How To Quickly Defrost Fish And Do It Right At Home, Including Without A Microwave + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Pitfalls in defrosting fish

Fish is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals necessary for human health. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to buy fresh fish and you have to be content with frozen food. Housewives often stock up and store it in the freezer, and when it comes to cooking, the question arises of how to quickly and correctly defrost fish.

Content

• 1 Choosing a quality frozen product

• 2 Factors influencing the choice of defrosting method

  • 2.1 Choosing a defrosting method depending on the conditions and type of freezing, type and size of fish - table
  • 2.2 How it is recommended to thaw salted and smoked fish at home
  • 2.3 Freezing temperature
  • 2.4 What method to use for defrosting pollock and other fish preparations for babies

• 3 Ways to defrost fish

  • 3.1 Ways to properly defrost fish - video
  • 3.2 Defrosting in the refrigerator

  • 3.3 How to defrost fish in the microwave

    3.3.1 Video: how to defrost fish in the microwave

  • 3.4 Defrosting in the oven
  • 3.5 Steam defrosting
  • 3.6 Defrosting with a hair dryer

  • 3.7 How to quickly defrost fish

    • 3.7.1 Thawing in a solution of salt of mackerel and other fatty species
    • 3.7.2 Rapid defrosting in cold water
  • 3.8 How you can defrost fish in the air
  • 3.9 Combined method
• 4 How much thawed fish is stored in the refrigerator

Choosing a quality frozen product

When purchasing industrial frozen fish, choose a quality product. Shock-frozen fish by dry or wet method retains its properties when thawed and loses a minimum percentage of its mass. You can recognize which product is of high quality by the signs:

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

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

1. Do not buy fish for future use to avoid repeated defrosting cycle. It is preferable to choose medium-sized fish or fillets.
2. Before buying, evaluate the quality of the fish as much as possible. There should be no pieces of fish or ice crystals inside the package, but thin ice glaze is allowed.

Factors influencing the choice of defrosting method

Without preliminary defrosting, the result is unexpected: the fish may dry out, remain raw inside or even turn into mush. But it is allowed not to defrost mackerel, horse mackerel, small fish (navaga, capelin), semi-finished products. So they are easier to clean and gut, and the finished dish will delight you with taste. Proper thawing of a product is half the battle in preparing a dish. True, you have to wait from 8 hours to a day. The following factors affect the defrosting speed:

• the size and type of fish;
• cutting method (gutted, fillet, briquette, steak);
• duration and conditions of freezing (individually or in a block, briquette);
• type of freezing - raw or boiled (blanks for babies);
• freezing temperature.

Choosing a defrosting method depending on the conditions and type of freezing, type and size of fish - table

Defrosting method	kind of fish	fish size	conditions and type of freezing
in cold water	hake, pollock	medium (from 200 g to 1.5 kg), small (up to 200 g)	carcass
on air	sturgeon, sea bass, notothenia, catfish, silver carp, hake, pollock	large (over 1.5 kg)	blocks, fillets, briquettes, gutted fish, steaks, minced meat
in a refrigerator	all kinds	any	carcass, blocks, fillets, briquettes, gutted fish, steaks, minced meat
in salt water	salmon, carp, pike, walleye, trout, pollock	any	salty
combined	mackerel, horse mackerel	any	smoked

How to thaw salted and smoked fish at home

There are also subtleties in defrosting smoked and salted fish. Defrost smoked fish in stages:

1. Place the fish in the refrigerator for 5 hours.
2. Remove and leave at room temperature until thawed.

Freezing temperature

It is not possible to find out the freezing temperature of purchased fish, but in the case of home freezing, everything is much more obvious: for a quick-frozen product, thawing in a microwave oven is preferable, and for frozen in a household freezer - cold water. In any case, the method of natural thawing in the refrigerator is universal.

Please note that fish that have been frozen with a significant delay and repeatedly thawed products should not be eaten due to the risk of poisoning. The bad quality of the fish will be indicated by an unpleasant odor during defrosting.

What way to use for defrosting pollock and other fish preparations for babies

The best way to defrost pollock and other lean sea fish used as complementary foods for babies is to thaw naturally in the refrigerator. Whole carcasses can be put in cold salted water. To preserve the nutrients, flavor and structure of the fish, it is not recommended to defrost fillets in water, especially warm or hot water.

It is recommended to defrost fish for babies on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator

How to defrost fish

There are several ways to thaw fish at home:

• in a refrigerator;
• in the oven or microwave;
• for a couple;
• in cold water or salt solution;
• on air;
• hair dryer;
• combined method.

There are pros and cons to defrosting methods.

Ways to properly defrost fish - video

Defrosting in the refrigerator

The best way to defrost both carcasses and fillets is the lower shelf of the refrigerator with a temperature of +5. This ensures slow thawing without affecting product quality. The only negative is that the process takes up to 9 hours.

Defrost as follows:

1. Make punctures on the packaging with fish (or wrap unpackaged carcasses with cling film), put in a container with thin walls.
2. Place the fish bowl in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
3. Leave fish in refrigerator overnight or 6-9 hours.
4. After thawing, remove the packaging, drain the liquid and wipe the fish with a paper towel.

How to defrost fish in the microwave

Under the influence of waves, slow thawing occurs without harm to the product. This method is not suitable for large fish, as it will not fit in the microwave. Or you will have to pre-cut it into pieces, and divide the briquette into parts. The disadvantage is that you need to constantly monitor the degree of defrosting so that the fish does not soften. Defrost like this:

1. Press the button "Defrost fish", enter the weight of the frozen product. Defrosting time will vary from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the weight.

2. Place the fish in a microwave-safe dish or on a flat dish without a gold border.

   

   Defrost fish in the microwave using special utensils

3. Turn on the microwave.
4. Turn fish every 5 minutes to avoid browning and loss of flavor. Drain the dish if necessary.
5. After 15-30 minutes, remove the fish.

The fish will defrost in the microwave in 15 - 30 minutes

Video: how to defrost fish in the microwave

Defrosting in the oven

Modern ovens have a built-in defrost or convection function. The principle of the method is based on air circulation at 0 ° C. Convection mode ensures uniform thawing of the product without loss of quality and appearance.

If the oven does not have such a function, defrost the fish like this:

1. Preheat oven to 30 ° C and turn off heat.

2. Remove fish from packaging.

   

   Remove fish from packaging before defrosting in the oven

3. Place the fish on a baking sheet or other ovenproof dish and place in a preheated oven.
4. Leave the fish in the oven for 10-15 minutes. During this time, it will defrost by convection.
5. After the time has passed, remove the fish.

The fish will defrost in the oven in 10-15 minutes

Steam defrosting

When defrosting in a double boiler or multicooker, the fish does not come into contact with water, which allows you to preserve the mass, structure and nutrients of the fish. Nevertheless, a significant disadvantage of the steaming method is that the taste of the finished dish is not fully saturated. Defrost the product in this way only if the subsequent heat treatment will be carried out in a double boiler or multicooker. It will take about 20 minutes to thaw.

Steam defrosting procedure:

1. Place the fish in a double boiler or on a special grid in a multicooker.
2. Switch on the minimum mode of the device.
3. Turn the fish several times during thawing.
4. When the piece is thawed, you can turn on the cooking mode.

After a quick thawing in a double boiler, you can continue to cook the fish.

Defrosting with a hair dryer

If you cannot use other methods of defrosting, you can try a non-standard: hair dryer. A hair dryer will help defrost large fish with dense scales. Thawing time for a medium carcass is 30-40 minutes.

Defrost like this:

1. Refrigerate for 10-20 minutes before defrosting to preserve the fishy flavor.
2. Set the operating mode to "cold air" on the hairdryer.
3. Place the fish in a loosely closed bag in a glass container.
4. Blow with a hair dryer at a distance of 25–30 cm, smoothly directing the air flow along the carcass. The exposure time is 30–40 minutes.
5. Rinse the thawed fish with cool water and start cooking immediately.

You can defrost fish in 30-40 minutes with a hairdryer and start cooking immediately

How to quickly defrost fish

Microwave, steamer, oven, hair dryer - these are appliances that help housewives in emergency cases to speed up defrosting. But it is not recommended to often use quick defrosting with devices, as the fish loses useful substances.

The fish can be thawed quickly and easily without using electrical appliances.

Defrosting in a solution of salt of mackerel and other fatty species

A salt solution will quickly and without loss of quality defrost the fish, provided it is prepared correctly: for 1 kg of fish, use 2 liters of water and 2 tbsp. l. salt. Salt speeds up the thawing process and makes fish juicy, but not all fish species have the same effect. This method is more suitable for marine, oily fish. There is also a disadvantage: during thawing, the mass of fish is lost.

The thawing process for small steaks and fillets lasts up to two hours, and for large and medium-sized fish - up to four hours at room temperature and up to six hours in the refrigerator. The procedure is as follows:

1. Prepare a salt solution: for 1 kg of fish - 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 liters of warm water. Pour it into a deep container with a lid.

   

   Prepare a salty solution correctly: for 1 kg of fish, 2 liters of water and 2 tbsp. l. salt

2. Remove the packaging from the fish and place the carcasses in saline solution. Do not close the lid tightly.

3. Leave at room temperature or refrigerate for 2–3 hours.

   

   Submerge the unpackaged fish in salt water and leave for 2 - 3 hours

4. After defrosting, rinse with cool water and start cooking fish immediately.

   

   After defrosting, rinse the fish with water

Fast defrosting in cold water

Cold water is one of the quickest and safest ways to defrost. In cold water, the product does not lose its properties, but in warm or hot water, it will soften and the dish will turn out to be tasteless.

Operating procedure:

1. Prepare 4-5 plastic bags, place the fish in them and tie.
2. Fill a large container or sink with cold water and dip the fish into it.
3. Leave fish in water or under running stream until soft. Change the water periodically.
4. After defrosting, drain the water and remove the packaging.

As a rule, an hour and a half is enough for a carcass weighing up to two kilograms, for larger fish - about three hours.

Thaw fish in water until it becomes soft

How to defrost fish in the air

The method of defrosting fish in air allows partially preserving nutrients in the fish. The process lasts up to 10 hours at a temperature not exceeding 20 ° C. But technologists do not welcome this method of defrosting due to the rapid growth of bacteria in the product, especially in the heat. The disadvantages of this method include the fact that the fish is dried, so such thawing is acceptable only for lean (lean) fish species.

To defrost fish in air:

1. Place the fish without packaging in a large bowl, cover with cling film so that the product does not dry out.
2. Leave at room temperature for 8-10 hours, depending on the size of the carcass.
3. Cook defrosted fish immediately.

To prevent the fish from weathering during defrosting in the air, cover it with a film

Combined method

Combined defrosting - gradual thawing, in which the taste and useful properties of fish are practically not lost. This method is mainly used to defrost ocean fish and takes 2-3 hours.

Defrosting procedure:

1. Salt solution: Place fish in cold salt water for 30 minutes.
2. Air: leave fish in the open air until completely thawed.
3. Use thawed fish immediately for cooking.

How much thawed fish is stored in the refrigerator

Experts insist that after defrosting, you should immediately begin to heat the fish. In extreme cases, storage in the refrigerator is allowed for no more than two hours. For this, the fish must be wrapped in a damp cloth or placed in a bowl with a lid. However, fillets cannot be stored even as they are. And do not re-freeze the product, as the next cycle of defrosting will make it unhealthy.

Before defrosting the food, choose the appropriate method, taking into account the size and type of fish, freezing conditions, cutting method. It is better to give preference to the universal and correct method - thawing in the refrigerator. If time is limited, defrost the food using a microwave, double boiler, or oven. Or, use simple techniques that don't require electrical appliances. Follow the recommendations for defrosting, then the result will delight you with a juicy fish dish.