How to Freeze Seafood

Courtesy of Cathy Pedtke, Eating with the Ecosystem

Cathy is our board vice president and she is also a chef and recipe developer! We asked her for some help with producing a few how to guides for the home seafood cook.

It’s always great to be able to get fresh, locally caught seafood while it’s in season, but with the very short shelf life of fresh seafood, it’s not always practical. Most frozen seafood options you find at the grocery store aren’t locally caught, so we suggest buying extra local seafood when you can and freezing some for later! We’ve laid out what species to look for and how to Individually Quick Freeze (or IQF, as restaurants and suppliers refer to it) seafood at home for the best freshness and flavor preservation. 

Best seafood to freeze raw:

  • Fatty fish like mackerel, tuna, salmon, and swordfish

  • Large fillets like halibut, monkfish, cod, pollock, and haddock 

  • Scallops, lobster, shucked clams, or squid.

Seafood to freeze pre-cooked:

  • Crab meat (pre-picked)

  • Lobster (pre-picked or in shell)

  • Smoked fish

Individually quick freezing:

For most seafood, it’s easiest to freeze individual portions so you can defrost the right amount later. You can do this by wrapping or packaging each individual portion separately before freezing (if you have a vacuum sealer this works really well), or you can use the IQF method to freeze seafood portions before packaging them.

You will need: Parchment paper (or waxed paper), a tray that fits in your freezer, and some fish!

You will need: Parchment paper (or waxed paper), a tray that fits in your freezer, and some fish!

Unwrap your seafood and place on some paper towels.

Unwrap your seafood and place on some paper towels.

Cover your tray in parchment and lay out your seafood so that the portions are not touching.

Cover your tray in parchment and lay out your seafood so that the portions are not touching.

Pat dry with more paper towels so that no excess moisture is visible.

Pat dry with more paper towels so that no excess moisture is visible.

Place uncovered in the freezer for 20 minutes to 1 hour. You want the seafood to be frozen solid on the outside, although it doesn’t have to be completely frozen all the way through.

Place uncovered in the freezer for 20 minutes to 1 hour. You want the seafood to be frozen solid on the outside, although it doesn’t have to be completely frozen all the way through.

Peel your seafood off the parchment paper and place in a ziplock freezer bag, then squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing.

Peel your seafood off the parchment paper and place in a ziplock freezer bag, then squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing.

Don’t forget to label and date the bag! Frozen seafood should be consumed within 2 months for best quality, but can be kept safely for 4 to 6 months. It may lose some flavor and texture the longer you keep it, so use as soon as possible! 

Don’t forget to label and date the bag! Frozen seafood should be consumed within 2 months for best quality, but can be kept safely for 4 to 6 months. It may lose some flavor and texture the longer you keep it, so use as soon as possible!