If you clean and/or fillet them, keep them on ice, and keep the water drained...it is like putting them in a refrigerator. That being said, I have kept fish fillets in the fridge for a week in a tupperware container with ice applied and water drained daily. Prefer it this way instead of freezing it. I haven't tested it beyond a week but don't see why it wouldn't go longer given it's just on the verge of being frozen...temperature is the key.

 

I have done trout, flounder, and redfish as aforementioned. For the redfish on the halfshell...skin left on...I place the meat sides together. I believe if you remove the skin and scales, it would last longer in the condition as described.

 

4 days

if fish are more than 4 days old cleaned or not, that's my limit. :texasflag

 

IMO, a week is as far as I would go, and that is assuming you adhere to bwaurdian's technique. Thing is, the week is how long until I'd eat them. Taking them home at the end of the week and then freezing or waiting another few days to eat them would not be something I would do unless I was starving.

 

I do about a week on ice/fridge. I usually make a saltwater brine in the cooler. If frozen in a vacuum sealed bag possibly a year.

 

I believe the stores are allowed to keep "fresh" fish on ice for 10 days. I suppose they are safe to eat but to me, those fillets in the stores look very unappealing. I prefer to eat or freeze by the third day, although I have waited as long as 5 days.

 

Gut and gill the fish but leave them whole. Wipe them dry inside and out and put in a plastic bag sealed up with as much of air squeezed out as possible. Cover the bags of fish in ice and keep the excess water drained out of the ice chest. Will easily keep fresh for 5 days. If you need more room, fillet but leave the skin on and put the fillets flesh side together and do the same as above. Make sure the fish/fillets are dry when you bag them and stay dry. For the fillets, a light sprinkle of salt on the flesh side will balance the pH of the fillet and preserve flavor.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Arctic-King-5-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer/909235941

Or bring one of these along with you.

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If you soak the fish fillets in a salt brine (1/4 cup kosher salt to 1 qt water) for about 20 minutes then vacuum seal them they'll keep for at least a week. Keep the air off of them is key. The salt brine helps preserve the texture. FYI you'll need a bag with one of those absorbing strips in it to help absorb the water so the bag will seal properly. You can put paper towels in the bag but doesn't work nearly as well.

 

If the place doesn't have a fridge or freezer, I'd be real cautious about how many I had in possession if the game warden wanders by...

If I open a cooler to reveal a week's worth of fish, am I in possession of more than the limit? It's one thing to have a bunch in my fridge at home, but in a fish camp, or in a cooler on the road to home?

 

If I open a cooler to reveal a week's worth of fish, am I in possession of more than the limit?

Yes you would be in most cases. There are some exceptions but primarily you are allowed to possess twice the daily bag limit prior to returning to your residence for both game and non-game fish in Texas.

 

If you are on the water, make sure you gut them every day. I found out the hard way having fillets at a cabin on the water is not allowed if it is not the final destination.


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Good point about the limits in the cooler. Had not thought about that.

 

If you gut them when you catch them you good for a week.


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Dirty little secret from a brief stint in the wholesale seafood business. "Fresh" fish at the store may have been on ice for over a month from the time it's caught until it's too nasty to sell.

All that "fresh" means is that it's never been frozen. Some boats are out for weeks at a time, then there's the trip from the dock to the store, sometimes with several interim stops along the way. That's why you should always look at the eyes and the gills- unless you're buying fillets. Then, it's the sniff test.

Personally, I buy frozen at the store- unless it's a seaside fish market. A fish that's quick frozen on the boat will almost always cook up better than one that's been sitting on ice for weeks and weeks.

 

right

Dirty little secret from a brief stint in the wholesale seafood business. "Fresh" fish at the store may have been on ice for over a month from the time it's caught until it's too nasty to sell.

All that "fresh" means is that it's never been frozen. Some boats are out for weeks at a time, then there's the trip from the dock to the store, sometimes with several interim stops along the way. That's why you should always look at the eyes and the gills- unless you're buying fillets. Then, it's the sniff test.

Personally, I buy frozen at the store- unless it's a seaside fish market. A fish that's quick frozen on the boat will almost always cook up better than one that's been sitting on ice for weeks and weeks.

when you buy fish, you never know what it is, and/or how old it is. It's like a Vegas craps shoot. Shrimp are a little easier to tell if fresh or not. :rotfl::texasflag