What should I do with this whole frozen fish?
I recently caught my first Steelhead (large rainbow trout) and I'm not sure I was ready for such a large fish. It's 32" long and has a 15" girth. I'm assuming it's close to 12 pounds. I immediately put it on ice and gutted it when I got home. I wasn't sure what to do from there so I wraped it up and put it in my freezer. If I could do it all over again, I would have cleaned and fileted the fish, then freeze it. What should I do now? Can I thaw it then filet it? If I do that I can't freeze them again. Should I just invite 10 of my friends over and cook it all at once? What do you think?
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6 Comments:
You don't have to thaw it much to be able to whack it into more reasonable pieces. And as long as the ice crystals remain, it's not thawed so much that refreezing with do much damage. I'd probably whack it into 3 or 4 pieces lengthwise, and then maybe cut some of those down the backbone. I'd leave maybe one or two pieces together in case you want to stuff if with bones intact. Then, when you want to use it, you can take out portions and filet those. Or cook on the bone. Or whatever.
Yeah, it would have been better to cut it up right away, but on the other hand, this keeps it fresher than if you had stuck it in the fridge and then thought about it for two days.
Nice catch, by the way.
dbcurrie at 12:21AM on 03/01/09
I say defrost it now. Gut it. Lightly batter it and fry it. Serve it with spicy sauce. and rice. yum.
unarata at 3:05AM on 03/01/09
well, i would invite a bunch of friends over -- that's a huge fish. i'm sure it's going to be absolutely delicious. if there are any leftovers, make salmon cakes out of it.
wow, ditto, nice catch.
pooch at 10:30AM on 03/01/09
How about eating some now (simple roasting to appreciate the true flavor) and smoking the rest? That would preserve the rest of the fish for enjoyment later.
thegoch at 12:48PM on 03/01/09
I'm giggling a little at the idea of a 32" long fish in a frying pan on my stove.
If the weather is decent where you live, maybe a barbecue is on the menu. Although I originally suggested whacking it into pieces, presenting a whole fish of that size would be kind of cool. I hope your grill is big enough!
dbcurrie at 5:02PM on 03/01/09
LOL dbcurrie!! I thought the same thing. I liked the idea of wacking it up into managable peices. Either way I look at it, I think I'm going to have a bunch of friends over for a feast! How long do you think it would take to thaw this beast in the frige?
Smokey at 7:02PM on 03/02/09