Rules for defrosting fish. What is the best way to defrost fish to cook it quickly and tasty? Rapid defrosting in cold water

No matter how difficult it may seem, it is possible to quickly defrost fish, and each of us can do it, even a novice cook. True, in order for the planned dish to turn out flawless, it is important to properly defrost the product, preserving all its beneficial properties.

How to quickly defrost fish without a microwave?

Remember that strange crackling sound that occurs when you heat up some food in the microwave? It turns out that as a result of electromagnetic radiation, ionization of molecules occurs, in other words, food atoms gain or lose an electron. This completely changes its structure. In general, the destruction and deformation of food molecules negatively affects both its taste and the person. There is only one conclusion: we defrost fish without using a microwave oven.

The fastest way is defrosting in air. So, take the fish out of the refrigerator, put it in a bowl, and cover with cling film. The latter must be done so that after such defrosting the product does not turn out to be dry. This method is especially recommended for valuable fish and fillets. The only drawback of this method: you cannot defrost it in hot weather, otherwise, due to the fact that the fish will spoil, the whole dinner will be covered with a copper basin.

Is it possible to defrost fish in water?

Of course yes. To do this, place the fish in cold or slightly salted water. For 1 kg of fish there should be 2 liters of water and about 1 teaspoon of salt. This way, the salt will replenish the minerals that are lost during defrosting. As for time, small fish will become soft in 2 hours, large fish in 3-4 hours.

Defrost in the refrigerator

One of the most common methods is defrosting in the refrigerator. The air temperature in it should not exceed 5 degrees above zero. In general, we take the fish out of the freezer and place it on the bottom shelf. The fish will be ready no earlier than in 5 hours. This is an ideal option for those who need the fish to defrost only in the evening: take the fish out of the freezer, go to work, come back and cook a delicious dinner.

If there are no other options, how to defrost in the microwave?

This method is perhaps the fastest, but also unsafe for your health, however, now we will not talk about the dangers of a microwave. So, depending on the microwave power and the size of the fish, it will thaw in 10 or even 40 minutes. We put it on a plate. Select the required defrosting mode and turn it over during the defrosting process.

A huge fat disadvantage of this method: many connoisseurs of fish dishes believe that after such defrosting, the fish develops an unpleasant taste.

Do I need to defrost fish before frying?

Definitely yes, it is necessary. Otherwise, the fish will turn into boiled or something similar. And all this is due to the fact that during heat treatment it will give a large amount of water. This is at best; at worst, the fish may simply fall apart in the pan.

After defrosting, many famous chefs salt, pepper and add onions to the fish. Moreover, they leave it in this form for several hours and end up with a perfectly marinated dish.

How not to defrost fish?

We have already talked about the best and fastest way to defrost fish. It's time for advice on how not to defrost it:

1. Frozen fish does not tolerate warm and hot water, the temperature of which is 35-40 degrees. In this case, it loses muscle juice, mineral salts, and also becomes flabby, stale and, undoubtedly, tasteless.
2. If you do not intend to cook the entire piece at one time, it is better to cut the fish in advance. In addition, it is not necessary to defrost it to a soft state. Moreover, in this form it is more difficult to process and is not so juicy.

You've probably noticed that there is also ice cream on the shelves of grocery stores and food supermarkets. River fish are often sold alive. And immediately after catching, sea fish are processed directly on ships - they are cleaned of scales, gutted and heads removed. Then the finished carcasses are frozen and sent to stores for sale. Thanks to such quick processing, it does not lose its appearance and retains all the beneficial substances. Having bought fillets or whole carcasses, you need to know how to defrost fish before cooking. The taste and quality of ready-made foods largely depends on this.

There are several methods for this important stage of preparatory work before any heat treatment of fish. Under no circumstances should carcasses be placed in warm or hot water to thaw quickly, because they will become loose and the dishes will turn out tasteless. The simplest and most gentle option for preserving the quality and appearance of the product is natural defrosting. To do this, without removing the fish from the packaging, move it from the freezer to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or leave it for several hours at room temperature. After the pieces have softened, open the bag, drain the liquid and begin cooking. The less juice released during defrosting, the better.

What to do if you don’t have time to wait for the product to naturally thaw? Then additional measures need to be taken. Below are some tips on how to defrost fish quickly. Depending on the type of seafood product, size and time available, select the desired option.

How to quickly defrost fishin saline solution

Dissolve table salt in cold water at the rate of one table for every kilogram of fish. spoon and liter of liquid. To defrost small specimens and fillets, it will take from an hour to two, and large carcasses - twice as long.

How to quickly defrost fishin the microwave

The second popular and simple way is to use a microwave oven. It is only suitable for medium-sized pieces that fit inside the device. Select the desired mode and place the fish on the plate. Remember to periodically remove the dishes by opening the door and turn the pieces over to ensure even processing. After the required time has passed, leave the product inside the chamber for another five to ten minutes.

How to quickly defrost fishin a water bath

This method is based on using warm air to thaw the pieces. In a large saucepan with a colander placed over it, boil water. Place the container over very low heat. Then place the smaller dish with the frozen unpacked fish in a colander, through which hot air will flow to the top. Periodically change the bottom pieces with the top ones. When the fish is tender, place it on a paper towel to drain excess moisture. Check to see if the carcass is completely defrosted. To do this, pierce with a fork in several places. If you do not feel the crunch of ice, then you can start cooking.

Despite all the speed of the listed methods, still try not to use additional methods of defrosting food, but plan your work in the kitchen wisely.

After a working day, the housewife takes over the “second shift”: prepares dinner, does laundry, and cleans the apartment. Hungry groans are already heard from the room, and the woman still cannot solve the problem of how to quickly defrost the fish. The meat of aquatic inhabitants is very demanding for proper processing; if you rush and put it under running hot water, the family will get a tasteless, shapeless mess for dinner. If you want a carcass that has been in the refrigerator for a week to acquire the freshness of just caught fish, hurry up slowly.

How to choose a quality product?

The easiest way is not to defrost the carcass, but to buy fresh product or live fish. Unfortunately, this option is not always available, and from the store we often bring a piece that can rival a stone in hardness, or a block of ice in which an incomprehensible frozen creature can be seen. A delicious dish can be prepared only if you defrost the pulp correctly and immediately begin culinary creativity. Perhaps you do everything right, but instead of a delicious fillet in the package you end up with an incomprehensible mess. This happens if the fish has already thawed, and then it was frozen again in the refrigerator.

Do not buy frozen fish from random sellers at the market. The tender meat of aquatic creatures requires that it be handled correctly. It is frozen using special equipment, the process must go very quickly, then the pulp will retain its structure and useful qualities. Fishermen who fish in the nearest body of water store their catch in a household refrigerator, where the temperature regime is completely different.

When buying a large frozen carcass, think about how you are going to cook it. If you have a large family or a serious celebration is planned, there will be no problems, everything will go straight into the frying pan. When you can’t eat that much food in a day, try to buy smaller fish or cut into pieces. When re-frozen in the home refrigerator, the pulp not only loses its beneficial properties, but will also fall apart the next time it is cooked. Breeds with tender meat should be taken especially seriously.

Sellers can put on the counter not fresh-frozen fish, but a carcass that has been thawed an unknown number of times and put back into the freezer. This can happen when freezing equipment breaks down, is incorrect, and sometimes this is done on purpose so that the pulp, lying in water, absorbs it, and the weight of the product increases. You can determine for yourself what is on display.

The following signs indicate that the product is of high quality.

1. A smooth carcass of silver color without damage, dents or stains.
2. The gills are red or pink.
3. Absence of ammonia, rancid fat and other aromas that are not characteristic of fresh fish.
4. A thin layer of ice glaze is allowed, which should be smooth and transparent, without lumps.

To avoid hassle with rapid thawing, think over the menu in advance and defrost the fish in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. Small pieces will take about 6 hours and will be ready to fry while you are at work or sleeping.

The vagaries of frozen fish

Mammalian meat consists of interconnected fibers, so if defrosted improperly, only the taste and beneficial properties can be affected. It takes a lot of effort to make a piece of beef lose its shape and fall apart. The pulp of aquatic inhabitants consists of plates loosely fastened together. Inept handling of the product before cooking leads to the fact that the fillet loses juice, becomes deformed, and turns into a shapeless mass.

When choosing a defrosting method, you must take into account that the highest quality product will be obtained only when the fish thaws very slowly. If you are expecting guests and want to feed them a great dish, take care of this in advance. It is best to place the carcass on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator the day before. The fish will retain its juice, will not absorb excess moisture, and the structure of its meat will not be damaged. If the product requires cutting, start processing before it has time to thaw completely: cleaning and cutting a slightly frozen carcass is much easier.

To prevent your hands from freezing during this work, put on woolen gloves and rubber gloves over them.

Much depends on the breed of fish. The tougher and coarser its meat, the longer it can be stored in the refrigerator and the less it will suffer if it is not defrosted properly. If you don’t want to tire yourself of thoroughly preparing the product before frying, buy cheap pollock; it’s not as bad to spoil it as expensive trout. If you are going to grind the fillet into minced meat for cutlets, the preservation of the structure also does not play a big role.

Methods for defrosting fish

If the appearance and taste of food is not of great importance to you, and you value your time more than the quality of the dish, you may not need to defrost the fish fillet. Place the pieces in a frying pan with heated oil, cover with a lid, since the water will evaporate with strong splashes, and fry until cooked. Only semi-finished products can be prepared in this way; it is permissible to treat unpeeled fish this way only when you want to eat it along with fins, scales and intestines.

When deciding how to defrost fish, choose one of the options:

• in the microwave;
• in cold water;
• in a steamer;
• using a hairdryer.

Each method has its pros and cons and is suitable for a specific situation. When choosing a thawing method, you need to take into account the breed of fish, the size of the piece, and the recipe for further preparation.

You can defrost small breeds or pre-chopped carcasses in the microwave. Place the product in a special container and set the “defrost” program. Don't forget to swap the pieces from time to time, otherwise some slices will be almost hot, while others will still be icy. Not even half an hour will pass before you put the juicy fillet in the frying pan.

When defrosting using the “wet” method, try to ensure that the carcass does not lie directly in the water. If you simply throw it into a pan of liquid, the meat will absorb moisture and become watery. Wrap the fish in a plastic bag, place it in the sink, turn off the drain halfway and open the cold tap. If your apartment has a water meter and you like to save money, fill the sink with cold water, release the liquid from time to time and refill the sink. The process will take about an hour, but you can sprinkle the fish with salt, then it will thaw faster. If even with this method you are afraid that you will pay too much for the water, place the bag of fillets in a saucepan and change the liquid from time to time. It will take less money and more time.

When the weather is hot outside, you can put the fish in a bowl, cover it from flies and leave it in a warm place. In winter you can put it near the battery, but the process will still take almost the whole day. The fact is that air does not conduct heat well; an area of ​​cold atmosphere forms around the carcass. To speed up thawing, it is necessary to create air circulation. You can try using a device that is in every woman’s nightstand - a hair dryer. Set the temperature to medium and blow on the open bag of fish from a distance of about 20 cm. If you direct the air stream correctly, after about half an hour you can start preparing the dish. Some housewives preheat the oven to a low temperature, turn off the heat and place the carcass there to defrost.

Before cooking, put the defrosted fish in milk, after 15 minutes you can start cooking. With this treatment, the taste improves and the flesh becomes tender.

If you want to prepare a steam dish, place the fillet in a steamer or on a special stand in the multicooker, turn on the lowest mode and process the pieces until defrosted, this will take no more than 20 minutes. The fish does not come into contact with water and does not lose its beneficial properties. When the semi-finished product thaws, turn on the necessary program, and very soon you can invite your family to the table.

There is no perfect way to defrost fish correctly, try to master all the methods and apply them in the right situation. If real gourmets come to visit you, do not be lazy to go to a specialized store and buy live fish from an aquarium. A frozen carcass is also suitable for preparing a regular dinner; experienced chefs can prepare thawed hake in such a way that guests will not distinguish it from delicacy breeds. You can only learn through practice, try different methods, and soon the question of how to defrost fish will not be a difficult problem for you.

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Cooks know several options for how to quickly defrost fish, but they use these approaches only in the most extreme cases. It is best to simply leave the workpiece in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours and wait until it thaws completely. Any attempts to speed up the process, even if done correctly, will lead to a change in the texture of the product fibers. This will not only worsen the taste of the finished dish, but will also practically deprive it of useful components.

You should not resort to using the microwave too often in this matter. It will take no more than half an hour to bring the ingredient to the desired state, but even in this case it will not at all resemble its fresh counterpart. Particular attention should be paid to fish fillets, which, ideally, should not be frozen at all.

In order for defrosted fish to meet all expectations and, after heat treatment, to turn into a nutritious and healthy dish, you need to learn how to choose the right food product. In general, it is better to initially buy fresh or chilled ingredients that can be refrigerated for no more than 8-10 hours. If this is not possible, pay attention to the following points:

1. There shouldn't be any ice at all. Only a slight dry crust is allowed. If the item is literally placed in a clear ice capsule, this indicates that it has most likely been defrosted once before being frozen again.
2. Fish fillets cannot be frozen (including dry and quick freezing). Such a product can subsequently only be used for preparing minced meat.
3. You should not buy frozen fish, cut into pieces (of course, if it is not huge salmon or salmon). But no one forbids freezing a product in this way at home, but everything should be done correctly.
4. By the way, small-sized fish, including those that have already been cut into pieces, defrost faster. But you should not try to cut the frozen product to speed up the ice melting process. You should keep it in the refrigerator at least a little before this, otherwise the fibers will become deformed and the dish will not look appetizing.
5. There should be no streaks on the surface of the ice, and several pieces should not stick together. These are all signs of a component freezing failure.

Before defrosting the fish, it is worth inspecting it for dents on the surface of the skin and assessing its smell. A quality product will have red gills and a perfectly smooth surface. There should be no smell; even the presence of a fresh fishy aroma may be a sign that the product has been stored in the refrigerator for too long or not quite correctly.

Features of frozen fish that need to be taken into account

Before purchasing frozen fillets or fish products in any form, you should familiarize yourself with a number of points characteristic of working with such products:

• You need to understand that the structure of the meat will change, no matter how much time it spends in the freezer or special refrigerator. Therefore, you should not buy too expensive frozen fish and you should not freeze it yourself.

Tip: If the fish is one of those rare breeds that do not require removal of bones after heat treatment, it can be slightly bent in different directions during the defrosting process. This will speed up the freezing process of the fibers. It is better not to do this with other types of product, as this can break the bones, parts of which will later end up in the finished dish.

• If after defrosting the fish turns into an unappetizing mess, you don’t have to throw it away. You need to carefully sort through the mass and add it to the minced meat.
• It is strictly forbidden to keep the product in hot or at least warm water to speed up its thawing. Although such techniques will help, they will completely change the texture of the meat and practically deprive it of useful components.
• Some housewives believe that fillets and small fish carcasses can be defrosted naturally at room temperature. Some even place a bowl of food near the stove or radiator. In fact, the fish forms a cloud of cold air around itself, so the heat does not affect it and it will not be possible to achieve the desired result faster.
• You should not defrost the fish until it is soft; it must remain firm and elastic, otherwise the meat will disintegrate into fibers during cooking.

After you have managed to defrost the fish, you need to evaluate its quality. If, after removing the ice, an unpleasant odor begins to emanate from the fish or the color of the meat has changed, it is better to throw away the product, as it can cause poisoning. But if the product falls apart into separate pieces or looks like a heterogeneous mass, the recipe will have to be changed by preparing minced meat from this composition.

Correct ways to defrost food

If time is running out, you can try to defrost the fish in one of the following ways:

• Use of salt. It’s not for nothing that this component is sprinkled on sidewalks and roads; it is really effective in combating ice. Just sprinkle the product with table salt, preferably fine salt, and wait until the ice comes off it. True, this approach will only defrost the upper layers of the fish, after which you will have to wait until it thaws inside.
• Microwave. A fairly effective approach that allows you to defrost fish in about 20-30 minutes. The product should be rinsed in cold water, dried with paper towels, placed in the oven and started at minimum power. The fish must be turned over every 3-5 minutes so that it defrosts evenly. True, this approach will not work for processing large fish.
• In a refrigerator. We also wash the fish under cold water, wrap it in a cloth soaked in salt water, place it in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator. From time to time, the fabric needs to be rinsed and moistened again in the salty composition.
• In water. If you don’t mind the water, you can let it flow and keep the fish under it until it defrosts. You shouldn’t do this with fillets; the product will be seriously damaged. In this case, it is better to soak the component in cold water, after wrapping it in 2-3 bags. The fluid should be changed regularly, but do not increase its temperature.

All selected options speed up the process of defrosting fish without having a negative impact on the product. But this does not mean that they can be used every time. These are only emergency methods that should be used in isolated cases.

Radical options and their features

Before using the methods below, you need to consider that they can spoil the product or change its taste characteristics.

• In a steamer. Simply place the workpiece in a tray with holes and start the device. The duration of the manipulation is determined by eye. After the steam begins to flow very actively, remove the lid from time to time so that it does not accumulate and cook the fish.

Tip: Thawed raba will be much more tender and pleasant to the taste if you keep it in fresh milk for a quarter of an hour before boiling, stewing or frying. The same technique will help make minced fish more juicy.

• Using a hairdryer.
• Most often, this technique is used to defrost large fish with dense scales. It is important to remember one thing: the product is affected not by hot, but by cold air. Otherwise, the fillet will turn into dry paper. Before the procedure, it is recommended to keep the product in the refrigerator for at least a few minutes, this will preserve its taste.

In a steam bath.

In this case, place the fish in a colander, which is placed over boiling water in a pan. It should be turned over from time to time so that the meat does not cook.

The success of the event depends on the observance of the nuances and attentiveness of the hostess. But, in any case, the taste of the finished dish will not be as pleasant and rich as usual.

How long can defrosted fish be stored?

Experts never cease to remind thrifty housewives that defrosted fish should not be stored at all. She is immediately allowed to prepare dishes. As a last resort, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours, in a hermetically sealed bowl or piece of damp cloth. The fillet cannot be subjected to even such tests; it is immediately fried, baked or boiled. Re-freezing of such products is strictly prohibited. Not only will such experiments completely ruin the product, they can also lead to poisoning.