Tasty and healthy food should be fresh. A good housewife knows about this and always monitors the storage of food supplies. The refrigerator helps preserve food for as long as possible. On its shelves there will always be vegetables, canned food, meat and fish. In this article we will talk about the rules for storing the latter, and in particular, trout, beloved by many.
Trout is one of the most nutritious and healthy types of red fish. The product is consumed fresh (freshly caught) or stored at low temperatures. We will tell you further how long you can store trout in the refrigerator and how to do it correctly.
Where is the best place to store bulk products?
Bulk products should not be stored in direct sunlight. The best place for them is in the kitchen cabinet. It's dark, cool and dry - these are the best conditions for bulk products. Bags of sugar should not be placed directly on the floor.
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Proper storage
The taste and beneficial properties of fish directly depend on compliance with the rules of its storage. If you do not plan to cook the fish immediately, you must strictly observe the storage time. If the trout begins to spoil, no cooking method can reverse this process and the fish will have to be thrown away.
One of the most important rules for storing trout is that only fresh product can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer. Carefully inspect the carcass or fillet when purchasing and always pay attention to the expiration date.
Fresh fish has shiny, uniform scales. If you see that the scales are faded and matte, and there are no spots at all, it means that the fish was not frozen fresh. It's not worth buying such trout. You should definitely pay attention to the eyes of the fish. They should be translucent, but in no case cloudy.
If you buy frozen trout, you need to place it in the freezer as quickly as possible. Even partial thawing of fish should not be allowed. Firstly, repeated freezing will cause the taste of the meat to deteriorate, and secondly, it can provoke the growth of bacteria.
Fresh trout in the freezer
If you purchased fresh fish, you can freeze it if necessary. Before placing the carcass in the freezer, it needs to be prepared. To do this, the trout must be thoroughly washed and gutted. It is very important to remove all the insides, because they become the main source of bacterial growth.
Due to improper freezing, the structure and taste of meat can deteriorate. To prevent this from happening, be sure to remove all moisture from the trout using regular paper towels before placing it in the freezer. Parchment will help preserve the structure of the meat. Just wrap the fish in it and place it in the freezer. If necessary, you can replace parchment paper with regular polyethylene.
Trout is a fatty fish, so it cannot be stored in the freezer for too long. The maximum permissible storage period is 6 months.
To ensure that the fish does not lose its taste, it must be defrosted correctly. The ideal way is on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, defrosting can be done outdoors by filling the container with the frozen carcass with cold water.
Placing trout in hot water or using a microwave to defrost is not recommended. Such methods of thawing will cause the fish to lose too much moisture and its structure will change. When cooked, such a carcass will fall apart into pieces.
If you want to pickle trout, you need to carry out this procedure before freezing. Salted fish can be placed in the freezer and after defrosting it will not lose its rich taste. If you do the opposite, the taste of the dish will not be as pleasant.
Fresh trout in the refrigerator
- Fish must be stored at a temperature from 0 to +3°C. To do this, it is best to use the top shelf of the refrigerator - there is always a lower temperature.
- Before placing the carcass in the refrigerator, it must be gutted, washed thoroughly and dried with paper towels.
- It is best to store trout in a shallow container. To prevent the fish from drying out, cover the container with cling film or place it in a bag.
- The fish will be preserved better if you add slightly salted water to the container. The liquid should not be too salty, otherwise moisture will come out of the fish carcass.
- During storage, trout can be made more tender. To do this, simply add a little lemon juice to the water.
- You can store trout in the refrigerator for no longer than 2 days. The optimal storage time is 24 hours.
Fresh trout cannot be stored in the refrigerator for long, so it is best not to buy it in advance. If you want to make a stock for the holiday, it is better to immediately freeze the carcass in the freezer.
Salted fish can be stored in the refrigerator much longer than fresh fish. The product in sealed vacuum packaging can be left in the refrigerator for up to 1.5 months. The main thing is to strictly observe the temperature regime from -9 to -5°C.
If the fish was salted on its own, it can remain in the refrigerator for no more than 10-11 days. Before placing the product on the shelf, it must be soaked in vinegar and wrapped in plastic wrap.
It is very important to maintain a constant temperature. If you eat trout one piece at a time, the remainder should always be put in the refrigerator as soon as possible. The salted fillet should not be heated.
Fresh trout out of the refrigerator
If in home storage refrigeration and freezers always come to the rescue, then when fishing this issue arises with difficulties. In the summer, carcasses begin to deteriorate very quickly. To prevent this, the fish must be kept alive for as long as possible.
To do this, it should be placed in a container in water. Please note that the water must be cold enough and the storage location protected from the sun. Strong currents should also be avoided. The condition of the trout should be checked periodically.
If you notice that the fish has died, you need to take the following steps:
- Gut the carcass as quickly as possible. It is very important to carefully remove not only all the insides, but also blood clots.
- After this, the trout must be washed. If you don't have enough clean water, you can wipe the carcass with a damp piece of cloth.
- Fish scales cannot be removed. It acts as a barrier that prevents bacteria from entering.
- Salt or vinegar will help keep the meat fresh. A good replacement for them would be herbs with bactericidal properties: nettle, bird cherry or plantain. The leaves must be placed inside the carcass.
- Trout should be stored at the lowest possible temperature. Cool water or earth can be used as a natural refrigerator. In winter, snow and ice will be your best helpers.
- Do not tightly close the fish with a bag. There must be a supply of fresh air.
How to understand that the fish is not of high quality?
Unfortunately, very often low-quality fish that has already begun to deteriorate is sold in stores. In order not to throw money away, you should always inspect the carcasses very carefully.
You can recognize spoiled trout by several signs:
- Pronounced fishy smell. Trout should not have such an aroma. Fresh fish has an unobtrusive odor that contains iodine.
- Dark or cloudy eyes are another sure sign of a spoiled product.
- Dull, dull or patchy scales that fall off when the carcass is handled.
- If the meat can be easily separated from the bones, then you have a product that has long expired.
- Try pressing lightly on the carcass with your finger. If the pressure mark remains and does not smooth out, such trout is not worth buying.
- The fish fillet should have a uniform, uniform color. Having stains or ragged edges is always a bad sign.
- The fish's tail should not be broken or bent. In most cases, this indicates improper storage of fish.
If you have already bought trout, but doubt its freshness, you can do one simple text at home. Take a large enough container of water and place the fish in it. A fresh carcass will sink, but a spoiled one will float. This test method will not work for frozen trout.
Chilled trout in the refrigerator
When you are convinced that the fish is fresh and of high quality, you should immediately place it in the refrigerator. It is best to store chilled carcasses on an ice bed. To do this, you will need special freezing molds or ice packs. Before placing the fish on the pillow, it must be thoroughly washed and lubricated with vegetable oil.
In this way, the fish can be stored for no more than 2 days. Please note that storage on an ice bed may cause the fish to become coated. Before cooking, it must be thoroughly cleaned and the fish itself must be washed.
Signs of poor quality fish
Fish can spoil not only from improper storage conditions . There are often cases when a stale product is purchased in a store.
The following signs indicate questionable quality::
- Strong smell of fish or ammonia. The fresh product has virtually no odor.
- Cloudy eyes of a dark color.
- The gills are covered with mucus and are dirty gray, brown or yellowish in color.
- Dull scales, sticky, with clots of mucus, crumble.
- The swollen belly of the fish, the meat, is easily separated from the skeleton.
- With slight pressure, dents remain on the carcass, which do not smooth out over time.
- The fillet has ragged edges and spots.
- The tail of frozen fish appears dried out or curled up.
- The trout looks shapeless and shabby.
If you couldn’t notice the damage in the store or you have doubts, then you can resort to a simple check at home. The fish is lowered into the water: if it sinks, it’s fresh; if it stays at the top, it’s spoiled.
Why trout is useful
An interesting way to fight for the purity of tap water was invented in Rome.
At the water intake stations of the city water supply, pools were built where trout were housed. The fact is that picky fish cannot tolerate the presence of toxic substances even in very small doses.
Probably, this fastidiousness was one of the reasons why trout is so popular: if the fish lives only in clean water, then harmful substances certainly do not accumulate in its meat. But the advantages of this species of salmon are not limited to environmental safety.
Trout meat has few bones, its chemical composition is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D and B12, and its taste inspires chefs to the most daring experiments.
Trout production
Trout bred in captivity does not depend on the season and is therefore available for sale all year round. All species are grown in fish farms, including small river fish, hybrid rainbow fish and the largest sea fish.
Frozen trout
Whole chilled and frozen fish, as well as steaks, fillets, salted trout and cold-smoked trout - these are mainly representatives of the latter variety - are brought to us from Scandinavia. These trout arrive in large industrial cities in containers with ice and are then processed at local factories.
Trout steaks
As a rule, specimens weighing 1-2 kg are sold raw. Larger fish are used for salting or smoking; smaller fish, portioned, weighing about 200 g, are purchased by restaurants.
Even when cut, sea trout can be easily distinguished from salmon and other salmonids by their bright red-orange color.
Sliced trout
Under natural conditions, the meat acquires this shade due to the fact that the fish feeds on shrimp. On farms, in order to give trout a recognizable appearance, dyes are often added to the feed, usually carotenoids - substances of plant origin. They do not affect the safety or taste of the fish, however, yellow spots may appear on the belly of “tinted” trout, especially if it is kept in the light for a long time.
What is the fish that is called chilled?
This is a type of aquatic inhabitants that are not completely frozen, but only their meat is brought to a temperature no higher than plus five degrees and no lower than minus one.
Do you use expired food for cooking at home?
Yes, the main thing is to process it if it is meat or expired kefir for pancakes.
27.28%
No, it is very dangerous and not useful.
35.49%
If the products have fungus or mold, then we throw them away; if they are a couple of days past their expiration date, we use them for food, even without heat or other treatment.
37.23%
Voted: 2412
At the same time, the fish lasts a little longer than if it had not been cold-treated at all. The bacteria responsible for decay processes do not die, but only slightly slow down their life processes.
The shelf life of chilled fish is approximately two weeks, to be more precise, from ten to twelve days.
Every housewife has prepared such a fish dish for her family at least once in her life. We eat it in various variations. It is dried, smoked, pickled, salted, fried and baked. When buying fish in a store, you should think not only about how to deliciously prepare your favorite dish, but also about how to keep chilled fish in your refrigerator for a long time. Its shelf life depends on various reasons. Let's find out what the secret is.
Culinary traditions
In his essay “Trout Fishing in Europe,” Ernest Hemingway admires the large fish that can be caught in the fast mountain rivers of Galicia. Under natural conditions, a “large” fish is a fish weighing more than 400 g. The “weightier” the specimen, the greater the value of the fish for gourmets. However, this rule does not apply to farmed trout: connoisseurs prefer small fish, claiming that their taste is closer to their wild relatives.
Many classic recipes are designed for fish weighing 200 g. For example, Navarrese trout marinated in red wine with onions and spices, or trout baked with ham and cheese. The most advantageous combinations that allow you to preserve the special aroma of fish are with red and white wine, sour fruit juices, and wine vinegar.
