# Fish dilemma - how not to waste it



## legend_018 (Mar 8, 2015)

Good afternoon.  Without thinking too much, I bought this long frozen Alaskan salmon. It's a little over 2lbs.  It's frozen as frozen can be.  Came home from the grocery and put it in the freezer. I thought to myself, that don't make sense. I can't cook that all at once.  The kids don't like it and only my husband and I do and well we can only eat so much of it.  Any ideas? I don't think I want to attempt cutting it frozen. I briefly read online that it can be difficult and I'm not going out and spending money on any special cutting tools. What choice do I have? I suppose I can just give some to someone after I cook the whole thing. I'm guessing just like everything else cooked fish lasts about a week. My husband is super picky and isn't a big fan of fish daily, so he will have one serving and that's it.  I wish there was a way to cut it into portions and freeze accordingly.


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## Steve Kroll (Mar 8, 2015)

legend_018 said:


> I wish there was a way to cut it into portions and freeze accordingly.


There is. Thaw the fish to the point where you can cut it, divide it into the desired portions and refreeze it. There's no problem in doing that.


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## Dawgluver (Mar 8, 2015)

Do you have any power tools, like a scroll saw, band saw or miter saw?  DH once brought home a big salmon from a fishing trip, and despite me telling him not to freeze it and that I would cut and package it the next day, he put it in the freezer anyway.  We were able to cut it up with the miter saw.

Another thought would be a sharp manual saw.


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## Farmer Jon (Mar 8, 2015)

Just cut it into chunks with a saw. I use to buy the big 10lb tubes of hamburger. Frozen. Cut it up with a saw. Any saw. Just wash it good first.


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## roadfix (Mar 8, 2015)

Even a fine toothed hand saw would work.


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## Andy M. (Mar 8, 2015)

If it's a long filet, you could probably break it in half over your knee or the edge of a counter.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 8, 2015)

Or cook the whole thing and portion afterwards, freezing the extra for a future meal.  Love salmon crumbled over a salad.


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## legend_018 (Mar 8, 2015)

Thanks! I didn't know I could refreeze it, but I guess that makes sense since sometimes people freeze things after cooking them such as Lasagna for example.  My husband said he might have a new blade for a saw he has and could probably cut it.  Even the idea of slightly defrosting it enough to cut it into portions is a great one. I guess I was feeling insecure with what the best options were for this situation.


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## roadfix (Mar 8, 2015)

I usually cook the whole thing too and save some for later.  Less hassle.


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## Vanitas (Mar 8, 2015)

legend_018 said:


> Without thinking too much, I bought this long frozen Alaskan salmon. It's a little over 2lbs.  It's frozen as frozen can be.  Came home from the grocery and put it in the freezer. I thought to myself, that don't make sense. I can't cook that all at once.


If I only had a dollar for every moment like that I've had after coming home from the grocery store!


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## CharlieD (Mar 8, 2015)

Unlike meat it is not a problem to refreeze it. But defrost in the fridge and only to the point where it can be cut. Unless you husband is going to do it with the saw. Also you did not mention if it was a whole fish or just a side?


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## legend_018 (Mar 9, 2015)

It's not a whole fish.  Thanks


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## skilletlicker (Mar 10, 2015)

I buy those long frozen filets and ask butcher to saw it into pieces. He cuts through it, heavy plastic and all, and puts the pieces onto one of those styro trays and wraps the whole kaboodle in plastic, leaving the original label with price and weight visible for the cashier to scan. I never buy their thawed fish anymore because I know it isn't really fresh. The store just thaws and repackages those same filets.

If you're a regular at your preferred grocery they probably would saw up the one in your freezer. I'd ask them first, before bringing your earlier purchase back to the store.

I've read sciencey explanations about the cellular effect of refreezing fish and it won't kill you but it doesn't improve the fish flesh any. In this neck of the woods buying flash frozen on the boat is the best I can do.


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## puffin3 (Mar 10, 2015)

I'm not a fan of 'refreezing' anything. Especially fish. Anyway.
I'd thaw the fish out in salted cold water. VERY slow poach it. You do not want the protein strands to turn into rubber bands by overheating them.
Eat what you want and make a gift of the remainder to someone you know who will enjoy the fish.
The fish isn't wasted. It's not frozen twice. Someone you care about gets a treat.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 10, 2015)

legend_018 said:


> Thanks! I didn't know I could refreeze it, but I guess that makes sense since sometimes people freeze things after cooking them such as Lasagna for example. My husband said he might have a new blade for a saw he has and could probably cut it. Even the idea of slightly defrosting it enough to cut it into portions is a great one. I guess I was feeling insecure with what the best options were for this situation.


 Actually, partially defrosting until it's soft enough to cut up and then re-freezing without thoroughly cooking it is NOT a good idea. That way goes a very unpleasant and long lasting acquaintance with the bathroom , or worse - the ER.


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## Steve Kroll (Mar 10, 2015)

My own fishmonger (40 years experience) says it's perfectly fine and I'll take his word over yours, thank you. As long as you keep it refrigerated, there is no problem doing this.

In fact, this is done all the time. Fish shops will often get in frozen fish, and thaw it to put in their display case (on ice, of course). If it's not sold within a given period of time, it's hard frozen and sold from the freezer case.

And then there's this from FoodSafety.gov



> Thawed or partially thawed food in the freezer may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below. Partial thawing and refreezing may affect the quality of some food, but the food will be safe to eat.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 10, 2015)

CharlieD said:


> Unlike meat it is not a problem to refreeze it. But defrost in the fridge and only to the point where it can be cut. Unless you husband is going to do it with the saw. Also you did not mention if it was a whole fish or just a side?


 Sorry, Charlie, it is certainly NOT safe to defrost and re-freeze _anything_ without cooking it.


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## Steve Kroll (Mar 10, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> Sorry, Charlie, it is certainly NOT safe to defrost and re-freeze _anything_ without cooking it.


Incorrect.

And this, from the USDA:



> After thawing in the refrigerator, items such as ground meat, stew meat, poultry, *seafood, should remain safe and good quality for an additional day or two before cooking;* red meat cuts (such as beef, pork or lamb roasts, chops and steaks) 3 to 5 days. *Food thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking*, although there may be some loss of quality.


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## skilletlicker (Mar 10, 2015)

Yeah, It's not a safety issue. It's just how can you get the best quality without paying an exorbitant price for it. If you live  a thousand miles from a fishing wharf, the unfrozen fish in your grocery store has been thawed and repackaged. Doesn't mean its toxic. But why not get the freshest you can? The lady who started this thread seemed to know this and was looking for way to not waste the fish by not refreezing it. Folks in the grocery store buy the price reduced fish, in fact they even seek it out, that is approaching its expiration date. The typical advice from the grocer and sometimes printed on the reduced price label, is use or freeze right away. Well I've done it and it isn't terrible. But it isn't as good as it could be either.
I still maintain that if you you didn't catch it, and maybe even if you did, the freshest fish you can get is (still!) flash frozen on the boat.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 10, 2015)

The UK government's Food Standards Agency states quite categorically that NO food which has been de-frosted should be re-frozen unless it has been cooked in the meantime. Any restaurant caught doing so would be prosecuted. The law requires that all commercially pre-packed food is labelled accordingly and the customer must be made aware if the product s/he is buying "loose" (ie weighed and wrapped at the point of sale) has been previously frozen.


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## skilletlicker (Mar 10, 2015)

Now I remember why I keep stopping posting here.


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## Steve Kroll (Mar 11, 2015)

These are the US GOVERNMENT's food safety recommendations. I didn't pull them out of my backside. Canada has similar recommendations. Last I checked, I don't live in the UK. If your government has different ideas about food safety, and you choose to follow those guidelines, then so be it.


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## jennyema (Mar 11, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> Sorry, Charlie, it is certainly NOT safe to defrost and re-freeze _anything_ without cooking it.



Sorry Mad Cook but you are entirely wrong about that.


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## taxlady (Mar 11, 2015)

I can certainly understand having stricter rules for restos. If they thawed and refroze food, how would anyone know how many times they had done that?


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## taxlady (Mar 11, 2015)

I recently defrosted some ground pork. I didn't have the energy to do anything with it for a few days. We refroze it and marked on the package that it had been defrosted, so we would know that once it was defrosted again, it would have to be used immediately. 

I always count the time food spends defrosting in the fridge as "fresh days". If it already sat in the fridge for 3 days and it had a use by date giving 5 days, I would make sure to use it within 2 days of taking it out of the freezer.


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## Vanitas (Mar 11, 2015)

taxlady said:


> I always count the time food spends defrosting in the fridge as "fresh days". If it already sat in the fridge for 3 days and it had a use by date giving 5 days, I would make sure to use it within 2 days of taking it out of the freezer.


What a great idea! I'm always worried about meat spoiling after I've defrosted it... and hubby is notorious for changing his mind on dinner once I've defrosted something. I usually just give it the sniff test after a few days.


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## Addie (Mar 11, 2015)

When the fish are caught at sea, they are gutted and tossed down below into one of the bins. As soon as there is a good think layer of cleaned fish, a thick layer of ice is tossed on it. Come the next couple of layers, more ice. By the time the fish reach the dock and are unloaded, they have been sitting there on ice and frozen for a minimum of five days. More like 15 days. Depends on the size  of the boat. They are unloaded, processed for auction and sold. The stores and restaurants that buy the fish, again freeze their buy. The fish are still partially frozen from being on the boat. During the auction, the fish are sitting in bins that are filled with ice to keep the fish "fresh" and frozen. Believe me, by the time those fish reach your plate, they have been partially thawed and refrozen more than once. The freshest fish you can possibly buy is from the boats that make day trips out and back. Be at the dock around three in the afternoon and see if they will sell you their catch. Good luck.


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## taxlady (Mar 12, 2015)

On some fishing boats/ships, the fish are frozen before they return.


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## Addie (Mar 12, 2015)

taxlady said:


> On some fishing boats/ships, the fish are frozen before they return.



On some of the larger boats, they are frozen anywhere from five to fifteen days. The ones in the very first bin at the bottom have been frozen the longest. Each bin is six feet high, and there are five-six bins on each three man boat. The five to ten man boats are out for fifteen days and have many more bins with more ice to freeze them. 

My husband would on the very last catch, find the biggest Haddock in the net. He would filet it for me and cut it up into serving size pieces. Sometimes it was as much as ten to 15 pounds of ready to eat fresh off the boat. He would bring it home, I would egg and bread it, then fry every bit of it. It didn't matter if it was one pound or 15 pounds. That whole platter of fried fish was completely gone by the end of the meal. Never any leftovers for the next day.


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## RPCookin (Mar 12, 2015)

Vanitas said:


> What a great idea! I'm always worried about meat spoiling after I've defrosted it... and hubby is notorious for changing his mind on dinner once I've defrosted something. I usually just give it the sniff test after a few days.



Hmmm... If I've defrosted and planned a meal, and my wife decides that isn't what she wants that evening, then she can cook her own dinner.  I sometimes consult with her before I get something out of the freezer, but after that I'm locked in.  

I will particularly ask her before I thaw any fish, because she goes through periods where any kind of fish actually makes her nauseated.  It's all in her head and she knows it, but that doesn't help.  Just like her acrophobia, she knows that there is no danger on the 3rd rung of a ladder, but that doesn't make it any less impossible for her to step up to the 4th one.


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## Dawgluver (Mar 13, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> Hmmm... If I've defrosted and planned a meal, and my wife decides that isn't what she wants that evening, then she can cook her own dinner.  I sometimes consult with her before I get something out of the freezer, but after that I'm locked in.
> 
> 
> 
> I will particularly ask her before I thaw any fish, because she goes through periods where any kind of fish actually makes her nauseated.  It's all in her head and she knows it, but that doesn't help.  Just like her acrophobia, she knows that there is no danger on the 3rd rung of a ladder, but that doesn't make it any less impossible for her to step up to the 4th one.




Heh.  If DH doesn't want what I'm cooking, particularily following consultation, he's on his own.  There's Cheerios readily available.  Have at it.


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## Kayelle (Mar 13, 2015)

I've never known my Souschef to change his mind about what's for dinner after it's been planned. He's probably worried I'd go on strike.


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## Andy M. (Mar 13, 2015)

Before grocery shopping, I try to create a menu for the week and consult with SO as I do so.  She usually asks each AM what's for dinner.  If I can be flexible as to which weekly menu item I can cook, I do so. If she's still not happy, I suggest she buy take-out for us.  Then she usually settles for one of the dishes on the menu.


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## skilletlicker (Mar 13, 2015)

I live alone a cook for myself. If that changed and then somebody told me not to make this but make that instead I'm pretty sure I'd be back to cooking for myself real quick.
On the other hand though, I change my own mind all the time.


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## Vanitas (Mar 13, 2015)

I married a strange creature... he talks big about making and sticking to "weekly menus", but as the week progresses he changes his mind from day to day. Being as I hate food waste, the meat gets used - just not necessarily in it's intended recipe. 

He's very wishy-washy when it comes to fish... I only recently convinced him to even eat it. I'm so glad to know it can be refrozen!


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## Andy M. (Mar 13, 2015)

Just to be clear.  

If a protein (fish, meat, poultry) has a safe life of three days refrigerated, that's the limit.  If you freeze it then defrost it, the three day timer doesn't start over.  Safety isn't an issue but texture will suffer.  Freezing and defrosting damages cells causing them to release moisture.  The cooked product will be drier and texture change could be noticeable.

However, freezing contaminated protein won't eliminate the contamination.  You could safely defrost contaminated protein, cook and eat it and get sick even though you treated it safely.  That could lead you to believe it was the defrosting and refrigeration was the cause of the illness.


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## Kayelle (Mar 14, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> Just to be clear.
> 
> If a protein (fish, meat, poultry) has a safe life of three days refrigerated, that's the limit.  If you freeze it then defrost it, the three day timer doesn't start over.  Safety isn't an issue but texture will suffer.  Freezing and defrosting damages cells causing them to release moisture.  The cooked product will be drier and texture change could be noticeable.
> 
> However, freezing contaminated protein won't eliminate the contamination.  You could safely defrost contaminated protein, cook and eat it and get sick even though you treated it safely.  That could lead you to believe it was the defrosting and refrigeration was the cause of the illness.



How very well said Andy. My father taught me the same, but you said it perfectly.


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## Addie (Mar 14, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> Heh.  If DH doesn't want what I'm cooking, particularily following consultation, he's on his own.  There's Cheerios readily available.  Have at it.



Nothing wrong with cereal for supper. Great for a late Sunday supper.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 14, 2015)

Be nice! and Let's get back on topic.  The OP was trying to figure out how to safely store her fish, she lives here in the states.


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