Fish cold storage methods is not only important for the quality and taste of your food but for the safety of your customers too. Our comprehensive guide will help you to store fish correctly, so you can make the most of your produce.
How to properly store fish
The get the most out of your fish, you should practice good storage methods for both fresh and frozen produce. Storing fish correctly will not only extend its life but ensure that the taste, texture and appearance are of the highest quality.
The most important rule to follow when storing fish is that raw and cooked fish should always be kept separate. If raw and cooked foods have to be stored in the same cold storage unit, raw fish must be well sealed and stored as far away as possible to prevent cross contamination. Even with adequate packaging tears and leaks can still occasionally occur, making it unwise to take any kind of risk.
Good packaging not only ensures you’re left with a safer, more hygienic piece of fish but a better tasting one too. Whilst some types of fish are mild and delicate, others have a much stronger odour. Without proper packaging, the smells and flavours of stronger fish can permeate milder ones, ruining their unique taste. Much like raw and cooked foods, mild fish should be stored well away from stronger types for a better flavour.
Freezing fish correctly can greatly improve the flavour and look of your fish, as well as minimizing wastage. The best way to freeze fresh fish is using rapid blast freezing because the quicker you freeze fish, the more vitamins and flavour it will retain. Fish should always be rapidly frozen at a minimum of -18°C, although -30°C is preferred.
When freezing fish in a blast freezer, it’s important to avoid packing fish too tightly or exceeding the cold stores capacity, as this can greatly increase the time produce takes to freeze. The longer your fish takes to freeze, the more likely it is to succumb to deterioration, leaving you with an inferior and possibly unsafe product.
