How to quickly defrost fish at home: tips

In water

This option is considered the best and most common. When figuring out how to properly defrost fish, you need to remember many important nuances, including the type of product. For example, different options are suitable for hake, pink salmon, red fish, and sturgeon. Methods for defrosting fish in water depend on the temperature of the liquid.

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In hot

Warm water allows you to quickly get rid of ice and get a product ready for cooking. However, hot liquid negatively affects the structure of the carcass, so it cannot be used constantly. Before you quickly defrost fish, you should weigh all the pros and cons of the method. It is better to resort to it in emergency cases when there is no time to wait. In other situations, it is recommended to use healthier methods of defrosting fish.

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In the cold

Defrosting fish in cold water follows the following recommendations:

To prevent the product from losing its taste, the temperature of the liquid should be from +15 to +20 degrees;
Salted water should be used. For 1 liter, half a teaspoon of salt is enough;
The ratio of fish and liquid should be 1:4 or 1:5. In these proportions, a small-sized product will defrost in 2 hours, and a large-sized product will defrost in 6 hours.

Before sending into the water, the fish should be placed in a plastic bag.

Help: It is important that the water is not very salty. Otherwise, the carcass will begin to lose a lot of liquid during defrosting.

To speed up the process, it is necessary to change the liquid in the container every 20 minutes. It is not recommended to use the described method if it is minced fish or fillet.

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One of the best ways to defrost fish is to use running water. If everything is done correctly, the prepared product can be obtained in 1.5-2 hours. You should proceed like this:

The product is placed in a plastic bag or wrapped in cling film. This will prevent excess liquid absorption by the carcass;
The finished package is placed in the prepared container. The dishes should be deep. The fish is completely covered with water;
Place the container under the tap and turn on the water. Leave a little pressure and wait for the product to defrost. The speed depends on the size of the carcass and the temperature of the liquid.

The described method is perfect for sea and river fish. He's quite careful. However, the carcass will inevitably lose some liquid.

Defrosting salted fish

There are certain rules for defrosting salted fish. The carcasses are soaked for 12 hours in a container with cold water. During defrosting, you need to change the water at least four times. It is unacceptable to store salted fish soaked in water. After the procedure, it must be immediately cooked. This fish is best suited for frying.

If you want to please your household with a nutritious fish treat, but you don’t have time to buy a chilled carcass in the store, you can always use fish stored in the freezer.
Proper defrosting of the food product will be required to preserve the structure of the fish and its taste. The non-standard methods described in the article will certainly help you successfully cope with the task. Did you like the recipe?

On air

Many technologists and professional chefs advise defrosting medium and large carcasses in a similar way. It is necessary to place the products at some distance from each other so that they do not come into close contact. Cover with cling film.

Help: Defrosting fish in air can take up to 9 hours. It all depends on its size.

It is worth checking the products periodically. If some of them have already been defrosted, they are removed from the total.

It is worth understanding that when thawing in this way, the carcass will lose about 10% in weight. This is due to the fact that juice will begin to flow out of it. But air is one of the most gentle defrosting methods. It allows you to preserve vitamins and nutrients in the product.

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It is not recommended to use it during the hot season. Prolonged absence of cold will lead to the rapid development of bacteria on the surface of food. Even after stewing or frying, poisoning can occur.

How to choose good frozen fish?

Every housewife wants to please her family and guests with deliciously cooked fish. But this is not always possible due to incorrectly selected frozen fish in the store.
We will help you figure out what criteria should be used when choosing a fish product, and then, after defrosting the fish, you will always have a tasty, nutritious and healthy delicacy on your table.
Of course, it is best to stock up on fresh or chilled raw materials for cooking - such fish can lie in the refrigerator for only 8-10 hours, and no more. But it happens that fish is bought for future use, and then they usually choose an already frozen product.
In this case, you need to choose a fish that is not packed in an ice “shell” - it may have a slight dry crust, and nothing more.
A clear ice capsule will most likely indicate that the fish has already been thawed once and then frozen again.
It is important to remember that fish fillets have different requirements: they are usually not frozen, and dry and quick freezing are also not allowed.
If the fillet was frozen, then after defrosting it is best to make minced meat and fry cutlets or, for example, meatballs.
There is also no need to buy fish if it was cut into pieces before freezing (unless you decide to buy pieces of large valuable fish - salmon, salmon, etc.).
But if you cut fish into portions with your own hands, then you can safely freeze them, because in this case you will know that they did not lend themselves to repeated freezing and thawing. Small fish, as well as pieces of fish, will defrost much faster than a whole frozen product.

Do not attempt to cut fish if it is already frozen. Of course, after this, the pieces you cut will thaw faster, but due to the deformed fibers, the cooked fish will have a completely unappetizing appearance.

When purchasing, pay attention to the ice covering the fish: it should not be covered with streaks. Portioned frozen pieces of fish must be separated from each other, otherwise this will mean that the freezing technology was carried out with violations.
dents on it , and it should not smell of anything - not even fresh fish, because a properly frozen product has no smell; it appears only after defrosting.

Carefully inspect the fish when defrosting

Check that the gills are red, not whitish, and that the surface of the fish is smooth, without any dents or other damage.

In the microwave

A regular microwave will help speed up the process of defrosting fish. The product is placed on a microwave-safe plate and placed inside the equipment. Find a special “Defrost” button on the panel and turn on the selected mode.

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Periodically remove the fish from the microwave and turn it over to ensure even thawing. This method is considered quite fast. However, microwave ovens are limited in size. Therefore, they are not always able to place large fish inside. You also need to understand that the taste of food after such a procedure may deteriorate.

Sea ideas from the chef

Oleg Tomilin shares with you good ideas for quick dinners based on fish and seafood.

Salad with shrimp and quinoa . Cook quinoa until tender according to package instructions. Slice the cucumbers and avocados. Mix all ingredients with spinach. Place boiled frozen shrimp in boiling water for 1 minute. Take them out immediately (no need to cook) and put them in the salad. Season the dish with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Halibut with hollandaise sauce . Salt the halibut fillet and bread it in breadcrumbs, fry in vegetable oil until golden. Then bake in the oven for 7 minutes at 180°C. Serve with hollandaise sauce and romaine lettuce.
Salad with salmon and avocado . Marinate salmon fillets for 30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice, ginger and chili. Chop the avocado, cucumber, red onion and tomato. Add salad mix and croutons. Combine everything, add chopped salmon.

Cooking is not only about inventing new recipes, but also about following clear instructions to make a dish tastier. Defrosting fish and seafood does not lend itself to inspiration; here you need to act clearly. And now you can do it!

Thawing at room temperature

This method is similar to the air defrosting option. The product is taken out of the refrigerator and left in the kitchen to thaw naturally. The most time-consuming option. The fish should also be wrapped in cling film. It is more convenient to put it on a plate or place it in an empty container.

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Re-freezing

It is not recommended to re-freeze a thawed product as it will lose its taste and structure. Fish must be frozen in order to protect it from the development of dangerous bacteria under the influence of low temperatures.

When a fish carcass begins to thaw, microorganisms appear on its surface and get there in various ways. Under their continued influence, it begins to deteriorate. In this regard, it is necessary to defrost such a volume of product that is necessary for preparing the delicacy.

In a refrigerator

Defrosting fish can take place in the refrigerator. It is enough to place it on the bottom shelf at a temperature of +5 degrees. Defrosting occurs slowly and can take about 9 hours. This is the key disadvantage of the method.

Help: Defrosting in the refrigerator allows you to preserve all the beneficial substances of the product. Food does not lose taste after such cooling.

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The following recommendations should be followed:

If the fish is in a vacuum package, before placing it on the bottom shelf, you need to pierce the pack in several places;
If there is no packaging on the product, it is wrapped in cling film;
This type of defrosting is used when you can leave the fish overnight.

The refrigerator is suitable for thawing sturgeon, as well as pollock, hake and perch.

Optimal temperature

To freeze fish at home, it must be gutted and washed. It is better to freeze chilled fish carcasses.

The recommended limits for the freezing temperature of fish are from -8 to -18 degrees. At lower temperatures, fibers begin to break down and the meat dries out. But there is an exception to every rule. Red fish can be frozen at temperatures down to -30 degrees.

The ideal place for thawing fish is a refrigerator with temperature parameters from +3 to +6 degrees. Slow thawing at room temperature does not destroy the structure of meat fibers and preserves the taste of the fish product.

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In the oven

Modern stoves are equipped with a special defrosting function. Therefore, it is enough to use the desired mode before preparing the dish. On electric models, this option is indicated by a drop on the control panel.

As soon as the function is activated, the fan turns on. The heating parts do not start working, so the product does not lose its properties. Defrosting occurs under the influence of air currents. The fan removes cold air from the carcass, replacing it with warm air.

Help: The temperature during such defrosting remains at room temperature, it does not increase. At the same time, thawing occurs faster, and the food does not lose its properties and taste.

You can turn on the heat to speed up the process of getting rid of ice. However, the temperature should be set to a maximum of 30 degrees.

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Some oven models are not equipped with a special function for defrosting fish. In this case, it is recommended to resort to convection mode with a temperature of 0 degrees.

It is allowed to use a regular stove without the specified functions. The recommendations in this case are as follows:

The oven is heated to a temperature of 30 degrees, no more;
The fish is removed from the packaging and placed on a plate of suitable size;
The container with the product is placed on a wire rack and sent to the oven.

It is worth remembering that glassware is not suitable for these purposes. The grille must also be set to the lowest possible position. There is no need to cover the fish with anything.

Choosing a quality frozen product

When purchasing industrially frozen fish, choose a quality product. Blast-frozen fish, dry or wet, retains its properties during thawing and loses a minimal percentage of its weight. You can recognize which product is of high quality by the following characteristics:

solid, and not in a block of ice with the dry method of freezing, covered with a thin layer of ice - with the wet method;
The fish's eyes are clear, not cloudy.

When choosing a frozen product, you should also pay attention to the following points:

Do not buy fish for future use to avoid a repeat defrosting cycle. It is preferable to choose medium-sized fish or fillets.
Before purchasing, evaluate the quality of the fish to the best of your ability. There should be no stuck pieces of fish or ice crystals inside the package, but a thin ice glaze is allowed.

Signs of quality frozen fish are a pleasant natural smell, clear eyes, red or pink gills.

In a water bath

It was noted that many of the listed methods lead to the fact that the fish loses useful substances, decreases in weight and changes its structure. All this affects its appearance and taste after stewing and frying. To avoid this, it is recommended to use a water bath.

A steamer or slow cooker is great for this. In such equipment there is no contact between the carcass and water.

Help: It is recommended to use the specified cooling method if the subsequent preparation of the product will be in a double boiler or multicooker.

Defrosting takes about 20 minutes. But you should understand that the taste of the product may become less intense.

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The product is placed on a special steamer grill and the minimum temperature is set. Periodically turn the carcass over. As soon as the product has completely thawed, turn on the desired cooking mode. For example, cooking, stewing, etc.

Microwave

It is also possible to defrost fish using a home microwave. You will need a microwave-safe, heat-resistant bowl. The carcass is placed in it and the appropriate operating mode is set. To ensure that the frozen product thaws evenly, it is advisable to turn the fish carcass or fillet over once, turning off the household appliance. This method is best for whole carcasses, small fish, as well as semi-finished products - minced meat, fillet, etc. The disadvantage of this method is that it is impossible to microwave large fish. Before the procedure, you will have to cut a large fish into portions.

Many people note that after defrosting in the oven, the taste of the fish becomes specific.

Salt

It is known that salt can speed up the thawing process of any product. It was noted that it needs to be added to the water to make defrosting faster. Preparing the right mixture will ensure that the food does not lose its juiciness.

How long it takes to defrost fish in this way depends on the size of the carcass:

Small fish or small fillets thaw in a few hours;
A medium to large sized product will take 4 to 6 hours to thaw.

When preparing the solution, certain proportions are adhered to. For 1 kg of carcass, 2 tablespoons of salt and the same number of liters of water are required. The ingredients are mixed in a deep container, always with a lid.

When the salty solution is prepared, the fish is placed in it, after removing its packaging. Cover the top with a lid. You can leave the container at room temperature or put it in the refrigerator. Before cooking food, first rinse it with cold water.

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This type of defrosting is suitable for fatty fish, such as pink salmon and red fish.

How to defrost fish quickly and correctly at home: 5 methods

If there is little time left to prepare the dish, and the fish has not been thawed, you can fix this with improvised means.

Any methods of quick defrosting can lead to a partial loss of taste, so you should not use them for expensive varieties:

Temperature change. This method is not the fastest, but it allows you to preserve the taste and beneficial properties as much as possible. The whole fish pieces or carcass are placed from the freezer into a cup and placed on the lower level of the refrigerator. The process of gradual thawing will preserve its structure, but can last up to 6 hours.
Salt. This method is only suitable for sea fish. The frozen carcass should be generously sprinkled with fine salt. After thawing, wash off excess salt. The peculiarity of this method is that only the surface is defrosted, while the main layer remains frozen.
Hair dryer. The original method allows you to quickly defrost small fish, but it is important that the hairdryer has a cold blow function. The carcass is placed in a plastic bag, and a hole is made on the other side for a hair dryer. Thanks to the pressure of cold air, the thawing process begins, which lasts up to forty minutes. From time to time you need to turn off the hair dryer to avoid overheating.
Saline solution. Prepare the liquid: take 1 tablespoon of salt for one liter of water. Place the fish in a bowl and completely fill it with saline solution. Leave the lid slightly open to allow air to enter. Suitable for marine species. Salt will draw out liquid from river species.
Steamer or multicooker. The method is similar to a steam bath; the fish is placed on the upper level of the steamer and the lowest setting is turned on. This method is considered the most gentle, since the pulp does not come into contact with hot water, which means it retains its beneficial properties.

Read more ► How long can smoked fish be stored: 5 options on how to extend shelf life

Hairdryer

If the carcass is large and does not fit into a container, oven, or microwave, you must resort to unusual methods to thaw the fish. One of these is a hair dryer. You will have to spend about 40 minutes on one carcass. First, the product is placed in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will preserve the taste of the fish.

The carcass is wrapped in cling film, but not tightly. Place it on a large glass dish or in a bathtub. It all depends on the size of the product. Sometimes it is more convenient to carry out all manipulations in the bath. The hairdryer is turned on in the “cold air” mode. When blowing on the carcass, you must hold the device at a distance of about 25 cm. The air flow is directed along the fish. You can resort to combined methods, combining a hair dryer with other defrosting options.

Combined method

You can use a combined method of defrosting fish carcasses, which almost completely preserves the beneficial and taste properties of the fish. This option is most suitable for thawing ocean fish.

First, the fish must be kept in cold salt water for half an hour. Then let it thaw completely in the open air. A thawed carcass should be cooked immediately.

Important! It is not recommended to completely defrost uncut carcasses, as this makes them much faster and easier to clean.

How not to defrost

The process of defrosting fish must proceed correctly. The preservation of the properties and taste of the product depends on this. Therefore, you need to try to avoid various process errors.

When carcasses are thawed, a change occurs in the colloidal structures of their muscles. This leads to loss of juice. And the more it goes away, the more the taste will change after cooking.

Note: It is not recommended to defrost fillets in salted water. This may reduce the nutritional value of the product and change its color. You should resort to this type of defrosting only in extreme cases.

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It is recommended to adhere to the following tips:

Do not use hot water so that frozen fish becomes simply raw. At temperatures above 35 degrees, fish protein begins to lose its properties. To replace the lost juice, the carcass absorbs hot liquid. As a result, the product becomes loose. This option is allowed only in extreme cases;
It is not necessary to defrost the product completely until it is soft. The fish should remain elastic, dense, and chilled. Then it will be easier to prepare;
As soon as the defrosting process is completed, they immediately begin preparing the chilled product. Otherwise, the fish product will lose its properties and vitamins.

Properties of frozen fish

Knowing the characteristics of frozen fish, you can always choose a good and healthy product from the abundance of fish raw materials.
For example, you need to know that when frozen, harmful changes will certainly occur in the structure of fish meat. Therefore, if you are thinking of adding expensive fish to your diet, it is better to purchase just enough fresh fish to cook for one meal, rather than saving some of it in the freezer for another time.
But if valuable fish, which does not need to be removed after cooking, has already been frozen, then when defrosting it is allowed to bend it first in one direction and then in the other. If there are bones in the fish meat, then it is better not to subject the product to such an accelerated defrosting process, since some of the broken bones will end up in the finished dish, and this will not add to anyone’s appetite.
It happens that after defrosting, the fish becomes some kind of ugly mess, but if there is no smell in it that proves that it has spoiled , then there is no need to throw away such a product. After removing the bones from it, you can twist it into minced meat, from which you can pamper your family with delicious fish cutlets.
Under no circumstances should you put frozen fish in warm , much less hot, water . Of course, this method will significantly speed up thawing, but the texture of the fish will change and the beneficial components will evaporate from it.
Do not defrost the fish to such an extent that it becomes completely soft - in this case, it may separate and begin to fall apart into small pieces.

It's better to take fresh fish

Evaluate the quality of the fish after defrosting. The presence of an unpleasant odor or discolored color should call you to caution: no matter how sorry you may be, it is better to get rid of such a spoiled product, and then you will not be at risk of food poisoning.

Is it possible to freeze defrosted

Not everyone knows that the product should not be re-frozen. This negatively affects the structure of the fish and its taste. If food is re-frozen, it will lose any remaining nutrients. The structure becomes loose and flabby.

Fish is frozen to prevent bacteria from developing in it. This allows you to store it longer and more conveniently. As soon as the surface of the carcass thaws, microorganisms begin to develop on it. This leads to the process of accelerating product spoilage. Therefore, it is not worth re-freezing fish. To avoid a situation where there is excess product left, it is better to calculate in advance how much it will be needed for cooking, stewing, and frying. Thus, re-freezing is excluded.

You can easily defrost fish at home. But choosing the right tactics is necessary. Why? Because errors in this process will lead to a deterioration in the properties of the product and the dish will be spoiled. Sometimes they resort to combined methods. This will speed up the defrosting. There are rules to make the process easier. The more nuances are taken into account, the better the defrosting will be.

Re-freezing raw fish

Sometimes there is too much defrosted fish product. Many housewives put the excess back into the freezer. You can't do that. It is necessary to calculate in advance how much fish you will need so that the excess does not have to be put back into the freezer.

Fish sold on store shelves is subjected to shock freezing. This procedure prevents the development of microorganisms. As soon as the fish thaw, they will immediately begin to reproduce. The process is so intensive that if the raw fish is not cooked within the next 24 hours, the product can be thrown away. If raw fish is put back into the freezer, the fish will actually be frozen along with the bacteria. That's why it shouldn't be consumed. This poses a real threat to human health.