To stay fresh as long as possible: shelf life of semi-finished fish products

The use of semi-finished fish products can significantly facilitate the cooking process.

Less time will be spent, and the final dish is not inferior in taste and nutritional characteristics to that prepared from whole fish.

To get the maximum benefit from the product, it is necessary to store it correctly. Read the article about the shelf life of semi-finished fish products and what conditions must be observed.

Conditions

To ensure that semi-finished fish products remain fresh for as long as possible, follow the following recommendations:

1. There should be no blood clots, organ remains, or dark film on the inner surface of semi-finished products, since it is in uneviscerated fish that the most bacteria are present.
2. The skin must be cleared of scales, the fins must be cut off, and their bony parts removed.
3. After processing, semi-finished products are cooled for about 3 hours at a temperature of 0...+4 degrees. To do this, they can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In this form, large portioned pieces remain suitable for consumption throughout the day.
4. The formed cutlets are placed on a baking sheet in a layer of 5 mm. They must be cooked or frozen within 12 hours. Cover the baking sheet with cling film, in which several holes are made with a toothpick. This will avoid condensation accumulation.
5. In the freezer, semi-finished products must be individually packaged. To do this, use vacuum and regular bags, or containers with an airtight lid.
6. Before placing food in the freezer, cool it for 2-3 hours on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
7. In the freezer, semi-finished products remain edible for 1 to 3 months, depending on the type of product.
8. Long-term storage of refrigerated products in plastic wrap is not recommended. Condensation quickly forms in it, so it is better to replace the bag with parchment.

Period

The total shelf life of any chilled semi-finished fish products, including the time of their delivery to the end consumer, is 24 hours. At the same time, they should be kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0...+4 degrees.

Time frame storage for different types of semi-finished products:

• at room temperature, any semi-finished products can be stored for no longer than 2 hours, provided they are in a cool room;
• minced fish or small portioned pieces are stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 6-8 hours;
• in the freezer, cutlets and minced meat remain edible for about 3 months;
• fish dumplings cannot be stored for longer than 30 days in the freezer;
• cut fish fillets can last in the refrigerator for 24 hours; if you place it in the freezer, the shelf life will increase to 3-4 months.

How are culinary products stored?

Conditions storage of culinary fish products:

1. Before placing food in the refrigerator, it must be allowed to cool after heat treatment.
2. Ready dishes are transferred to a container or wrapped in parchment. The product must be isolated from other dishes.
3. The chilled products are placed in suitable containers, which can be wrapped in cling film, making several holes in it.
4. If you decide to freeze them, you can place the products in sealed bags.

Please note that after freezing, the taste of finished culinary products slightly deteriorates. Therefore, you need to eat them as early as possible.

Time frame

The shelf life of culinary fish products depends on whether they have been heat-treated or not. Storage conditions matter: in heating mode, in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

Without heat treatment

If the culinary products have not undergone heat treatment, then the shelf life in the refrigerator will be as follows:

• whole carcasses – no more than 2 days;
• fillet – 24 hours;
• cut and sliced ​​fish – 4 hours;
• minced fish and products made from it – no longer than 24 hours.

It is not recommended to store fish culinary products in the freezer without heat treatment. The exception is dumplings and cutlets, which remain edible for no longer than 30 days.

With heat treatment

The shelf life of culinary fish products that have undergone heat treatment is the following:

1. For boiled or poached products at a temperature of 60-65 degrees, the shelf life is no more than 30 minutes.
2. For fried semi-finished products in the heating mode - about 2 hours.
3. Products that are steamed and not removed from the steamer are stored for 40 minutes.
4. Baked semi-finished products cannot be stored in the heating mode.
5. In the refrigerator, boiled, fried and baked fish remain edible for 36 hours, minced fish dishes for 24 hours, and salads with semi-finished fish products for no more than 12 hours.
6. The shelf life of ready-made semi-finished fish products in the freezer is about 30 days.

Conclusion

Semi-finished fish products allow you to save time on cutting and preparing dishes. To maintain the freshness of products, they should be stored refrigerated, with mandatory insulation in the form of a bag, parchment or film.