by Tierney O'Hara

Created on: July 27, 2009   Last Updated: May 10, 2011

Just like you layer on clothing when the temperatures get "freezing" cold, so must you layer on wrappings for any fish you plan on freezing. Seafood organizations, fish mongers, chefs, and avid fisherman recommend wrapping fresh fish in multiple layers to keep it from drying out or getting freezer burn and to maintain a sweet, fresh odor. Multiple wrappings is the number one tip professionals advise to keep your fish as fresh looking and tasting as it would be if you cooked it immediately after buying it.

Fish and air don't mix well. Wet fish and air is even a worse combination. So after rinsing your fish, put it on paper towels to let it dry off. Pat the fish dry with another paper towel and make sure your fish is as dry as you can get it prior to freezing.

You can freeze a whole fish. Just clean it well and remove innards and scales. Fillets or fish steaks will freeze quicker than most whole fishes and therefore will keep fish a bit fresher than if you leave it whole.

Once you have your clean and dry fish, wrap it well in plastic wrap. Try to make sure you leave no openings. If you freeze the fish in individual portions, it takes no time to defrost and you'll have no trouble separating pieces. You can slip a layer of wax paper between fillets for ease in separating also.

Once you've wrapped the fish in plastic, now wrap it again in foil. Use a large enough piece of foil to completely wrap the fish and fold down the foil until around the fish to form a right foil packet. The foil packets then go into a zip lock bag which you can label with the type of fish and the date. Once you've carefully placed the foil packages into the bag, you can write down how many servings are in the bag.

Don't skimp on discount brand x zip lock bags. Use a high quality freezer bag and put in as many foil packages as it will comfortably contain and then zip up the bag leaving about an inch open. Squeeze out as much air as you can from the bag before the final zip, but don't crush the delicate fish inside.

Experts say that this method of freezing will ensure that your frozen fish - once defrosted - will have the appearance and smell of a fresh caught fish.  Don't defrost the fish until you are ready to use it.  It will not fare well sitting in the refrigerator and needs to be cooked when it is thawed.

The extra wrapping pays off when you're eating a delicious fish dinner and the fish tastes as fresh as if you just bought it or caught it!

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