Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Hi,

I was talking with a friend who is big in Salmon fishing out west, when we get on the topic of "Fresh Never Frozen" vs "Previously Frozen", and all the above...

I usually ALWAYS try to purchase "Fresh Never Frozen" when I am at the store/market, but my friend was telling me that technically all fish sold at retail, is at the very least, Flash Frozen... I thought perhaps that was governed by state, being that he is in CA and WA, but he said it's every state.

What's the truth and story behind this?

I asked the guy at Whole Foods while trying to buy some "Local Mahi", and he was telling me that their fish are line caught, and never Flash Frozen...

So, who is right? Can anyone explain perhaps in more depth?

Thanks

Jon

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Here's an easy one.......

Go fishing!!!! It's as organic as it can get. And only goes in the freezer if you put it there.

Haha. Good luck on finding the answer though.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Where can I catch salmon off the Jersey Shore? ;)

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Actually an interesting topic!!! I have a friend who loves fish but certain fish give him an allergic reaction! Reactions started years ago and were ver slight like hives or nausea and have gotten progressively worse over the years! Now I know what most of you are think it is shell fish or mercury allergy well your wrong! No reaction to shell fish and fish with supposed lower mercury contents give him bad reactions! The only other thing I could think of is handling and processing precudure from boat to sale! Turn out there is a histamine that is released from fish after they did and this histamine gives a verity of GI and dermatological reactions but very few respatory issues which is my friends allergy to a T! Now trying to do more research to see if flash freezing fish whole at immediate catch will decrease the release of this histamine! Obviously if the fish dies before frozen this histamine will be released! Would be interesting to know if local "fresh" fish is ever frozen in any way! Would love to test some of these theories but don't would feel a little bad using my human friend and a test rat if anything had happened!!! Hahahaha

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Haha I know. I was just kidding with you. Plenty of good eats out here though....

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Each way you store fish has it benifits
Frozen fish when dont correctly gets rid of all bactira and parisits, most Fine Dining Japenese Resturants buy most of there fish fresh then freeze it to protect the quality and for safety reasons.

The reason you buy fish fresh is to make sure the fish is fresh. Then you can cryovac it and freeze it. Buying it pre frozen you dont know the freshness

But there is nothing like catching a fish today and then preparing it never frozen. You taste the sea . The one thing I do after cleaning or fileting it I let it rest for a day and the flesh of the fish seems to relax and you have better taste and texture

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

i personally never freeze fish i catch, it depends on the species but i can taste the difference. my friend vacuum seals it and then freezes it and claims that it tastes exactly the same when you use it months later but idk.

i'm with fishstix, catch it and eat it fresh, who knows how long it took to get from the water to the boat to the warehouse to the store...

have you ever tried the landlocked salmon in two of the lakes in north nj? not sure how they compare to 'normal' wild salmon (probably not near as good, but hey you never know) I have yet to catch one but if i get one i'll let you know.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

If your going to freeze fish never rinse in freshwater and remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag or vacuum seal. The saltwater does a great job preserving the meat.

As far as buying fish..... I can't help you there. The only seafood I purchase are shellfish always fresh and alive.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

I don't know about fish but chicken can be brought in at 20 degrees to a supermarket and Perdue can call it fresh.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Thank you for all responses so far.

I agree with most posts here.

Still want to hear/find out whether or not fish claimed to be "Fresh - Never Frozen" at retail, are actually never frozen to any degree; ie: flash frozen.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Frozen is as good as fresh if done with no air in pack

Also do not let fish defrost in its own juices. Do the final deicing under a little running water and then cook it

It will taste fine

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

to answer your question, friend is wrong. all fish sold at retail are not previously or flash frozen. if you want fresh look for local species, black sea bass, fluke, tile even mahi and sword.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

More people need to learn to cook whole fish.

Not only do you stop throwing half the meat away, it freezes better.

I freeze whole fish guts and all. My blackfish hit the freezer alive! It really keeps the meat fresh and intact.

When it's time to eat I clean gut and scale when it's still very cold almost a bit frozen still.

Learned this from island nation peoples, where fish is a much bigger part of the diet.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

I never freeze fish I catch but saying that bacteria begins to grow in fish the second it leaves the water. Local catches are cleaned and stored at 32 degrees until the are displayed in the store but those that have to travel are stored at 32 degrees until they can be flash frozen. Bacteria and histamine are inevitable once fish is caught, cleaned and transported.

I am not sure of the handling laws yet assume all fish is chilled or frozen to some degree if you did not catch it yourself.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

I do this with Porgy, Seabass, Blackfish and even fluke sometimes. It is definitely better to freeze a whole fish with skin and scales on because the meat is much more protected. Never rinse in fresh water that is death to the meat. Half of the fish I cook is whole, even the occasional striped bass and cod, pollack roast very nicely in the oven scaled and gutted.

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

Maybe it's just me but I've been filleting fish for 30 years, rinsing them in fresh water and vacuum sealing them and they taste great. I don't let them sit in fresh water, just rinse them off at home after checking for any bones and as far as I'm concerned there's no effect on taste whatsoever. I also pat them dry with a paper towel to wipe off any excess water. Keep them dry when vacuum sealing. I've had fish after six months using a food saver and they taste no different than cooking them fresh a day after being caught. In all honesty, if you handle your catch right and keep them on ice, they'll taste fine. When I fillet them at the dock, we always grab a bucket of salt water before heading in and make a salt water slush just by adding ice in a 5 or 10 gallon bucket to put the fillets in while filleting our day's catch. When they're all done, they get put in zip lock bags and immediately placed on ice. At home they get rinsed, dried and vacuum sealed and put in the freezer other than what we plan on using for dinner that night or the following night. Those we'll keep in the refrigerator never for more than a day. Vacuum sealing fish makes a HUGE difference. Like I said, using this approach I've never had issues with fillets other than maybe ling and Spanish mackerel which really don't freeze well at all no matter what you do.

Dakota

Re: Random question about "Fresh Never Frozen" vs 'Flash Frozen' etc.
 

You can buy IQF, which is quick frozen on a commercial sister ship. Not bad if baked depending on the freezing method. Sometimes they put a thin layer of ice before freezing or just freeze. Frying is terrible, because of moisture the fish will curl and sometimes soggy and fall apart. Freezing yourself is fine and thaw in water. Fresh is best.