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How To Preserve Fish Safely?

As we all know that freshly caught fish spoils easily, that’s why it needs to be preserved properly. When it comes to fish preservation, there are 4 most popular methods; freezing, canning, pickling and smoking.

First of all, you need top quality fresh fish to do the preservation done. Of all flesh foods, fish is the most prone to rancidity development, tissue decomposition and microbial spoilage. Just try to keep freshly caught fish alive as long as possible. Certainly, spoilage and slime producing bacteria are present on each fish, which starts to multiply rapidly on a dead fish held in warm surface water.

As soon as the fish leave water, it starts deteriorating. Clean the fish as soon as possible to delay spoilage. You can prevent spoilage by deep cleaning the fish’s body cavity and chilling it. Fish spoilage occurs rapidly in summers; but it can be slowed down as freezing temperatures are approached. You need fish fridges to store the fish properly and prevent spoilage.

Freezing Fish

It’s one of the simplest, most convenient and highly recommended method of fish preservation so far. When you talk about a good quality frozen product, it requires the following;

Carefully handle the fish after catching Wrap the fish or use the method that is airtight and prevents freezer burn and the development of unwanted flavors. Store fish at a freezer temperature of 0° F or lower.

Canning Fish

Fish is a low acid food, which can be processed safely only at temperatures reached in a pressure canner. If you fail to heat process fish at 240° F or higher, it might allow spores of the dangerous Clostridium botulinum (heat-resistant bacteria) to survive, germinate, and grow. Botulism (a deadly food poisoning) is caused by the poison produced by botulinum bacteria. By adding small amounts of vinegar, or packing fish in tomato juice or tomato paste, does not eliminate the need for heat processing fish in a pressure canner.

All you need to do is to use standard heat-tempered canning jars. All processing times in this publication are for 1-pint jars. Try to use wide-mouth pint jars as they will be easier to fill than narrower ones.

Fish Pickling

Another easy way to preserve fish is pickling. You can store pickled fish in the refrigerator at no higher than 40° F (refrigerator temperature), and if you don’t want to change the flavor, then use it within 4 to 6 weeks. There are only a few fish species that are preserved commercially by pickling, but nearly any type of fish might be pickled at home..Dont forget to refrigerate the fish during all stages of the pickling process.

Smoking Fish

Now comes the fish smoking. It has long been used as a means of temporarily preserving fish. Smoking process includes some steps that are essential not only for safe preservation, but also to produce good flavor and aroma. Carp, buffalo catfish, suckers, trout, salmon, and chubs might be effectively smoked. You can produce a safe, high quality product by using the following brining and smoking procedures.

Brining and smoking process includes some essential steps that require careful attention.

Brining

Always use the accurate amount of salt in the brine. Use sufficient brine for a given amount of fish. Please Note: the temperature must be no higher than 40° F during brining. Just try to use similar kinds and size of fish in the brine.

Smoking

There ought to be uniform heat treatment of all fish when it comes to the smoking chamber. Use freshly caught, dressed fish, either whole or filleted. Wash fish thoroughly.

Caution: The Broad Fish Tapeworm

It’s an infection that can be contracted by humans from eating raw or undercooked species of fish found in the Great Lakes area.

The broad fish tapeworm larvae pass through smaller fish until they lodge as hatched small worms in the flesh of large carnivorous species of fish such as walleye pike, northern pike, burbot,sand pike, and yellow perch. If, this worm is eaten by humans in its infectious stage, it can attach to the small intestine and grow to lengths of 10 to 30 feet. The only way to destroy infective worms is either by cooking or freezing.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca Mason .