Hello

A friend got me 5 fish, haddock and cod, after a good day fishing. The fish came in a cooler with water and ice.

I gutted and grilled one (awsome!), but I made a mistake with the others. This was the first time I got whole fish, I put the others in big plastic bags, three layers of plastic, and put them in the freezer.

Now I've been reading that I should never freeze fish ungutted. Some say the stomach juices will make it bad, the blood will get into the flesh, etc. It's been about 5 days.

Have I ruined all of the other fish? Anything I can do to save them, or should I wait for the next garbage collection and throw them away?

Thanks

Just thaw them and fillet them, trim away any discolored flesh in the stomach/rib cage area and cook as normal. Both those fish are white fleshed and very mild flavored.

They should be just fine.

Great to know that. Thanks!

Chum for catching sharks ?

Throw it away or as Dan Gleason suggested, use it for chum. But never eat fish without the intestines removed before freezing. The intestines are the first part of a fish to begin composing due to the organic matter in them. Bacteria will begin to grow and the normal freezing process will not kill the bacteria.

No one ever claimed that the bactera in the fishes gut would be killed by freezing just that the freezing will render the bacteria incapable of multiplying in the gut while frozen.

As long as the fish was handled correctly before freezing. (kept on ice or alive) There will be no ill effects from consuming the parts of the fish not in contact with the gut.

Not even a hystamine reaction would be likely as long as the fish was handled properly before freezing.

Fish being frozen whole fresh on long range trips offshore in brine freezers is and continues to be the best way of preserving fish until further processing. If you eat store bought salt water fish it was likely handled this way.

So bunk to the fish being ruined. Far from it.

You eat it, I'll pass.

I have heard friends say they prefer to freeze the fish then thaw and gut and cook... they say it makes it taste fresher. to me i wouldnt chance it... i fish enough that i would fill my freezer to quick to worry about fish that havent been gutted first. not worth the risk to me. each his own i guess...

Just gut them and get all the messy work outta the way so you can enjoy your fish when you take them out and cook them later. Lazy fishermen freeze their ungutted fish. Don't be lazy

Rip