Anybody vacuum seal fish fillets?

I read one time that it is better to freeze the filets for about 2 hrs before sealing to keep from sucking the moisture out of the fish and drawing liquid into the sealing point. So that is what I have always done. I put multiple filets in one bag though.

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Anybody vacuum seal fish fillets?

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Everything I catch is vacuum packed.

They need to be dry or the bag won't deal. I lay mine on a paper towel covered tray then let sit in the fridge for a few hours. That usually dries them enough to where liquid will not be drawn up the bag to the seal.

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just try and keep the filets in the vacuum bags flat so they stack easier but I just seal them and freeze em.

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This

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probably vacuum seal over 100lbs of fish a year. I don’t dry them or pre-freeze them, just straight from the ziplock, quick wash in the sink, and into the bags. I haven’t had a bag fail yet and everything is always fresh.

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Same. I do fish, deer, turkey, chicken, everything the same. Can take a piece of fish or deer out that’s been frozen for 2 years and it’s the same as when it went in.

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had them in ice water in the fridge for 2 days

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Why do people do this? Fish at the grocery store sold fresh has never been hit with water. I do not rinse fish unless I have obvious introduction of gut material. A little effort on the front end makes a big difference on the back end.

I freeze plenty of bass, bream, slabs and catfish annually with no rinsing and vac seal all of it with no problem.

I don’t freeze fish that often and it’s usually freshwater fish. The ones I caught last trip to stock freezer for China virus I froze in water old school style at camp. I realize you can do it without paper towel, but I’d rather not have to clean the machine. Or worse, forget to clean it like I did after freezing crabmeat the other day.

I primarily fish offshore for snapper and grouper in South Florida. The limits are pretty generous, and I usually fish 4 guys on my boat. I have a large poly table on the dock with water. I rinse the filets because of the cleaning method I use. Two guys clean the boat. Two guys clean fish. The fish go from the box to a bucket with ice. One guy takes filets off of the fish and the second guy takes the skin off of the filets and debones the rib cage. It gets a little messy so I rinse the filets before putting them in a second bucket filled with ice. Because it is so hot in the afternoon I believe it is better to clean fish this way rather than one at a time with a table rinse between each fish. Who knows which way is best? My way works for me.

Make sure they are laid flat. Single layer will defrost faster. I vacuum until juice barely comes out of the bag and seal.