How do you prep your fish before you seal, and freeze it? They recommend that you freeze your fish then run some cold water over it. Is this necessary?

I fillet my fish and remove all the pin bones with pliers. Keeps the bones from puncturing bags. I dry the fillets very well with paper towels before putting in bags. Thats it!

I freeze mine whole, then I don't have to worry about the bones. Cut off the head and tail, vaccuum pack and freeze. Perhaps it is just laziness that I don't fillet and take care of the bones first, or lack of patience, or that I have not done much filleting and what I have done isn't pretty.(LOL) Takes more room in the freezer but it works.

Doubletake

I have been filleting the large ones (kings), then stack the fillets together meat side in, separated by a piece of saran wrap. This keeps the bones from puncturing the bag. Then bag and seal as usual. No need to pre-freeze or pull all those annoying pin bones.
grumpyr

I've done it all ways that are described in the previous posts but I use heavy duty bags I bought from the manufactor which are a heavier grade and bones dont penatrate them

What I do is have my salmon/steelhead filleted by the local butcher at dirt cheap price's so I don't have to deal with the carcasses in my trash can for a week.Then I cut the fillet's into the size I want,useully just cut in half making four pieces per fish,rinse fish lay on towel's to air dry while I'm preparing my food saver bag's.I put fillet in bag then take a paper towel,cut it in half fold it so that it is about 1 inch wide put it in bag the full width then vacum and seal.The only time I ever have problems with losing the seal is if I move fish around in freezer to much.There for I stack fish in layer by layer and keep species separated on the shelves in freezer,so I know what and where to grab fish out quickly with out moving other package's.This work's great for me.Good Luck, STRIKE ZONE

3 vacuum seal questions:
1. How long does fresh salmon last?

2. Do you save smoked salmon in the fridge or freezer after vacuum sealing?

3. Have you ever saved crab meat with a vacuum sealer and does it taste O,K. ?

thanks in advance

Todd B,
#1 Up to two year's,but best when consumed before one year.
#2 When I smoke up a batch,it's useully gone in a week.Between eating it and giving it out to co-worker's,I would say one month in fridge and two year's in freezer.
#3 I don't know but was thinking along the same lines as you,trying the crab thing.It might be hard to get a good seal due to all the juice,but worht trying.
Goodluck , STRIKE ZONE

For me the absolute most important thing I do before filleting, eating, or vacuam packing is to completely ice the fish for 24 hours before I cut it. I find that if the fish goes through the complete rigor process before being processed the meat is a lot more tender. I sure would love to hear if other people do this.

When vacuum packing fish, I clean it well, then make sure it's completly dry before packing it, food saver bags seem to be the best out there, or at least the best I've found. Vacuum packing crab meat works just fine, no problems with the taste.