On Cleaning, Freezing and Vacuum Sealing Fish

When we talk about our all-inclusive Alaskan fishing and lodging services at Pybus Point Lodge, we really mean all-inclusive. We provide our clients with absolutely everything they could need for their trip, from beautiful lodging and transportation through all the equipment, gear and other services you'll require for fishing or any of our wildlife adventures.

In fact, we even provide a major service for one important group: Those who want to take some or all of the fish they catch home with them! We provide professional-quality fish cleaning, packing and vacuum sealing for any fish you catch, plus free transportation of your fish to Juneau by float plane. If you're considering this service from us, or even thinking about similar processes for your other fishing trips, here are some basics on why cleaning and vacuum sealing are important, plus some simple tips on how to ensure your fish get home with you in perfect condition.

Importance of Cleaning Fish

In many ways, the importance of cleaning fish after catching them is self-apparent. Obviously, you want your fish to be as fresh and clean as possible for eating, cooking or freezing. But there's more to it than that. After being caught, fish begin to decompose quickly, especially in warm weather.

This process not only causes the fish meat to deteriorate in quality, but also produces bacteria that can make people sick if ingested. That's why it's so important to clean fish as soon after being caught as possible, ideally within a few hours.

Cleaning also helps preserve the quality of the fish meat. When done properly, it removes the blood and other organs that can cause the fish to spoil quickly. This makes vacuum sealing an even more effective way of preserving fish for longer periods of time.

Finally, cleaning fish helps remove any excess scales, slime or other debris that can clog vacuum sealer bags and cause them to break during the sealing process.

Importance of Freezing the Fish

Another vital part of this process, one often carried out even before vacuum sealing has taken place, is freezing the fish. This is important for two reasons.

First, when fish are fresh, their cell walls are strong and intact. However, as fish begin to decompose, these cell walls break down and release water. This not only causes the fish meat to deteriorate in quality, but also makes it more difficult to vacuum seal properly. Freezing the fish before vacuum sealing prevents this from happening and helps keep your fish meat fresh for much longer.

Second, if you plan on eating the fish immediately after arriving home, freezing them gives you time to do so without having to rush through a complex process of thawing and cooking. This can help ensure that your catch is as fresh and tasty as possible.

Importance of Vacuum Sealing the Fish

If the fish will not be eaten in the hours after being caught, then vacuum sealing is vital. This is because vacuum sealing not only helps prevent bacteria from growing and spoiling the fish meat, but also helps preserve its quality by replacing the oxygen inside the bag with nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The latter two gases do not cause fish to spoil as quickly as oxygen does.

Beyond this, vacuum sealing helps keep fish firm, thus preventing them from becoming too mushy or falling apart when cooked. This can help ensure that your catches retain the same quality and texture as they did before being vacuum sealed.

Finally, vacuum sealing is a big part of what allows you to transport your fish via plane without issues. Fish have a significant odor, but this is eliminated by the seal and does not become an issue before or after flying.

Other Tips and Considerations

Now that you have a basic grasp of how and why fish are cleaned, frozen and vacuum sealed for transportation and similar needs, here are some general tips and themes to consider if you're going down this path:

• Know how long it's good for: When frozen and vacuum sealed properly, most fish can last in excess of three months, or even six months or more. This is a good thing to keep in mind when planning your trip and selecting the species you want to try fishing for.
• Keep the bag dry: Both before and after the actual sealing process, it's important to ensure that the bag remains free of moisture, as this can clog and cause the vacuum sealer to break.
• Avoid overfilling bags: One theme our professionals adhere closely to, and which you should consider if you're ever vacuum-sealing your own fish, is that you should not try to overfill the bag. This can not only cause it to break during the sealing process but also make it difficult for air to be fully removed from inside the bag.
• Thawing and defrosting: When the time comes to defrost your fish, it's important to take a careful approach here. We recommend putting the fish in the fridge for a full day to begin the thawing process. After this, you can place it into a bowl or on a plate, cover it with cold water and let it sit for no more than 30 minutes. After this, cook the fish immediately.

Now that you know all the basics of cleaning, packing and even unpacking any fish you catch, you're ready to go! For more on this, or to learn about any of our Alaskan fishing trips and the numerous quality services we provide to clients during them, speak to the team at Pybus Point Lodge today.