Thawing Fillets?

Todsquad

Todsquad

Active Member
Hoping to make some space in my garage freezer and was wondering what the best way to thaw frozen walleye fillets are?

I stored them in ziplog bags (full of water and air purged) before freezing. What's your go-to thawing process for frozen fillets?
 
I typically pull them out when someone says the want fish, put them in a sink full of water, then a half hour before wanting to make them realize they are still half frozen so open them up, separate the ones that I can and run water over them until I can pry them all apart then continue. Never have any issues with quality, so however you do it is probably superior to my method and just fine.
 
Cold water in the sink, as GPS said been doing it now for about 45 years??? WOW didn???t think I was that OLD, if you have a problem with them I???ll try some for you??? Enjoy???..
 
Thanks for the tips!

To clarify - when thawing, you put the entire ziploc bag and fillets into cold water or do you remove the ice/fillets before immersing?

Read some coments elsewhere online not to thaw in packaging due to botulism risks...
 
Thawing Vac sealed foods if you are worried.

This refers to purchased foods where you have no control over the process.

thfood.webp
 
How ever you decide to thaw just make sure the fillets never warm up to room temp. Keep them chilled.
 
"By the book," the safest way to avoid any foodborne illnesses is to take any frozen fish, meat, chicken etc out of the freezer and thaw it in the fridge. That said, if you're using it right away once thawed, placing it in a sink of cold water, or running water over it to thaw is a little quicker, but always make sure if doing that, once thawed it passes the smell and sight test. IF it smells off, or looks off, (or both) I wouldn't use it. Rule of thumb in the kitchen, "when in doubt, throw it out."
 
@hvyhaul that's good info to share but it does apply equally to fish packaged at home or from the store. Even when properly handled, fish and other foods can contain the Clostridium bacteria at low levels. It takes preservatives, acid, and/or very high heat to actually kill them which we're not doing for frozen raw fish.

I cut open my vac packs for thawing for that reason. It's arguably not necessary for thawing in the fridge, but it doesn't hurt. For anyone breaking the rules and thawing quickly on the counter or in 'not cold' water (I think we've all done this in a rush?), a vac-sealed package is a bad idea.

That said, the risk is very low given that the fish is cooked after thawing - regular cooking temps destroy the toxin that causes botulism (but not the bacteria that produce the toxin).
 
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Best to let thaw in the fridge
But in a hurry water bowl does the trick
Just be sure to use cool water and not warm
 
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