How much and how can you keep fish in the freezer, when and the choice of temperature
Fish is a unique dietary product. The presence of meat-like amino acids in combination with the healthiest fatty acids and low calorie content is its undoubted advantage. True, fresh fish spoils quickly and therefore requires prompt processing and proper storage. In order for the product to retain its beneficial properties for a long time, it is important to know how many fish of different types can be stored in the freezer and without.
Features of fish storage
Fish can be considered one of the most capricious foods. Its storage mode is selected according to:
- Varieties. The more polyunsaturated fatty acids the raw material contains, the shorter the storage period;
- Degrees of heat treatment. Ready meals are frozen longer than the original fresh product;
- Availability and type of packaging.
Terms and conditions of storage according to GOST
Each of the storage methods for any type of fish is described by a specific national standard of Russia (GOST). They indicate not only the storage time and temperature, but also the air humidity, the filling density of the freezers and other factors.
Ice
Conditions and periods of storage of this type of fish are regulated by GOST 814-96 “Chilled fish. Technical conditions". According to him, the temperature should not exceed 0 to +2°C, and the shelf life depends on the time of capture, the intended sale, as well as the size of the product.
Ice cream
For almost all types of frozen fish, with some exceptions, GOST 32366-2013 “Frozen fish. Technical conditions".
Its basic requirements:
- the temperature inside the carcasses is not higher than -18 ° C;
- high relative humidity to prevent product shrinkage;
- its natural circulation throughout the freezer.
The above information applies to industrial storage of frozen fish. As for commercial establishments, they store it for up to 2 weeks in freezers at a temperature of -6-8°C, avoiding thawing, and in open trays at a temperature of 0°C - no more than 2- 3 days.
Hot smoked
GOST 7447-97 “Hot smoked fish. Technical Conditions" offers a description of the storage conditions of the corresponding product:
- in the temperature range from -2 to +2 C - no more than 3 days;
- frozen - up to 30 days.
cold smoked
For fish of this type of processing, GOST 11482-96 “Cold smoked fish. Technical conditions". The shelf life at a temperature of -2-5°C depends on the type of product:
- herring, mackerel or horse mackerel retain their shelf life of 45-60 days;
- horse mackerel and notothenia, whitefish and herring, mackerel - 15-30 days (balych products are distinguished by a more delicate consistency).
Dirty
Storage of this type of fish is regulated by GOST 7448-2006 “Salted fish. Technical conditions ":
- required temperature - from -8 to +5 ° C;
- the salt concentration for a strongly salted product is 14% and more, for a medium salted product - 10-14%, and for a lightly salted product - no more than 10%.
Storage success is influenced by the choice of containers, packing methods, and room humidity.
What SanPin says
SanPiN is an abbreviation of the name of the document of state sanitary and epidemiological supervision "Sanitary rules and norms". Requirements for production technology and storage procedure for all fish products are described in SanPiN 2.3.4.050-96. This document also contains a detailed description of the layout, equipment, inventory of fixed fish processing plants and located on fish processing vessels, personnel requirements and any other nuances of production of fish.
Selection criteria for fresh fish
Not only its appearance, its consistency are important, but also its smell. In the store, fresh fish carcasses must be on ice.
Appearance
What to look for when choosing a product:
- fresh fish does not bend, but resiliently maintains a straight shape;
- its scales are moist, shiny, undamaged, tightly adhere to the skin;
- the eyes are clean, transparent, without veils, not sunken;
- if large carcasses are sold in parts, they should not show redness due to blood residues and, in addition, bruises.
Gills
The most popular types of fish should be red, stale products should be gray, white, light brown, and the mouth should be closed.
Feel
No unpleasant smell emerges from the fresh product. Strong characteristic "aroma" - evidence of incorrect temperature conditions during transport or storage.
How to store at home
Any fresh fish product without a refrigerator or freezer retains quality for up to several hours, depending on air temperature. Salted or smoked, it keeps a little longer without refrigeration.
Care should also be taken to be protected from light, adequate humidity and adequate ventilation.
Coaching
If you do not plan to cook fresh fish raw materials in the next few hours, you need to save it without spoiling its texture:
- the carcass is cleaned and gutted;
- rinsed thoroughly under running cold water;
- blot with paper towels on all sides, including the inner surface;
- the prepared gutted and shelled carcass is placed in a clean, dry dish, tightly closed and stored in the refrigerator.
Fish that is not gutted spoils much faster than gutted fish. Small fish weighing up to 200g and of any size can be left uncleaned for salting and long-term freezing. However, after thawing, it must be immediately heat-treated.
Storage methods
Their choice depends on the degree of processing of the stored product - chilled, salted or smoked.
In the refrigerator without freezing
The refrigerator slows down the activity of microorganisms in the fish, but the usual temperature of household refrigeration units - about 5 ° C - is not sufficient for the long-term storage of fish products.Therefore, you can store fresh raw materials in an ordinary refrigerator for no more than one day.
To double the shelf life, fill the container with ice cubes and sprinkle the piece with salt or moisten it with lemon juice. However, you better not risk your health by leaving it raw or frozen for so long.
Unpeeled and peeled carcasses cannot be stored nearby - switching to a purified product, bacteria in the scales will accelerate its spoilage.
In the freezer
Fresh fish can be stored in the freezer for up to six months. It is advisable to empty it first and wrap it in a plastic bag, but it is not necessary to clean it - the scales will become a small protection for the fibers, and the dish will remain tender after cooking.
Without a refrigerator on the road
You can transport a fresh product almost any time of the year, while maintaining its quality throughout the day, using the following techniques:
- fish carcasses are pre-prepared - gutted and cleaned, then frozen, and before travel, wrapped in foil and a thermal bag or in several layers of newspapers;
- the bag with them is covered with ice in plastic containers.
It is better not to use polyethylene for transportation without ice, since the fish in it, smoking, quickly deteriorates.
In the void
Vacuum packaging at low storage temperature is optimal for any type of fish.
In particular, costs:
- at a storage temperature of 3 ° C, it retains high quality and sanitary safety for 4-5 days (in normal packaging - up to 2 days);
- frozen will keep for a year and a half (without vacuum packaging - no more than 6 months).
How to store live
Since the fish cannot be stored for a long time without cooling or heat treatment, salting cannot be stored for a long time, sometimes it is advisable to keep it alive as long as possible.
Not all of its types are kept alive:
- marine - plaice, gobies, navaga, glossa;
- river - chub, crucian, asp, bream, perch, pike, tench.
Houses
Keeping fish alive at home is problematic, because the quality of tap water is not suitable for it. Nevertheless, if a live catch is supplied with running water of suitable quality, it cannot last more than a day.
Fishing
Basic rules to help keep your fishing catch alive for as long as possible. After catching a fish, it is removed from the hook as carefully as possible, without squeezing the abdomen, so as not to injure the inside. Injured specimens are not thrown into a bucket of live fish. To store the socket, use a wicker or wire cage, put it in a shady place. It is better not to use metal ones, because the fish in them are injured and peel off the scales.
The container with a live catch is regularly checked, if they are seen sleeping or lethargic, they are immediately isolated, killed and emptied, otherwise the rest will quickly deteriorate.
Shelf life of ready meals
They differ depending on the technology of preparation of the product - frying, boiling, salting, smoking.
Boiled, baked, fried
Heat treated raw materials can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 hours. Then the dishes are placed in the refrigerator for up to 2 days at a temperature of 3-6 ° C.
Smoke
Subject to the following conditions, the hot smoked product can be kept cool for up to 3 days:
- at temperatures from -2 to +2 ° C;
- humidity - 75-80%;
- constant supply of fresh air.
When frozen, it retains its properties for consumption for up to a month while maintaining a temperature of around -30°C and a humidity of 90%.
Cold smoked fish can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 4 days.
The shelf life allowed in the freezer depends on the type of raw material:
- mackerel, herring and other species can be stored for 1.5-2 months;
- fish balyks, cold smoked fillets - 15-30 days.
Dried, dried
For the preparation of such a product, a large amount of salt is used - a natural preservative. Dried and cured carcasses can be left wrapped in parchment paper or white paper in a cool, dry, dark place for up to a year.
Dirty
The shelf life of salted fish is affected by the degree of salting and the fat content of the raw material:
- lightly salted salmon in brine is kept for 3 days;
- a vacuum-packed salted product - 30 days;
- lightly salted herring - 7 days;
- herring in brine of medium and strong concentration - 14-30 days;
- fatty varieties of salted mackerel - 10 days.
The place for storing salted fish in brine outside the refrigerator is dark, dry, with a temperature of 10-12 ° C. The salted product can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
How much defrosted fish is stored
If the refrigeration unit has a section with a temperature between 0 and -2 ° C, thawed fish can be stored there for up to 3 days.In conventional models with a temperature of at least 5-6 ° C, thawed and previously gutted and peeled raw materials can be safely stored for health for up to one day.
If the fish is frozen without peeling and gutting, it is better to do it right away and start cooking the fish carcasses immediately after thawing.
Signs of spoiled product
Fresh fish is unfit and dangerous for consumption if it has:
- ammonia smell, dry scales or cracks;
- dark gills;
- dark cloudy eyes;
- carcass spots and dents when pressed.
Discarded fish is spoiled if:
- the meat is separated from the bones;
- the color is too bright;
- there is liquid in the package;
- when squeezed, the fillet does not retain its shape.
Tips & Tricks
In order for canned fish to give pleasure in eating without harm to health, you must follow a few simple rules:
- cool - pour boiling water over, especially over the abdomen, gills, as they are the place of colonization of pathogenic bacteria, restricting air circulation;
- for salting, use a strong brine (per liter of water - 2 or more tablespoons of salt) with vinegar with the raw material stored for at least 5 days.
In addition, it should be remembered that in the open air, in the sun of any kind, the fish product can begin to deteriorate within an hour.