If fish falls apart after defrosting, what does this mean and how to avoid it?

Freezing is one of the popular ways to store fish, which extends the shelf life of the product for a long time.

However, there are often situations in which fish simply falls apart after defrosting.

Why this happens and how to prevent changes in the consistency of the fish, read the article.

Causes

There are several reasons why fish falls apart after defrosting. All of them come down to violation of the technology of storing and preparing the product for consumption. Eliminating these factors will allow you to enjoy tasty, juicy and whole fish fillets.

Improper freezing

If the technology for freezing the product has been violated, then after thawing it will disintegrate into fibers. When the enterprise uses extremely low temperatures, which immediately process the carcasses, the water in the meat instantly crystallizes.

Sharp edges tear cells and damage fibers. While the product is frozen, it looks whole, but after thawing it will fall apart.

Carcasses without heads and entrails are more often subject to such violations, since cutting takes more time.

Incorrect transportation

Normally, refrigerators are used when transporting frozen fish. These are special cars that are equipped with refrigeration equipment.

However Fish is often transported to small retail outlets in regular cars, in which a cooling system is not provided. This causes the product to begin to thaw, after which it is frozen again.

Temperature fluctuations in combination with mechanical stress lead to disruption of the meat structure. Therefore, it will fall apart after defrosting.

Application of re-freezing

Re-freezing most often occurs at sorting points and in stores where it arrives in large quantities. The carcasses are glued together.

To package them in individual packages, the briquettes have to be partially defrosted. After which the fish is again exposed to cold, which negatively affects the quality of the meat.

If the product is re-frozen at home, this will not have a positive effect on its quality. Therefore, the main rule for storing fish is: if it has been thawed, it must be cooked and eaten.

Illiterate defrosting

If defrosted incorrectly, the fish will separate into fibers. This happens in several cases:

• hot water is used for rapid defrosting;
• the fish is defrosted in a microwave oven at maximum power;
• the product is exposed to high temperature, for example, it is defrosted next to a radiator or a gas burner that is turned on;
• frying, boiling or baking frozen fillets.

You can defrost fish at room temperature, but to do this it should not exceed 20 degrees so that the thawing process occurs as slowly as possible.

What to do with pink salmon meat that has turned into porridge?

If the fillet falls apart after thawing, proceed as follows:

1. Prepare saline solution. It will require a liter of water and a tablespoon of salt. The carcasses are kept in this composition for about 2 hours.

   The salt water will fill the voids that are in the meat, it will become denser and will not fall apart during cooking.

2. Prepare the product in batter. It can be made using flour, eggs and milk, breadcrumbs or semolina.

   After cutting, the pieces are dipped in the resulting mixture and fried in a hot frying pan with well-heated oil. The main thing is to start slicing the fish until it has completely melted.

3. Prepare the minced meat. If the fillet has turned into porridge, you can pass it through a meat grinder, form cutlets, and roll them in breading. In this form, the product is fried or baked.
4. Prepare filling for pies or casseroles. To do this, you will have to cut off the head and tail, remove the bones and fry the pieces of fish in a frying pan. Other ingredients (onions, peppers, herbs) are added to taste. To increase the volume of minced meat, you can use rice.

How to defrost a product correctly so that it is not loose?

So that after thawing the fish fillet becomes loose, comply with the following rules:

1. The product is removed from the freezer 15-24 hours before intended cooking.
2. The fish is transferred to a suitable container with high sides and placed on the refrigerator shelf. It should not come into contact with other food products.
3. If the fish was purchased in original packaging, then there is no need to open it. Unpacked fish is defrosted in a container with a closed lid to prevent the spread of odor.
4. Before cooking, the product is washed under running cool water.

How to choose high-quality frozen products?

When purchasing frozen fish you need to pay attention to the following points:

1. Catch date and expiration date. The longer the fish has been stored, the drier its meat will be, which means the higher the risk of it falling apart after defrosting.
2. The amount of ice is no more than 4%. There should be no snow in the bag. This indicates that the product has been defrosted several times.
3. Quality of scales and skin. They should have a uniform, even color, without spots or yellow frozen mucus.
4. Carcass integrity. It must not be broken.
5. Packaging features. If it is opaque, then it will not be possible to visually assess the quality of the product.
6. Condition of the tail. If it is not there, or it is dry and whitish, there is a risk of purchasing low-quality fish.

Conclusion

Frozen fish should not normally fall apart after thawing. If this happens, it means that the rules for its storage and transportation were violated. This product should not be thrown away, as there are many ways to prepare it.