# Whitefish: freezer question?



## Speyday (Oct 1, 2004)

Ive recently encountered an excellent whitefish bite.

Ive heard that freezing them is bad, and make the flesh mushy.\

Are there any pros out there that can clue me in as to how to prepare them for the freezer? Should I boil up a whole mess of them at once and freeze them cooked? Or is it strictly a fish that should be eaten fresh.

I have a vacu-seal.

Thanks!


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## foxfire69 (Sep 10, 2006)

I believe the "Whitefish Massah"...aka DonP posted the answer a few years ago. I'd do a Google search as it might be faster than the results from doing a search on this site. I believe the secret is to thaw very slow?


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## Btek (Jul 15, 2010)

Speyday said:


> Ive recently encountered an excellent whitefish bite.
> 
> Ive heard that freezing them is bad, and make the flesh mushy.\
> 
> ...


Dont freeze! I have tried everything and nothing works yet. I try to eat them fresh I mean that day or the next. Mushy if you wait to long. 

Only exception to freezing them is if you plan on making your own cajun sausage out of them, but that is a pita. 

I would recommend you eat as many as you and anyone else can eat very soon. The rest I would smoke whole. Enjoy em fresh and dont over cook them.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

vacuum seal them and you can keep them for 18 months , no problem. They are not like a salmon or trout. I have learned with salmon and trout that they freeze good if you leave the skin on and freeze whole that they keep alot better than fillets


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## springdale (Dec 19, 2007)

Speyday said:


> Ive recently encountered an excellent whitefish bite.
> 
> Ive heard that freezing them is bad, and make the flesh mushy.\
> 
> ...


I cant help much with the freezing issue, but you can tell me where the whities are! I promise not to tell


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## dhosera (Jul 11, 2006)

Fill the bag with water and freeze solid just like you do for smelt. Same goes for Herring (cisco).


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## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

I vac. seal the one I don't eat fresh or can. They taste great and I haven't had any problems with them becoming mushy. I cut out the strip of bones, then cube them into chicken nugget size pieces, then seal them. Later, take them out and deep fry in drakes or shore lunch. I'm getting hungery just thinking about it.


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## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

I haven`t had any trouble freezing them . They fry up just fine and are firm . Which reminds me to pull another pack out for this weekend .

thanks.


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## kmauntler (Sep 26, 2009)

dhosera said:


> Fill the bag with water and freeze solid just like you do for smelt. Same goes for Herring (cisco).


I have no problems using this method either. They last a good 8 months-year. 

Also, trim ALL the dark fat out of the fish. You'll "waste" a lot but it helps immensely with mushiness and taste...


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## Btek (Jul 15, 2010)

Speyday said:


> Ive recently encountered an excellent whitefish bite.
> 
> Ive heard that freezing them is bad, and make the flesh mushy.\
> 
> ...


You heard correct.


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## Speyday (Oct 1, 2004)

Thanks, fellas. I know how to prepare fish and game properly, so I was thinking that the ice block or patting them completly dry prior to a vacu-seal could eliminate potential issues. I'll also be sure to thaw them really slowly in the fridge.

Have a great spring season. There was an on again off again steelie bite on the st. joe piers. Hos were steady. Action was hot at Berrien Springs dam on Thursdsay.

A report buried in a question..........sneaky, I am


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## bigfisherman (Nov 9, 2007)

I don't like any fish after frozen so I am picky but whitefish requires a love for fish to enjoafter frozen. My great aunts used to fill long bread pans with water and then stack the fillets in and freeze them. Ihave tried everything with whites and find them all gross. Keep what you can eat right then and put the rest back or smoke em. The other option is give away what u can't eat to friends family etc. And all enjoy the feast. Problem with whitiest is it is either time of plenty or drought.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

Fish frozen in water absorbs the water and can make them mushy.
Anyone try using the commercial method of freezing "skin on fillets" on a cookie sheet, then vacuum packing? I used to do that with smelt, and still do it with various fruits. A non self defrosting freezer works better also...the frequent surface frost thaw cycle and refreeze, puts more ice crystals in the flesh...breaking down the cells.


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## walleyebum (Jan 2, 2011)

me and my dad can whatever whitefish we do not eat fresh or smoked. if you like canned tuna you will love canned whitefish. and you dont have to worry aout getting all those pin pones out of the fillers either. they just desolve and you cant even taste them. you want to talk about the best whitefish melt sandwich ever!!! well got to go hungry now and think i am going to go get another can out!


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## myturntocatchafish (Jan 2, 2011)

after you clean them roll your fillet in flour or whatever your dredging desire, then dust off followed by a "flash freeze" approx 15-20 min in freezer then vacuum seal if you can otherwise roll tight in a freezer ziplock put them up. NOW, the key is when you decide to have that fish dinner take them out but do not let them thaw at all throw them in the pan that is ready to go if they thaw out you got mush. must put in pan that is ready to cook, i,m certain this only works when frying would not suggest baking broiling you get the picture, this works just as good with morels also . just don't let the fish thaw give it a try , i don't do it any other way, enjoy


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## Ronno (Jul 29, 2004)

Can them. Lots of uses, keep forever.


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## wdf73 (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm sure they are terrible frozen.....Call me and I will be glad to take the extra off your hands! :evil: :evil:


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## sbooy42 (Mar 6, 2007)

I dont know... 
Wife pulled some out of the freezer and we ate em up last night for dinner and I finished em off for lunch today.. I couldn't tell any difference from them or the ones we had 2 hrs out of the hole...

I mentioned something to my wife about this thread and she grew up on white fish and has never done anything special to them..


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## springdale (Dec 19, 2007)

sbooy42 said:


> I dont know...
> Wife pulled some out of the freezer and we ate em up last night for dinner and I finished em off for lunch today.. I couldn't tell any difference from them or the ones we had 2 hrs out of the hole...
> 
> I mentioned something to my wife about this thread and she grew up on white fish and has never done anything special to them..


 
Sbooy42, do you know if anybody as been out by Alden after whitefish? We did good there a few years ago in 30 ft of water but havent been back. The Ice should be good as cold as its been.


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