Fresh fish in the fridge: how to store it
Fish tastes delicious and is healthy. That’s why nutrition experts recommend eating fish once a week. However, fresh fish is a raw product and so it doesn’t have a long shelf life unless it’s kept chilled. There are also a few things to consider when you refrigerate it. We’ll explain to you why you can store fresh fish in a fridge for longer.
The key points
- Fresh fish is recognisable by its smell, eyes, gills and the texture of the flesh – the fresher the fish is when you buy it, the longer it can be stored for.
- Fish requires very low temperatures (between -2 °C and 0 °C). Technologies like BioFresh and a Fish & Seafood safe provide the ideal conditions for preserving freshness.
- If you want to freeze fish, it should be clean, dry and vacuum-packed if possible.
- Frozen fish should be defrosted slowly in the fridge.
How can I tell if a fish is fresh when I buy it?
The fresher a fish is when you buy it, the longer you can then store it at home. These characteristics indicate fresh fish:
- almost no odour
- shiny, firm and elastic surface
- bulging, shiny and translucent eyes
- bright red and shiny insides of the gills
- firm flesh that doesn’t leave any dents after you let go and doesn’t bend
- stored in rather than on ice
Fresh fish in the fridge: well chilled is half stored
Refrigeration slows down the activity of microorganisms, extending the shelf life of food. However, fridges are often too warm for storing fish and shellfish. As they need to be stored at temperatures of between -2 °C and 0 °C, fresh fish will usually only last for one day in the fridge. Although you can turn down the temperature in the fridge, this could make it too cold for other foods. Alternatively, you can store the fish in a container with a lid on ice cubes. This will allow it to be stored for one to two days longer in a normal fridge.
The fridges from Liebherr offer the perfect solution for anyone who loves seafood and fresh fish. Thanks to BioFresh and a special Fish & Seafood safe, you can store fresh fish and seafood with low humidity at an optimum temperature of -2 °C. Benefit from our technologies to enjoy freshness, a longer shelf life and ideal storage conditions.
Fresh fish: fridge or freezer?
Larger quantities of fish are ideal for freezing. The fish must be fresh and cleaned and have any excess water removed before it is frozen. If you catch your own fish, they should be allowed to bleed out properly before they are frozen and then ideally pre-frozen on a dish or tray unpackaged. The fillets or fish can then be frozen in freezer bags to save space and ensure they don’t stick together. The perfect way to store the fish is for them to be vacuum-packed. Once the packaging is ready, it should be labelled with the date of storage, weight, type of fish and intended use.
Particularly if you have larger quantities, it’s a good idea to use a freezer from Liebherr with features such as SuperFrost. This feature will reduce the temperature in the appliance by a few degrees really quickly. This means that, even if larger quantities of fish are stored, the temperature in the freezer compartment won’t rise above the target limit. The fish, along with all its nutritional values, will remain fresh for a long time.
Chilling fish and defrosting correctly
Frozen fish should be defrosted slowly in the fridge after being stored for no more than 6 to 12 months to preserve its texture and flavour as much as possible. Ideally, you should place it in a bowl so that any condensation that drips off will be collected. The precise temperature control of our BioFresh safes slows down the growth of bacteria and preserves freshness. If you’re in a hurry, you can use the SuperCool feature to cool down the fridge rapidly at short notice for a fresh fish. This will speed up the defrosting process without having any adverse impact on the fish due to excessively high temperatures.
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