Freezing fish: fresh, cooked, defrosted a second time?

Fish is easy to freeze. Before freezing, you should clean and wash the fish and remove any excess water. If you have caught the fish yourself, you should gut and bleed it first.

When frozen, fish can be kept in the freezer for about three months. Haddock has a shelf life of up to six months when frozen. Fish contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, which are sensitive to rancidity even when frozen. This is why the storage time of frozen fish is limited.

It is best to freeze fish in an airtight container. This prevents freezer burn and preserves the quality of the fish as much as possible. Ideally, you should freeze your fish vacuum-packed. Otherwise, a freezer bag or a Tupperware container is also recommended.

Important: Chill fresh fish continuously before freezing it. Freshly bought fish should be stored in a cool box immediately. Put it in the fridge as soon as possible. Fish should not be kept for longer than 24 hours in the normal fridge compartment at around 7 °C. Fish stays fresh for up to four days in the BioFresh Fish & Seafood safe at -2 °C and low humidity.

If fish has been exposed to heat, it should no longer be frozen. If the cold chain of fish is interrupted, the heat can cause bacteria to form. Eat this fish immediately. If you have to, dispose of it. This is the only way to rule out health risks. Fresh fish does not have an unpleasant fish smell. Its flesh should be firm, the fish eyes clear and bulging outwards. Other criteria are a shiny coat of scales covered by a layer of mucus.

To prepare frozen fish, it should be defrosted slowly in the fridge. Place the fish on a plate in the fridge and defrost overnight. Remember: condensation water should be collected and discarded.

However, fish can also be used semi-thawed.

Have you misjudged and defrosted too much fish? Fish should not be refrozen uncooked. Just like minced meat, chicken or meat in general.

It makes more sense to cook the defrosted fish. You can then freeze the cooked fish.

Defrosted fish should also not be refrozen if possible. Although freezing reduces the formation of bacteria, the bacteria multiply rapidly at room temperature.

Therefore, make sure that the fish is always chilled before, during and after defrosting. The cold chain should not be interrupted. Fish, for example, should not be left in the sun. This would favour the formation of bacteria.

Whether it’s fried fish, fish curry or even baby food, you can easily freeze cooked fish. Portion the dish as required and take it out of the freezer as needed. The best way to defrost cooked fish is gently in the fridge. Otherwise, you can heat a curry directly in a pan, for example.

You should not refreeze previously defrosted fish without cooking it. Use defrosted fish for a selected dish and freeze the remaining leftovers.

It is important to freeze fish only once it has been cooked. This prevents bacteria from forming in the fish flesh. For example, you could freeze and store fish soup in an airtight Tupperware container.

Label the Tupperware with the preparation date and the name of the frozen fish dish. This makes it easier to keep an eye on the shelf life.

Smoking fish extends its shelf life. It will keep for up to six weeks in the fridge. You can then further extend its shelf life by freezing it. Smoked fish will keep for a further six months in the freezer if frozen.