How to properly store fish in the refrigerator at home

Fish, due to its beneficial properties and taste characteristics, is one of the most popular products, from which a variety of first and second courses are prepared, eaten pre-salted and smoked, or processed into minced meat. Many of those who regularly use this product in their diet think that preserving fish is not difficult; all you need to do is simply place it in the refrigerator.

Even storing fish in a refrigeration chamber must be organized correctly so as not to encounter the fact that in a short period of time the product will deteriorate and become unfit for consumption.

Storing fresh fish in the refrigerator

Fish dishes are especially tasty and healthy if a completely fresh product is used for their preparation. If you plan to cook the fish not immediately after catching, but the next day or every other day, then you can preserve its nutritional properties and taste characteristics as much as possible by storing it in the refrigerator. Proper storage of fresh fish in the refrigerator, for which it should be properly prepared, is as follows:

Fresh fish carcasses are cleaned of scales, thoroughly gutted, and washed both outside and inside. Cleaned and washed fish carcasses are dried using a cloth or moisture-absorbing paper.
Fish carcasses are placed in a cup or plastic container of a suitable size. If the size of the fish does not allow them to be placed whole in a container, then they can be cut into pieces and stored in this state. The container, after placing the fish in it, is closed with a film or an airtight lid.

The product, after placing it in a container for further storage, can be additionally poured with marinade, which can be used as citric acid. This marinade will not only make the fish meat more tender and give it additional flavor properties, but will also act as a preservative. As a preservative that protects the product from spoilage when stored fresh, you can use coarse salt, which is used to rub carcasses or pieces of fish on the inside and outside.

The method described above allows you to store fish in the refrigerator without fear of it spoiling for no more than 2 days. If it is necessary to store a fresh product for a longer period of time, then it should be frozen for this purpose using the appropriate compartment of the refrigeration device.

Optimal conditions

Raw fish cannot be kept in a refrigerator at above-zero temperatures, as this product is subject to rapid spoilage due to the development of bacteria and moldy fungi. They begin to multiply within a couple of hours after the temperature rises and lead to rotting.

Fish, if properly prepared, has a shelf life in the refrigerator of 1-3 days. At the same time, raw minced meat, cutlets or fish pieces can be stored for only 10 hours, and fillets for 24 hours. In the freezer, where the temperature reaches -24°C, fish can last from 3 to 6 months, depending on the fat content.

The main storage conditions are vacuum packaging (extends the shelf life of fish to 4-5 days) and temperature conditions. Cold destroys microflora and slows down the fermentation process.

Temperature

The ideal storage temperature is from -2°C to 0°C. With this mode, the fish will be preserved for three days. Unfortunately, most often the temperature in refrigerators is 5-6°C, so the period is reduced to just one day.

If the gif does not start, click

If there is no temperature-controlled zone in the refrigerator, you can make one yourself using a container with ice and store the fish there. With this method, you need to constantly monitor the condition of the ice so that it does not melt. If this suddenly happens and the carcasses end up in water, they will spoil very quickly.

Storing fresh fish in the freezer

It is recommended to freeze only very fresh and high-quality fish in the freezer compartment of a household refrigeration device. In this case, you can count on the fact that it will be stored for the maximum possible period of time under such conditions - 3-6 months. It is best to perform freezing at a temperature corresponding to the “super freezing” mode, so this process will go faster. Fish carcasses that are to be frozen can either be scaled or not removed, but they must be gutted, washed thoroughly inside and out, and then dried with paper towels or napkins.

The advantage of storing frozen fish, the carcass of which has not been cleared of scales, is that such a natural coating protects the fibers of the meat from destruction, so that dishes made from such a product will be juicy and tender.

Before placing in the freezer, the product, carcasses or sliced, is placed in plastic bags, and uncleaned carcasses and fillets cannot be placed together in the same bag. The need to comply with the latter requirement is explained by the fact that harmful microorganisms from the scales can spread to unprotected pulp, which can significantly accelerate the deterioration of such a product.

For storage, it is better to allocate a separate compartment in the freezer, since the characteristic and very persistent smell of the product can permeate other products located in the immediate vicinity.

The period of time during which a product stored in the freezer will retain all its nutritional properties and taste directly depends on its type and degree of fat content. So, red fish, whose pulp contains quite a lot of fat, can be stored frozen for up to 12 months. Pre-salted product is not stored very well in this way, which is explained by the fact that due to the salt present in the pulp and on the surface of the carcass, it is quite difficult to subject it to high-quality freezing.

In order for a product that has been stored frozen to be tasty and juicy after cooking, it must be defrosted correctly. Those housewives who defrost such a product in the sink or container with water, immediately taking it out of the freezer, act completely wrong. When defrosting in this way, not only the structure of the pulp is disrupted, but its taste also significantly deteriorates. To prevent this from happening, the product from the freezer is placed in the refrigerator overnight, where it is defrosted gradually, in the most gentle mode for it. Repeated freezing can also worsen the taste and structure of the product, which should also not be done.

Determination of fish freshness

Main signs: fish scales should be shiny, dense with clean mucus. The eyes are transparent and clean.

The gills are always dark red in color; the paler, the lower the freshness, without any foreign odor. The body of the fish is solid, without dents. The fillet should be firm, but not loose.

How long does smoked fish last?

A product obtained by cold and hot smoking differs not only in its preparation technology and taste characteristics, but also in its shelf life. To ensure that the period of time during which such products not only do not spoil, but also retain their original taste and nutritional properties, is as long as possible, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions. Thus, storing cold smoked fish in the refrigerator, wrapped in wax paper, will extend its shelf life to 10 days. In a similar way, it is recommended to store hot smoked fish, which was subjected to significant thermal effects during the cooking process, for no more than 3 days.

To further extend the shelf life of the smoked product, it can be frozen, so it can remain edible for 3 months. Another way to store a cold smoked product in a common chamber of a refrigeration device, in which its shelf life is at least a month, is as follows:

prepare a concentrated solution of table salt;
soak a piece of cloth in the resulting solution and wrap carcasses or chopped pieces in it;
The product wrapped in such cloth is placed in the refrigerator.

Whatever method is chosen for storing smoked fish, it must be periodically inspected for changes in color and the appearance of traces of mold on the surface.

Shelf life and storage conditions of fish according to sanitary standards

SanPiN 42-123-4117-86 contains information on the rules for storing particularly perishable products, which include fish.

The maximum period for its storage in raw form does not exceed 72 hours. A temperature regime of no higher than +6 degrees must be ensured. Higher temperatures provoke the active proliferation of bacteria that cause serious food poisoning.

Isothermal transport is used to transport products. If transportation is carried out in the summer, then it is necessary to ensure that the products are kept in ice. In such conditions, transportation within 3 hours is allowed. If there is no ice, delivery to the destination is carried out within one hour.

The raw storage temperature is within +2+6 degrees.

In rare cases, the storage period of a large batch that has arrived at the store is extended for a period of no more than 50% of the established storage period.

How to store ready-made fish dishes

No less pressing for housewives is the question of how to preserve fish when it has already been prepared using one of the generally accepted methods.

In such cases, it should be borne in mind that boiled or fried fish, consumed in its pure form or present in dishes as an additive, was subjected to heat treatment during the preparation process, which does not have the best effect on the shelf life of such products. Under normal temperature conditions, for example, when on a holiday table, thermally cooked fish can be stored for no more than 2 hours, after which it should be put in the refrigerator. But, even in the cold, when placed in a cup or container covered with cling film, such dishes can be stored for no more than 2 days.

Japanese cuisine has recently become very popular, some of which contain raw fish. To store such dishes before consumption, it is necessary to use special sushi cases in which their shelf life is preserved for up to a day. After removal from such a container, if some part of the food remains uneaten, efforts should not be made to store it further, so as not to risk your own health.

Preparation for storage

The fish begins to deteriorate from the head, so the head, gills and entrails are removed as soon as possible. In specialized stores, professional cutting is carried out at the buyer's request right at the time of purchase.

The sequence of actions when preparing for storage of purchased ungutted fish:

Wash thoroughly. Remove gills and entrails.
Remove scales. Remove head, tail, fins.
Rinse under running water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Wrap in paper or dish towel. Place in the refrigerator on the coldest shelf possible.
You can sprinkle the carcass with coarse salt - this will increase the storage time by 2 days.
If an aquatic animal was caught while fishing, it should be prepared as quickly as possible: washed, removed gills and entrails.
Place the carcasses on a tray, leaving a small distance between them. This will help you cool down better.

Next, the tray must be placed in the refrigerator. After 4-5 hours, you need to take it out, wrap the carcass in wax paper, put it in a plastic bag (the bag cannot be closed), and put it in the refrigerator. You can leave the product on the tray, but it will take up a lot of space and all the surrounding products will become saturated with a fishy smell.

Instead of placing on a cooling tray, you can use crushed ice. Ice is poured into the bottom of the container, the cleaned, gutted carcass is placed, and ice crumbs are again covered on top. Leave for 1-3 hours depending on the size of the fish.

How to store dried and dried fish

Preserving fish if it has been previously salted and dried is not so difficult. If the drying was done correctly and the meat contains a minimum amount of moisture, then such a product can be stored for a year, while observing the following recommendations:

In the cool season, it is better to use cardboard boxes for storage, placing them in a dry and well-ventilated area.
If the room in which the product is stored is too hot, you can place it in the freezer of the refrigerator, which, however, will not increase its shelf life.
It is not recommended to wrap dried carcasses in newspapers, which can cause harmful metals such as lead to appear in the meat. Properly store fish so that it does not contain harmful substances by wrapping it in wax paper or placing it in fabric bags.
If dried or smoked fish has spoiled and a specific odor begins to emanate from it, then such a product must be thrown away immediately, without trying to restore its taste by cleaning or heat treatment.

Signs of a spoiled product and what to do with it

If the fish seems suspicious, refuse to purchase, even if the expiration date has not expired. If doubt arises during storage at home, discard the product. Remember that they are easy to poison.

Signs of the onset of damage may include changes:

colors;
consistency;
smell.

Do you know that…
Some peoples prefer to eat fish “with flavor” and feel good at the same time. This is not our option. The body adapts (produces enzymes) to the lifestyle over the years, and this is fixed at the genetic level. If such a dish is not a traditional food product for you, it is better not to risk it.

How to store salted fish

Salted and pickled fish, if it was purchased not in vacuum packaging, but in brine, without packaging at all, or prepared independently, is best stored in the refrigerator, at a temperature from 0 to 30. When such conditions are created, various types of salted fish have the following shelf life:

salmon of moderate salinity - up to 3 days;
herring kept in brine - up to 3-4 weeks;
salted mackerel, the meat of which has a high fat content - up to 10 days.

The period during which salted fish will be suitable for consumption also depends on the degree of its salinity. So, if a lightly salted product cannot be stored in the refrigerator for more than 6 days, then for a product of medium salinity the shelf life is about 2 weeks, and for a highly salted product - a month.

You can preserve fish that has previously been salted for a little longer if you pour unrefined vegetable oil into the container in which it is kept in the refrigerator.

How to choose

At the time of purchase, they look at the degree of freshness of the product. The shelf life of the fish will depend on the freshness of the catch.

The smell of fresh product should be faint. Most often, the catch smells of sea aromas with a hint of iodine.
Stale goods give off unpleasant (rotten) odors.
High-quality fresh fish has elastic, shiny and elastic scales. Open convex bright and translucent eyes. Stale goods have dull eyes.
Fresh fish can be recognized by their light and shiny gills. Shades of brown or yellow indicate stale goods.
If possible, press firmly on the scales. If a dent does not form on it, and the surface is elastic, the product is of high quality. The dense elastic structure of the scales is an indicator of freshness.

At the time of sale, the entire catch should be kept in a container with a large amount of ice, and not on top of it. With this storage, the products will be well cooled, which means they will remain fresh longer.

Storing minced fish

It would seem that the question of how to preserve fish from which minced meat has already been prepared should not cause any particular difficulties, because such a product can simply be frozen for these purposes. Minced meat can be stored frozen for no more than 3 months, and if it was prepared from initially low-quality raw materials, then even less. Immediately after cooking, minced meat can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours, and if this product is in a store-bought vacuum package, then it can be stored in the common chamber of the refrigeration device for no more than a day. If minced meat is prepared from raw materials from which a specific smell has already begun to spread, then the shelf life of such a product, even if all the necessary conditions are created for this, lasts for hours.