# Fish



## moondancer (Dec 21, 2013)

Is it ok/ recommend if I'm going to freeze fish to freeze whole as is or fella it


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

????????

I quite often freeze fish whole, after gutting them and removing the head. It does not hurt them at all.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

"freeze whole as is or fella it"

Not familiar with the term "fella it".

I use ziploc baggies and put the fish in there and completely encase in water. Once the water freezes, the fish is good for many, many years.


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

If you decide to fillet your fish, use one of those vacuum sealers or some people drop a bunch a fillets in water and freeze them in a block of ice like zoomzoom does. The oldtimers where I'm from, salted their fish in crocks.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I tried freeze whole fish as they are when they were caught.
I found they taste fishie, or more so then when i gut them first.
This may have been all in my head, but I was taught to clean them first, so that is what I do.
If I had 100 pounds of fish & had to go to work in 5 hours, I may freeze them whole.
But that is not likely to happen, so I will clean them, before freezing them.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Let me clarify.... I freeze trout and salmon after cleaning. That is whole to me. 

Cod, halibut etc are fillet and frozen in water.

If you are going to eat it in less than a year then you do not need water except on the white fish. Little to no freezer burn will happen in less than a year with the exception of cod etc.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I catch and freeze Red Drum, Whiting, Flounder and such in NC. I fillet, vacuum seal and have eaten them after two years with no issues. I have never frozen whole fish, guts in. I would at least gut them then freeze, personal preference perhaps?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I always fillet em, takes up less freezer space that way.

If they are just pan sized.......... leave em whole and use them for bait!


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

I have done it both ways, prefer the fillets. They take up less space in the freezerm and I don't like picking the bones. When I get too many, I just can up a batch. I have also salted-dried some fillets (just to see how it works, I guess...) and that is an interesting option with a lot of merit, especially if the electricity goes out and your frozen fish thaw out....


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