Quote Originally Posted by Dr.Ed View Post
My supply of last years walleye is almost depleted and I was forced to dig deep into my 20 cubic foot freezer and guess what I found? A full quart size freezer bag full of perch size walleye fillets sealed in ice with no air and no sign of freezer burn. I always date all my bagged fish whether they are frozen or not. The date read: 5/11/2012. I let the bag thaw over three days in the frig (just like a turkey). Tonight was the ultimate test. I opened the bag, drained out the water and with much trepidation stuck my nose in the bag. To my surprise there was absolutely no smell and the texture of the meat was normal. After dipping the fillets in Kikoman Tempora batter, I fried them on both sides to a golden brown in canola oil, drained them on a paper towel, splashed on some apple cider vinegar and a tough of salt and sat down to what can only be called your average gourmet fingerlicking good walleye fish dinner. I still cannot believe those fish were 4 years old. If I survive the night without food poisoning or other complications I'll get another fishing report out to you when it happens. In the meantime, how long have you guys kept fish in your freeze without them going bad?
Doctor, Yes it has been working for me since learning about that method many years ago. In the '70's we used to save and properly clean the paper milk cartons that had a "wax" coating, add the fillets, usually perch, top it off with water and freeze. I have used them 3 years later just as you did. As long as there's NO air in the container they last a long time. The only thing to watch out for is if the freezer had a mechanical breakdown and the foods had started to thaw and then be re-frozen. Your best tool was using your nose. These days we use freezer bags and I have my last 2 Lbs. of Perch to feast on from last Fall.
If anyone wants to try this, just be sure to use plenty of water to 'insulate' the fish and be sure to squeeze out all the air. I let the bags set in a cardboard box so they'll take a sort of squared shape with a flat bottom until frozen. Then to save a little space I'll remove the box.