Freezing mac

[paul skelly]

Just looking for people's tips on freezing mac ?
I put about 60 in the drop freezer last year each one rapped in tin foil only an hour after be takin from the water,but when I went to use them they weren't that fresh at all any tips wound be great , do any of u vac pack your own mac ?

[donal domeney]

Remove the guts and wrap them one at a time in cling film. Try not to pack them too tight together as the inner ones will take longer to freeze.

[fishing mad]

You need to leave space between them so they can freeze down put them on trays and leave space between the trays make spacer out of blocks of wood,Don't put to many down at once

[paul skelly]

Cheers lads all I need is some macs now

[The Austrian]

Air is your enemy. Any air that touches your fish will destroy it. It's that simple.
So you must prevent air from contacting the fish by vacuum-sealing it, glazing it or wrapping it tightly - this is in order of preference.
If you catch a lot of fish, buy a vacuum sealer. They're worth every cent.
If you choose not to do so, you can glaze the fish by dipping them in cold water and putting them on a sheet pan in the freezer. Let that water freeze, then repeat the process several more times to get a 1/4 inch thick ice glaze on the fish.
You can then put your glazed fish into a plastic bag for storage.
You can wrap your fish in clingfilm, then put them into a plastic bag, but I don't really recommend this for more than a few days.
It just is not as effective at preventing moisture loss and freezer burn as the other methods.

[donal domeney]

You need to leave space between them so they can freeze down put them on trays and leave space between the trays make spacer out of blocks of wood,Don't put to many down at once

It also helps if the trays are in the freezer for a day or two as it will help to freeze them faster

[Al]

I gut the mac and then wrap them individually in newspaper, works for me and keeps the mac tough when they defrost

[JOHN1]

a little few every so often, if space is a premium whip the fillets off and wrap in cling film in 1's or 2's they will also freeze much quicker

[Eoin]

get them on ice asap (i bring a freezer bag and a few ice packs) i also like to gut, head and tail them after catching that way the crabs etc can recycle them. when you get them home vac seal is the best. they keep a lot longer that way. if you dont have one your local butcher might but be sure to give them custom or a tip.