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Tips!
[Tips on Keeping and
Eating Fish]
If you don't enjoy fish, you probably aren't eating FRESH fish!
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Eat it within a
couple days.
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Don't leave it in the freezer too long. Fish doesn't keep well in
the freezer either. Eat it within two weeks from the freezer.
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If you want it to
keep for up to 3-4 months, freeze it totally immersed in water. Always freeze
meat in two separate layers -- plastic wrap first, and then with a wrapping of
freezer paper/butcher paper.
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Aluminum foil is out, except to spread meat out and
freeze it fast (which is especially recommended with fish and with thick pieces
of meat). After a fast-freeze, remove the aluminum foil and re-wrap the meat in
the two-layer wrap mentioned above of plastic first, then paper.
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If you are
freezing a large fish whole, flash-freeze it solid first in foil. Then un-wrap
the foil and run the fish under a trickle of cold water. This will instantly
freeze on the surface of the fish. Do this 2-3 more times, each time adding a
new layer of glaze-ice on the surface of the fish. Then re-wrap the whole fish
in thick plastic, then in freezer paper. This should keep the fish fresh for
about 3 months. Don't forget to date the packages.
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Thaw fish at room
temperature. Preferably NOT by pouring hot water over it, nor with the microwave
oven. [Copyright 2002 by
Spring Creek Communications]
[Canning]
Canning should not be an
intimidating experience. We have canned salmon for years with this simple
recipe.
Disclaimer:
Canners are different, and personal instructions should be used per each canner.
We have an All American, and we follow these simple steps:
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#1- Clean and scale (or remove skin) of the fish
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#2- Cut into chunks
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#3- Have sterilized wide mouth jars pre-washed and waiting, (inspect previously
to make sure there is no cracks, which will cause a broken jar in the canner).
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#4- Have lids not quite boiling, but in hot water, to soften the seal.
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#5- Fill jars, sprinkle with small amount of dill & sea salt (optional) and wipe
around the jars mouth, put on the lids & just hand tighten rings. Place inside
the canner (our fits 8 jars on the bottom, we place a dish towel on top to make
it dual row.
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#6- Have the canner set on "High" element and spigot set upright till it comes
to a roiling boil. Watch the spigot start to spit out steam/liquid, then time
for 10 min.
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#7: The put down the spigot & watch the pressure rise to 10lbs
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#8: This probably will take about 20-30 min.
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#9: Once up to 10lbs. then turn the element down (this can be a bit of a
trick--too low & it drops under 10lbs, to high it climbs to 13lbs very quickly.
We find on our stove the fourth dot is about right.
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#10: This must now cook for 90 min. once it has reached around 10lb.
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#11: Once you have had it reach 90min. cooking time, you can now turn off the
element and raise the spigot to release steam (carefully-as to not get
burned) this will gradually cause the pressure to return to "0" and it is now
safe to open.
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#10: Now you can remove (carefully) with rubber grip canning tongs and set on a
towel on the counter, the salmon oil will be boiling rapidly inside--so be
careful! OR, you can leave it to cool on the turned off element till you feel
comfortable handling the boiling jars.
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#11: Enjoy the fruits of your labour!
[Freezing]
January and February are the "freezer months." Hunting season is over and the
freezer is full of fish and game.
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We are all guilty of wasting fish and game when we let freezer burn take over,
so let's make a conscious effort to empty that freezer steadily throughout the
next many months.
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Freezer burn occurs when food is improperly packaged and dry air is trapped in
the wrap or container and circulates over the exposed surfaces of the meat. This
removes moisture from the food and causes a dry, rough surface on the meat.
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Be certain that all packages are double-wrapped and free of trapped air. Some
folks double wrap with butcher paper, others with a double layer of tin foil,
but I have found the only way to successfully stop or slow freezer burn is to
first wrap in clear plastic wrap, and then in wax-lined butcher paper.
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Another technique is to place filets of small birds, and especially fish in milk
cartons (with carton tops pulled wide open, then taped shut) filled with water.
You will be surprised how long your fish and game stay remarkably fresh-as-new
when frozen in water! It's the only way to keep fish! No, the water does not
make the meat soggy. Bigger birds can also be frozen in water if you can find
containers large enough so that the meat is completely covered with fluid.
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In my experience, fish and birds lasts a couple years, and longer, in water.
When double-wrapped (plastic, then paper) venison also stays fresh for a couple
years. After two years, when double-wrapped, I sometimes find some freezer burn
on venison which I cut off completely before cooking. Freezer burn meat is not
really spoiled, but it has an off-taste which will spoil your appetite.
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The sooner you use your stored fish and game, though, the better will be the
quality of the meat. And, if you do not double wrap adequately, or freeze fish
and birds in water, you have only a few months of storage time.
[Smoking]
We have smoked our fish for years in a wet brine, but a couple of years ago I
heard Bruce from Bruce's Country Market in Maple Ridge speaking about his dry
brine smoked fish on TV. We have never gone back to wet brine since. We get
our Sugar & Salt from the health food store ( a healthier choice-- Sucanut is
the cane sugar we use, and Celtic or Real Salt is the salt we use). We also
smoke in the cold of the fall/winter, so we can leave the fish outside at night
do not refrigerate, because we don't have a fridge large enough for the
containers.
Cut your fish in fillets, and put into large Tupperware plastic containers
w/lids, laying side by side, skin down. The first thing we do is sprinkle the
sugar until it liquefies (about a 1/2 hour, light coating over the fish--once it
has liquefied you follow with the salt on top of the fish). (Optional: You can
also put in 1/2 C cracked (not ground) pepper, 1/4 C dried dill weed,
1TBSP garlic if you would like into the mixture) .
Depending how much you have, you can place another layer skin up, on top of the
first layer after you have seasoned it.
Over the course of two days, you will drain the sugar/salt solution so it is
never wet, the fish should never be allowed to sit in the liquid. At this
point, you thoroughly rinse off the fish (removing all traces of the sugar/salt
solution) and dab with a paper towel, until it is dry. The fish goes back into
the fridge or your cold area, and for a further 24 the fish is permitted to
"firm & tack" up, not wet at all. Now the fish is able to be smoked. We like the
cherry and apple flavor in our Big Chief Smoker.
Other flavors are available in our store at $4.59 each:
Mesquite
Alder
Hickory
We also carry the Bradley Smoker $299.99 and Bradley Bisquettes $24.99
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