problem with the moisture preventing a good seal, but I'll keep an eye on it because our annual MN trip we use almost an entire roll so we're sealing a LOT of fish.

My biggest complaint thus far has been making sure the thing is cleaned up VERY well after using it. I left it one night....had a few beers, ended up going to bed. Boy, the next day when I went to seal that day's catch....*whew!*....took a while to get the stink off of it.

[Speck]

Nope. Used a Seal-A-Meal vacuum sealer. No air pockets until you cut the bag open. It works well because if you just want a few fillets, take them out and seal the bag back