Harvest time always presents the same problem...how to preserve nature's bounty. When it comes to salmon, for the urban dweller, either canning or freezing will make sure that some of those fabulous, 30 million plus Fraser River Sockeye are available for the months to come. Of course neither method approaches the succulent texture and flavour of fresh salmon. Certainly canned salmon, even Sockeye salmon doesn't stand up very well to the high heat processing and results in grossly over cooked fish. In addition to this, if one has to buy salmon as opposed to having a gift or catching it, canning doesn't save money. 213gm cans of sockeye salmon are currently available at the Real Canadian Superstore for $2.00 each. That's less than $10.00 a kilogram. Fresh, head off, gutted, Sockeye are on sale for $8.80 a kilogram.....hardly a windfall of savings there for a day of cutting, packing, and canning, plus buying salt, cans and maybe ice as well for transporting. So, the next best choice would be freezing. Of course, nothing is simple in life and while one could just buy the bagged salmon and throw them in the freezer, for me, this would result in fish that is flavourless and difficult to deal with later, considering table preparation. But salmon can be successfully preserved by freezing in a home kitchen setting just as well as in commercial facilities. But like most home projects time must be on your side. if you don't have a few hours to dedicate to your salmon, consider just buying cans or paying for fillets or steaks. The price at the Superstore for fresh salmon fillets is currently about $20.00 a kilogram....is it worth it to butcher one's own salmon to save about 50%? I think it is but I understand that for many the convenience of prepared steaks or fillets is well worth the extra money. For the rest of us, here's how to fill your freezer full of West Coast Sockeye Salmon at the best price with commercial quality results.
First of all, choose small salmon.....less than 2 kilogram fish. I find it tiring and difficult, not to mention dangerous to butcher large fish bones with a fillet knife. Of course it can be done.... a cleaver, plank type cutting board and a mallet will help a lot. I cut off the tail and collar and all the fins and save them for stock. Then cut off the tail section from the vent back and split that along the backbone. The rest I cut into fairly thin steaks. Filleting the entire salmon by removing the backbone, the ribs and the pin bones is more than I usually do in the interest of time. Put 5 kilos of ice and 3 kilos of salt in a picnic cooler or one side of the sink. Put your salmon in your preferred serving sizes into ziplock freezer or sandwich bags, squeeze out the air and drop them into the icy brine. When the salmon bags are frozen,...should be 15 to 20 minutes, put them into your freezer....if you use cheap sandwich bags, use your salmon within 3 months or at least place the small bags in a few large freezer bags to prevent freezer burn. And that's it! Now you have quick frozen salmon in serving size portions that defrost and cook quickly and have retained as much of the succulence and flavour of fresh fish as possible.
Why is it necessary to pre-freeze the the products in brine before putting them into the freezer? Here's why. Home freezers aren't very cold and use air to create freezing conditions inside. They aren't intended for freezing fresh food, they're intended for keeping food frozen that is already frozen. Putting wet fish or fruit into a freezer that already has other frozen food in it will raise the temperature inside the freezer so much that the other food will get warmer and it could take days for the temperature to fall back to well below freezing during which time ice crystals form and spoilage bacteria form causing flavour and colour loss. This is especially true of chest freezers. Above or below the refrigerator type freezers that have the circulating fan can be used for freezing small quantities of fresh food but not if the freezer is already full. Absorbing the cost of salt and ice and making a heat sink is the best way to quickly and economically mimic commercial freezing processes. You can save the brine for next time by funneling it into PET bottles or freezer bags and putting that into the freezer as well. For ultra convenience later, you can season your salmon before freezing. Add fresh or dry dill, pepper etc. Salt draws moisture so I salt after cooking,
Now if you have any money and energy left, go pick some of those late summer blackberries and blueberries and freeze them in the same way!
First of all, choose small salmon.....less than 2 kilogram fish. I find it tiring and difficult, not to mention dangerous to butcher large fish bones with a fillet knife. Of course it can be done.... a cleaver, plank type cutting board and a mallet will help a lot. I cut off the tail and collar and all the fins and save them for stock. Then cut off the tail section from the vent back and split that along the backbone. The rest I cut into fairly thin steaks. Filleting the entire salmon by removing the backbone, the ribs and the pin bones is more than I usually do in the interest of time. Put 5 kilos of ice and 3 kilos of salt in a picnic cooler or one side of the sink. Put your salmon in your preferred serving sizes into ziplock freezer or sandwich bags, squeeze out the air and drop them into the icy brine. When the salmon bags are frozen,...should be 15 to 20 minutes, put them into your freezer....if you use cheap sandwich bags, use your salmon within 3 months or at least place the small bags in a few large freezer bags to prevent freezer burn. And that's it! Now you have quick frozen salmon in serving size portions that defrost and cook quickly and have retained as much of the succulence and flavour of fresh fish as possible.
Why is it necessary to pre-freeze the the products in brine before putting them into the freezer? Here's why. Home freezers aren't very cold and use air to create freezing conditions inside. They aren't intended for freezing fresh food, they're intended for keeping food frozen that is already frozen. Putting wet fish or fruit into a freezer that already has other frozen food in it will raise the temperature inside the freezer so much that the other food will get warmer and it could take days for the temperature to fall back to well below freezing during which time ice crystals form and spoilage bacteria form causing flavour and colour loss. This is especially true of chest freezers. Above or below the refrigerator type freezers that have the circulating fan can be used for freezing small quantities of fresh food but not if the freezer is already full. Absorbing the cost of salt and ice and making a heat sink is the best way to quickly and economically mimic commercial freezing processes. You can save the brine for next time by funneling it into PET bottles or freezer bags and putting that into the freezer as well. For ultra convenience later, you can season your salmon before freezing. Add fresh or dry dill, pepper etc. Salt draws moisture so I salt after cooking,
Now if you have any money and energy left, go pick some of those late summer blackberries and blueberries and freeze them in the same way!
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