Believe it or not, preserving fish is not often something that a fisherman considers. However, if you actively fish throughout the year and enjoy preparing and consuming your catches, you should highly consider preserving your fish.
Here are some tips that will help you preserve your catch and some different techniques you can try after your next trip:
How to Start Preparing Your Fish
If you plan on preserving your fish, the first step is to clean it as soon as possible after you catch it. Fish is known to deteriorate much more quickly than beef, so it’s important to prepare them properly. If you have a catch early into your fishing trip, it’s advised to keep them alive until you’re done fishing. You can also focus on keeping your cleaned fish cool by putting them on ice or dipping them into the water occasionally.
Cutting Your Fish
Once your fish are all cleaned and scaled, it’s now time to prepare them. For those who plan on preserving their fish, it’s common to cut them into fillets, steaks, or chunks. However, you can also preserve the fish as a whole. Depending on how you prefer your fish will all determine how you should cut them.
Salting and Sun-Drying Your Fish
One of the oldest methods of preserving your fish that remains popular today is salting or dehydrating your catch. Salting will help draw out the moisture in the fish, which will prevent bacterial growth. Then, the fish can be dried under the sun or in a dehydrator machine.
Freezing
Freezing will help preserve your fish while keeping it at its highest quality. When you freeze fish, it will prevent bacterial growth. One of the best ways to freeze your fish is to dip your fish in cold water and wrap it in plastic or foil and freeze it.
Vacuum Packing Your Catch
If you have the right equipment, vacuum packing is a simple way to preserve your fish. A vacuum sealer will take all the oxygen out of the vacuum bag, and then heat seals it. Once the fish is bagged, it can stay fresh for up to a year in your freezer.
Planning Your Next Fishing Trip
Now that you know how to preserve your next catch properly, it’s time to start planning your next fishing trip! If you’re looking to fish in a premier location, contact Mattice Lake Outfitters.
Give us a call today, and we’ll help you plan and schedule your next fishing trip