How to Store Fresh Fish - Whole and Fillets

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So you've caught, bled, and processed your catch into fillets or gutted/scaled whole fish, and now you're wondering how long they can stay fresh in the fridge. That would vary depending on the type of fish, but regardless of species the most important thing to keep in mind when storing fresh fish ---- moisture is the enemy!!!

Here is my method of storage for maximum freshness in the fridge, and also as a step prior to freezing:

1) Make an ice brine, with non-iodized salt. The strength of the brine will vary from as salty as the ocean, to 2x that of the ocean, depending on what you hope to accomplish.

2) Rinse your fillets or cleaned whole fish in the saltwater bath.

3) Pat dry with paper towels, then wrap in fresh paper towels, making sure all surfaces are touching paper.

4) Use tin foil to form a package around your fish. Tin foil will press the paper against the fish, while forming a permeable layer. You do not want an airtight package.

5) Store in fridge, either the coldest part of your fridge, or store on top of ice. I use tin foil pans to prevent ice melting all over the fridge.

6) Every 2 days, change paper towels.

The water and fluids that will inevitably leach out of your fish MUST be wicked away, and the last thing you want is to toss your fillets into zip lock bags. This holds true for any raw meat...but especially fish. The paper towel will wick away bacteria-laden liquids, and the fish will slowly firm up and stay fresh in the fridge. With certain lean, white fish such as fluke, I've kept them in tip top shape for up to 10 days...swapping out paper towels every other day. For porgies/bluefish your window is considerably shorter, but still vastly extended if you take the time to wrap them in paper towels and wick away moisture.

Whole fish is treated the same way, just remember to stuff the body cavity full of paper towels.

The reason for a salt water solution --- fresh water will ruin your fillets and turn them to mush. The rule is: saltwater fish only touches saltwater, and vice versa for freshwater fish (unless you're looking to brine!) If you do your fish processing on a boat or at the dock, I would bring along a pail of clean ocean water to rinse your fillets in.

Even if you plan on freezing your fish, I still recommend the paper towel method for 1-3 days in the fridge. Your fillets will be firmer, drier, and form a better seal under vacuum.


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