Freezing Crappie fillets

[Hunter91]

Got a question for you crappie fisherman. What is the best method for freezing crappie fillets. I just put them in water in a ziplok bag and in the freezer but when I thaw them they alway come out mushy. Any good suggestions? Thanks in advance.

MC

[JimDog]

When I fillet mine, I throw the fillets into a bowl of salt water. When I am done slicing, I remove them from the saltwater, put them into ziplocks, suck the air out of the bag, and throw em in the freezer.

My belief is that if you freeze a fish, it gets mushy. By far, the best way is to fillet the fish, roll it in some seasoning and throw in the fryer. But I understand that that is not allways possible. The method I mention above reduces the mushiness, but does not eliminate it...

[Warmouth]

i put the fillets in a ziplock and add a little water, squeeze out the air and zip it up. can't avoid the mushy downside, but the won't ever freezer burn, so they still taste good, and are still firm and flaky after cooked.

[BarryG]

Buy a Foodsaver! They are Great for freezing things. I have had stuff frozen for almost 2yrs and it still tasted fresh. Its the only way to go.

[cook]

Ditto on the vacuum sealer-but prebreading them then freezing IQF works o.k.,just fry them frozen.

[Hunter91]

Thanks for the ideas. But aren't those foodsavers' bags expensive? I have looked at those a couple of times. The initial cost doesn't bother me as much as the ongoing cost of the bags.

Maybe I'll just have to eat more fresh fish instead of freezing them

[BarryG]

You can put the bags in the dishwasher and use them again. The bags are high cost but they do a good job.

[cook]

Hunter91-your worth it-its just money

[JBMan]

I fillet all the fish, wash the fillets twice, then soak em a day in salt water, then givem another rinse, and finally freeze them in a ziploc bag filled with water. they come out as good a fresh catch

[X Bow T]

The Trick is to place only 1 flat layer of fish and add the least amount of water to cover the filets only, any more & the expanding ice crushes them.

[bwillaub]

crappie fillets get freezer burn?? i guess they don't stay in my freezer long enough to burn. we love em too much.
gonna go acumulate a few more tomorrow morning.