# how long can uncleaned fish be kept on ice



## Hot Reels (Oct 3, 2007)

I have had some fish caught friday night on ice till now, bout to clean them, will they still be good?
They have been well iced 
Thanks
Sky


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

Depends on what type of fish... For instance a white trout spoils before you can get the hook out of his mouth:whistling:

Your fish should be fine.....


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

*Won't last forever*

Should be fine. Lots of times it depends on the fish. Some varieties are softer than others. Things like Redfish, Sheepheads, Whiting, Crockers, and Flounder should be fine. Trout, Kings, Spanish...lot softer flesh and don't keep as well. If you don't have time to fully clean stuff, it is great just to gut them as a minimum. I mean, look at the stuff on ice in the fish market. Gut and cut the gills out and get to the rest later is OK.


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## Caddy Yakker (May 21, 2011)

I try not to wait that long but s#&t happens. Still better than what can happen at the markets,!


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

Yeah the fish markets general rule seems to be "when the eyes turn light gray then they go to the crab traps"


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## flukedaddy (Apr 11, 2009)

MULLET HUNTER said:


> Yeah the fish markets general rule seems to be "*when the eyes turn light gray* then they go to the crab traps"


 
I figured they just filleted them.


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## Hot Reels (Oct 3, 2007)

tuna, aj and snowy grouper, All looked and smelled ok when I cleaned them.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

They will be fine for up to two weeks BUT they should have been gutted, washed out and never left in standing water. keep the fish covered with only ice and all the melted water drained off. Commercial boats fish for a week and then the fish houses ship the fish to New York then they sit in the market for a days without being frozen. Fresh is always better.


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## bakbone (Dec 18, 2012)

Fish keep longer if there put in slushy ice water.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

I've never understood why fish can't be kept in water. I've kept mine in icy water for my whole life...from whole fish to filets. What exactly is it supposed to do that's so bad? Now, I always cook up all my trout as soon as possible, but I've kept filets of spanish, redfish, king, snapper, etc in a ziplock of ice water for days before cooking. Never had a problem. I always press it dry with paper towels before I cook it, if water in the grease is the concern.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Yakavelli said:


> I've never understood why fish can't be kept in water. I've kept mine in icy water for my whole life...from whole fish to filets. What exactly is it supposed to do that's so bad? Now, I always cook up all my trout as soon as possible, but I've kept filets of spanish, redfish, king, snapper, etc in a ziplock of ice water for days before cooking. Never had a problem. I always press it dry with paper towels before I cook it, if water in the grease is the concern.


It's fine for a days fishing. After that they will spoil quicker. Why, I don't know but the fishouse can tell and they wont buy them if they are from an extended 2 or 3 day trip. It's a no brainer just pull the drain plug on the chest and keep the fish covered in ice. And if a long trip put the gutted slit down to allow the stomach acids to drain from there gut.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

sealark said:


> It's fine for a days fishing. After that they will spoil quicker. Why, I don't know but the fishouse can tell and they wont buy them if they are from an extended 2 or 3 day trip. It's a no brainer just pull the drain plug on the chest and keep the fish covered in ice. And if a long trip put the gutted slit down to allow the stomach acids to drain from there gut.


I'm not so much talking about whole fish as cleaned fish. Any fish should be cleaned within a day or two, maybe three, no matter how cold it is. What I'm asking is why everybody stresses the point of "don't keep the filets in water"? Never had a problem with keeping filets in icy water for up to 6 days. I never freeze my fish and always plan to have it all eaten (or given away) by the next weekend. 4-6 days in water has never spoiled/ruined any fish for me, other that trout.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

yakavelli...I have the same question...been freezing fish in water for over 40 yrs...thawing them the same way...tastes great. Like you said pat them dry to avoid grease splatter or mushy baked fish.

So..can someone tell us why u don't frezze in water?


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## Mikvi (Mar 11, 2008)

When we ran charters in AK, we didn't want to get water on the filets. The thinking up there was the water washed the oils out of the fish and you'd lose flavor. Don't see a problem with keeping whole fish in ice, slurry or water for a couple of days.

Sky: You coming to pick up your bag? 

Can you write a trip report? Nobody sent me any photos 

Start getting ready for the next trip.


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## timeflies (Oct 3, 2007)

When you freeze water it crystallizes. The slower you freeze something, the larger the crystals form. These crystals have sharp edges, and those edges puncture, cut and compromise the integrity of cell walls in the flesh. Therefore: mushy. Ice your fish with ziploc bags, and put the fish in a perforated pan with a drain pan underneath. That way the water drains away and your fish isnt sitting in it. Change the ice bags out daily and you are good for about a week. 

Want bonus points? Ice your fish in the same position as it swims. It is natural, and doesn't stress the flesh. 

Summary: Avoid direct contact with ice, standing water, and freezing.


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## kahala boy (Oct 1, 2007)

Hot Reels said:


> I have had some fish caught friday night on ice till now, bout to clean them, will they still be good?
> They have been well iced
> Thanks
> Sky


If you got as many fish as I think you got from what I seen boatside Saturday morning, You will need some help. I would be glad to help you out Sky. :notworthy::thumbsup::thumbup:


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## billin (Oct 14, 2007)

*Time flies*

Very well put and accurate


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

I can understand the ice crystals thing, but I don't freeze it anyways. "Washing the oils out" sounds like an old wives tale. I've never kept fish dry, in fact, just the opposite. I don't like letting it dry at all, until I cook it. Just the way I do it...to each, his own.


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## Play'N Hooky Too (Sep 29, 2007)

timeflies said:


> When you freeze water it crystallizes. The slower you freeze something, the larger the crystals form. These crystals have sharp edges, and those edges puncture, cut and compromise the integrity of cell walls in the flesh. Therefore: mushy. Ice your fish with ziploc bags, and put the fish in a perforated pan with a drain pan underneath. That way the water drains away and your fish isnt sitting in it. Change the ice bags out daily and you are good for about a week.
> 
> Want bonus points? Ice your fish in the same position as it swims. It is natural, and doesn't stress the flesh.
> 
> Summary: Avoid direct contact with ice, standing water, and freezing.


Exactly! That is also why the frozen veggies at the store turn out better than the ones you freeze from your garden. Bird's Eye flash freezes their products so there is no time for large crystals to form that destroy the cell structure.

As far as the fish in water thing, it has to do with osmosis. The fish is in equilibrium with the water that it lives in. If you put a saltwater fish in fresh water the fish's flesh which contains a higher concentration of minerals (salt) than the water in the ice chest will "absorb" water and become waterlogged (mushy). Now if you are just going to batter/ bread and deep fry it you probably won't notice the difference. If you try to cook it any other way it will just fall apart.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

Play'N Hooky said:


> Exactly! That is also why the frozen veggies at the store turn out better than the ones you freeze from your garden. Bird's Eye flash freezes their products so there is no time for large crystals to form that destroy the cell structure.
> 
> As far as the fish in water thing, it has to do with osmosis. The fish is in equilibrium with the water that it lives in. If you put a saltwater fish in fresh water the fish's flesh which contains a higher concentration of minerals (salt) than the water in the ice chest will "absorb" water and become waterlogged (mushy). Now if you are just going to batter/ bread and deep fry it you probably won't notice the difference. If you try to cook it any other way it will just fall apart.


Second half is untrue...speaking from tons of experience.


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## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

From a physicist's perspective, some of the "scientific" comments sound logical. I can't say whether these factors make any difference when it comes to the taste and texture of the fish. 

I freeze all of mine surrounded in water, and they come out tasting delicious. I don't fry my fish. To me it masks too much of the flavor. We do dry the fish before we cook them.


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## Seachaser 186 (Apr 9, 2009)

saltwater from over the side of the boat into the cooler with ice makes a cold slurry which is much colder than plain ice alone. Salt and Ice = really cold stuff - remember making home made ice cream?


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## jjam (Dec 9, 2007)

Seachaser 186 said:


> saltwater from over the side of the boat into the cooler with ice makes a cold slurry which is much colder than plain ice alone. Salt and Ice = really cold stuff - remember making home made ice cream?


This^


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

Yeah, I'd gut them at least.

Then a vacuum sealer after a couple days.

I think the problem with fish and ice water is that the surface contact on the fish itself. Individual cells in the fish might burst. This leads to freezer burn like on ice cream. But it might be disguised by just being on ice, melting then freezing, then melting, then freezing, then...

That is why a "flash freeze" by commercial fishermen is preferred to just being kept on ice.

Freeze QUICKLY, and only ONCE...

Jim


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## bakbone (Dec 18, 2012)

I've tried both ways, mullet put in a cooler packed on ice real good with a pulled drain plug, tends to dry the skin out some, but fish when its caught if put in real slushy ice water it want dry out.


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## marmidor (Mar 15, 2008)

I worked for a charter captain that also did a little commercial fishing. We would make a run or two a week just to make a little extra cash. We always gutted and cut the gills out of every fish that went in the cooler. He taught me that the gills would be the first thing to spoil and cause the rest of the fish to spoil. I can't say that it is scientifically true but I do know we never had a fish spoil on us.


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