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A fresh salmon fillet with dill and parsley next to a vacuum bag

Guides · Fishing

From Catch to Freezer: How to Vacuum Seal Fish

What to do on the boat, at the cleaning table and at the sealer, so your catch tastes as good in winter as on the day you caught it.

GuidesBy LAVA AustraliaUpdated 6 min read

The short answer

  • Quality is decided on the water: bleed the fish and get it on ice straight away.
  • At home: clean, pat completely dry, portion, and freeze wet fillets for an hour before sealing.
  • Pad spines and fins so they don't pierce the bag, and freeze the packs flat.
  • Thaw in the fridge with the bag cut open, not sealed.

On the water

1 · Bleed

A quick cut through the gills lets the blood drain while the heart still beats. Bled fish have whiter, milder flesh and keep better.

2 · On ice, out of the sun

Straight into an esky with ice, or better an ice slurry with a little seawater, which chills faster because it touches the whole fish. Keep the esky shaded and drained.

At the cleaning table

3 · Clean

Gut and scale or fillet the fish, take out the bloodline along the spine, and rinse off any blood and slime.

4 · Dry, really dry

Pat every piece with paper towel. Water in the bag ends up in the seal area and gets drawn towards the pump; dry fish seals cleanly.

5 · Portion

One bag per meal: thawed fish shouldn't go back into the freezer. Small fish can be sealed whole; larger ones as fillets or steaks.

Salmon fillets with lemon, chilli, herbs and onion vacuum sealed in a bag
Sealed portions, ready for the freezer or the sous vide bath. Photo: LAVA.

At the sealer

6 · Seal

Very wet fillets, prawns and mussels go into the freezer on a tray for about an hour first: firm on the outside, they seal without liquid reaching the seal. Cover spines, fins and sharp bones with a piece of bone protection, and use strong 160-micron bags or rolls for whole fish. Lay fillets flat in one layer.

Helps: Bone Protection Material · ES-Vac rolls, 160 microns

7 · Freeze flat

Flat packs freeze fast and stack neatly. Write the species, the date and, if you like, where you caught it on each pack.

Thaw with the bag open. Some bacteria found in fish grow without oxygen, even in the fridge. The US Food and Drug Administration advises taking vacuum-packed fish out of its pack, or cutting the bag open, before thawing it in the fridge. Cook it soon after.

How long it keeps

ItemNot sealedVacuum sealed
Whole fish, fridge (−2 to +5 °C)1–3 days4–5 days
Fish, freezer (−18 °C)about 6 months2–3 years

LAVA's guide values for best quality. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tailor tastes best eaten sooner.

LAVA AustraliaOfficial LAVA distributor and vacuum-packaging specialists since 2018.

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For your catch

Common questions

Should I vacuum seal fish whole or as fillets?

Small fish seal well whole once gutted and dry, with the fins padded. Larger fish take less freezer space and thaw faster as fillets or steaks.

How do I stop liquid getting into the sealer?

Pat the fish dry and freeze wet pieces on a tray for about an hour before sealing. A LiquidStop strip in the bag catches the rest.

Can I vacuum seal fish on the boat?

You can, but there's no need: bleeding and ice do more for quality on the day. Seal at home once the fish is cleaned and dry.

Why thaw vacuum-sealed fish with the bag open?

Because some bacteria that can be in fish grow without oxygen at fridge temperatures. Opening the bag before thawing removes that low-oxygen setting.

Can I cook fish straight from the vacuum bag?

Yes, sous vide: salmon fillets 2–3cm thick take 15 minutes at 55 °C (LAVA's figure). More in our sous vide times guide.

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