Frozen Fish...

[Bbbananas]

How come, if you buy ready frozen fish from the freezer cabinets in a supermarket, the instructions say it can be kept for between 3 and 6 months.
Yet, if I buy fresh fish, but then decide to freeze it, it recommends eating it within a month.

I defrosted some scallops yesterday - fresh ones that I then froze 3 months ago. They had gone all wrinkly & dry. Yet I had a bag of ready-frozen scallops that the bag said could be kept up to 6 months.

What's the difference?

[NoMercy]

Probably the chemicals they use in the freezing process.

[zzxxee]

added preservatives??

[Chickadee]

I don't think it is chemicals, I think it is because they are blast frozen. i.e. frozen within seconds and just after being caught.

[EcclesCake]

As chickadee says commercially frozen fish is blast frozen and is a very quick process. Freezing at home is a slow process and involves a higher level of moisture. The water particles in and on the fish expand as they freeze and spoil the delicate structure of the fish. We tend not to expel air when we freeze at home which can heighten the incidence of freezer burn too.

[ummmm]

It's the freezing process.

[Bbbananas]

Thank you all.

One more question - if I had had eaten those withered looking scallops - would they have done me any harm? or would they just have been a little dry and bland-tasting?

[NoMercy]

No, but the texture was obviously impaired.

[ummmm]

I was going to ask about frozen fish. Northampton has no fish mongers left so we can only get fresh fish from the supermarket, which is limited.

[Nigel_Harvey]

We buy fresh salmon, cut it into steaks, bag them separately and then freeze them. We have kept them for several months. Defrosted slowly and poached in a little milk in the microwave, they are pretty well as good as when they were fresh.

[Bbbananas]

Does the same apply to meat?

I ask, cos I'm desperately trying to empty my freezer so I can defrost it, and am taking out a new dish per day. Last night I got out some M&S aberdeen angus beefburgers stuffed with gorganzole (I eat well....). If the meat looks a bit dry and different-coloured - is it still safe to eat, just has perhaps deteriorated (they've been in there 5 months).

[ummmm]

The burger will be better than the fish because of the fat content.

[Bbbananas]

I defrosted it last night Eddie. I'm defrosting all the things that don't say you can cook from frozen.

[Bbbananas]

Just as a matter of non-interest to most of you - but the aberdeen angus beefburgers with gorgonzola were absolutely delicious..... so delicious I ate both of them ;-)

[wendilla]

Reading this post I wondered if it would be ok to freeze the sliced meats like ham and tongue ect.