Thread: Freezing fish

I have always used the "freeze them in a block of ice" method. Thinking about using the vacuum sealer this time. Any pros or cons?

I have a vacuum sealer and I would rather have them frozen in ice personally. IMO no better way.

Originally Posted by ccollins

I have a vacuum sealer and I would rather have them frozen in ice personally. IMO no better way.

I agree. But I squeeze most of the water and all of the air out.


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I changed to a vacuum sealer this year . But works best if I drain fish well and them lay out an old towel covered with a couple layers of paper towels . Spread fish single layer and pat top dry with more paper . Sure beats worrying about leaky bags in the freezer and they take up less room . The fish seem to store just fine . They also thaw much quicker when frying times comes .

If you have extra time to vacuum seal them it works but it's better than freezing in water. Only advantage is takes up less room in freezer but takes a lot more time to do it that way


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I personally like to seal mine. Removes the worry of water logging them when thawing and definitely saves space in the freezer. I'm also picky, literally, about my fillet's being "clean" and the prep for sealing them gives me the opportunity to make sure they're ready to cook when thawed.
A few things I've learned when sealing: dry them without drying them out; this prevents a stinky mess with the sealer and as I said before, no worrying about water logging your slabs when thawing. Use the lightest seal or just enough to get all the air out without sucking the slabs dry.
I do believe the storage life does take a hit, but I've only seen about a year and a half storage time. I've had a few fillet's come out overly soft, for lack of a better term. If I had more fishing time/fish I could test out different theories but I'm not that fortunate.
Good luck with whichever you choose.


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My wife just freezes them in a block of ice. Been doing this for 40+ years works for us.

One trick I use especially on ground meat when vacuum sealing, I buy gallon twist tie bags. i.e. not Ziploc Lightly pat fish dry and place in twist tie bag. Chase out air and make 1 fold. Put fold toward open end of vacuum bag. Chase out air and seal. This causes the moisture to go all the way around the bag and you are sealing by then. With ground meat I will roll it around in a strainer before doing this. (Usually deer)

water logging your slabs when thawing. have never heard of that? didn't even know that was a concern really. have been freezing in water since a glimmer in my grandaddys eye. have had some fish hold up well over 2 or 3 years and can't tell the difference. if air cant get to them they will hold for a long time. i put mine in a little bucket i got from caseys convienent store they get their icing in for their donuts. put the baggies with the fresh fish and water in them that way if the bags leak it doesn't get all over the freezer.

Put however many I need for a mess in ziplok, fill with water. Hard to beat. I have used a sealer but didnt like it any better.