How to quickly defrost a fish: 5 ways

Today, most supermarkets display frozen products on store shelves. This move allows you to increase the duration of storage, while the useful properties of the product remain unchanged. However, in order to fully enjoy a delicious fish-based dish, it is important to defrost the raw materials correctly. Experienced housewives, through trial and error, have come up with effective methods that will help carry out the procedure without compromising quality. Consider the important aspects in order, give recommendations.

Choosing a quality product

1. By and large it’s easier to get fresh, not frozen fish. However, not everyone can afford this option. As a rule, sea fish are delivered to store shelves after emergency freezing. The river can be found alive.
2. It’s difficult to choose a quality frozen product, because you get a block of ice. Through the packaging, the carcass is poorly visible, it is difficult to understand whether it defrosted earlier or not. If so, in the end, after all the manipulations, you will get a mash of pulp.
3. It is strongly not recommended to purchase frozen products on the market, in particular from unverified suppliers. Since the flesh of the fish is very tender, it needs careful handling. It is forbidden to freeze and thaw the composition several times.
4. Fish freezing takes place in an emergency way, this is how the final product will retain its properties and structure. Ordinary fishermen do not have such a technique, as a result of which they leave the products for freezing in a domestic refrigerator (a different method of freezing, an unsuitable temperature regime).
5. Before buying a large frozen carcass, it is important to decide how you will cook it. If the family is large, all the goods will go “to business”. Other options suggest that you have to defrost the product twice, or even thrice.
6. If possible, purchase fish cut into pieces or small carcasses. Such a move will save you from the constant “freeze-thaw” procedure, as a result of which you will get all the useful enzymes from the fish. The recommendation is extremely relevant for breeds with tender meat.
7. Unscrupulous sellers often spread carcasses for sale that have been thawed many times. Such actions reduce the shelf life and quality of the finished product. Carefully evaluate the packaging, on the inside of the film there should be no sticking pieces of fish or frozen water.
8. Learn the signs that will help you choose a good product. Quality fish has red or pink gills (it all depends on the breed). The carcass should be flat, without breaks, cracks, dents or other types of damage. The color of the fish is silver, not gold.
9. As for ice packaged with fish, a thin layer of frozen glaze is allowed. Make sure that there are no lumps that appear when water freezes. The fish is not characterized by ammonia smell, greasy blotches and other neoplasms.

Effective ways to defrost fish

There are several effective ways in which you can defrost fish at home without compromising on quality. Let's consider them in order.

Method number 1. Lower shelf of the refrigerator

1. The method of defrosting fish under natural conditions is rightfully considered the most correct. The process is not particularly difficult, but it is rather slow. In order to carry out the procedure correctly, you need to prepare a plastic basin or other dishes with thin walls and a bottom (an aluminum pan will do).
2. Put the fish in the container, make several holes in the package. If the fish was purchased at the market, you must first place it in a thin food bag. Some housewives prefer to send the carcass without packaging, in which case the pelvis needs to be wrapped with cling film. It is important that the product is not chapped.
3. When you have done the preparatory manipulations, place a basin on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In this section, the temperature does not fall below +3 degrees, so defrosting will take place evenly.
4. Since the method is considered the slowest, the duration of the procedure varies between 6-9 hours. It all depends on the size of the carcass and the degree of freezing. In some cases, defrosting is faster, but we recommend leaving the fish overnight.

Method number 2. Salt solution

1. Salt solution helps to quickly defrost fish, but the option is more suitable for marine life. The fact is that salt sucks liquid from the carcass, so the finished dish can turn out to be dry. This method can thaw fatty fish, which will then be used for pickling, smoking, baking, frying or stewing.
2. To prepare the solution, mix 25 gr. coarse rock salt with 1.2 liters. filtered warm water. Dissolve the crystals, pour the liquid into a plastic container or other utensil with a lid.
3. Remove the fish from the package, send it to the water with salt, cover, but leave a small gap. You can keep the carcass at room temperature or, as in the previous case, put the container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
4. If the filet or small fish steaks are thawed, the procedure will take 1.5-2 hours. In the case of larger specimens or medium-sized carcasses, you will need about 4 hours at room temperature and 6 hours when defrosting in the refrigerator.

Method number 3. Running water

1. Prepare 4-5 plastic bags, make sure that there are no holes in them. Remove the fish from the factory packaging, put it in bags and tie it. Such a move will prevent the ingress of water, which can ruin the quality of the fish (the carcass will become "cottony", tasteless).
2. You can proceed further in two ways: prepare a large basin or use an ordinary kitchen sink. Fill the cavity with cold (preferably ice) water, send a bag of fish to the liquid.
3. It is important to change the water periodically to create circulation. If you do not mind the water, you can leave the water to drain directly from the tap. Thus, flow will be ensured on an ongoing basis.
4. The duration of defrosting depends on the initial size of the fish. The procedure must be continued until the carcass becomes soft, supple. As a rule, 1-1.5 hours are enough, in some cases (fish weighing more than 2 kg.), Defrosting is reached after 3 hours.
5. This technique is rightfully considered one of the fastest and safest. Ultimately, the fish will not lose useful qualities, as a result of which you will be able to enjoy the taste and texture. It is important to remember forever that under no circumstances should the product be placed in warm or hot water.

Method number 4. Microwave

1. The age of technology leaves its mark, more and more housewives are resorting to household appliances. Typically, such a technique has a defrost mode, as a result of which thawing occurs without compromising quality at low speeds.
2. If you have a modern appliance, select the “Defrost fish” function, set the weight of the frozen product. Depending on the mass, the duration is set within 15-30 minutes.
3. Place the carcass in a microwave container or on a flat dish without a golden fringing. Turn the fish over every 3-5 minutes so that the product thaws evenly. Otherwise, the carcass may be “fried”, as a result of which the dish will be spoiled.
4. Since the cavity of the microwave oven is small, whole large fish cannot be thawed. First chop it into pieces of the appropriate size, and then proceed to the manipulations.
5. Using this method, it is important to constantly monitor the structure of the carcass. You do not need to bring it to excessive softness in order to facilitate the task of cleaning and cutting.

Method number 5. Hair dryer

1. No matter how trite it may sound, but in the absence of a microwave oven or the inability to use other methods, some housewives resort to using a regular hair dryer. It is believed that the method was developed by blondes, but defrosting in this way does not depend on the color of the hostess's hair.
2. To correctly carry out the procedure, you need to take a hairdryer and set it to cold mode (button "Snowflake"). It is also important to turn on the device not with a very high airflow, otherwise the fish will wind off.
3. Choose a plastic or glass container of medium depth. Place the fish in a plastic bag and leave a hole with a diameter of 5-7 cm. Direct the hair dryer at the carcass, observing a distance of about 25 cm.
4. Move the device, directing it along the body of the fish in smooth movements. Turn off the hair dryer periodically so that it does not overheat. As practice shows, the procedure takes about 30-40 minutes, it all depends on the size of the frozen product.

It is easy to unfreeze fish at home, if you have sufficient knowledge regarding the available methods. The longest option for thawing involves the use of the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Quick methods include defrosting with a hairdryer, using a microwave or saline. Make sure that the carcass thawed no longer than the specified period, otherwise the fish will lose its beneficial properties and become unusable.

Video: how to defrost fish properly