How long can you keep fresh fillets in the fridge?
 

What's everybody use for a rule keeping freah fillets in the fridge?

I'm reading only to keep them around for about 2 days?

I cleaned a small pike and a really nice rainbow late Friday night and they will be a nice Sunday supper.

Fresh fish caught yourself and put on ice right away etc will last up to probably 5+ days. Fresh is definitely better so first 2-3 days if not the evening of is still my recommendation though.

I agree nothing beats having them right at the end of a day of fishing. Or fish fry for Breakfast the next morning!

Fresher the better. Also depends on how they were treated after they were killed, for example if they were put on ice immediately. 2-3 days optimal, after that there will be deterioration.

Fresher the better, I've kept them in the fridge up to a week and never had them go bad.

I noticed if they are rinsed with nice clean water then patted dry they last longer. we have a cabin and if I use the cabin tap water to rinse they get kinda stinky, and that doesn’t happen at all if I use the bottle water that we drink at the cabin to final rinse the fish.

A pinch of coarse salt in the water the fillets are in doesn't affect the taste and really firms the fillets up nice. Change water often. 5 days max but wouldn't be suprised if they don't keep longer but yes fresh is best.

Fresh is always the best. I like my fish with a little wiggle left in them. In the fridge for a couple days. If I'm not going to eat the refrigerated fish by the third day I would be freezing the fish when it's fresh.

If you are going to keep pike in the fridge for a few days you might as well pickle it. You can be eating pickled pike in a few days and it keeps for a month in the fridge.

Pickled Pike
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1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1 gallon water
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3 lbs pike fillets cut into pieces as big or small as you would like
7.5 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup Aquavit
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 tablespoons allspice berries
3 tablespoons black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
12 juniper berries
1 tablespoon coriander
10 cloves
1 tsp pickling salt
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fresh dill
sliced shallots
lemon slices
Serrano chilies

1. mix together the kosher salt and water and make a salt water brine, put the fish pieces into the brine and refrigerate for 48 hours.

2. After the fish has brined for 48 hours drain the fish but do not rinse it, mix together all the ingredients from the white vinegar to the pickling salt and bring to a boil. let the pickling liquid cool to room temperature.

3. In your sterilized pint or quart jars layer the fish pieces with the dill, shallots, lemon and chillies. How much is up to you. I like a lot of dill and shallots and a couple thin slices of lemon per pint.
I didn't want the fish to be spicy but I did want a little flavor from the chilies so I only put 3-4 slices of chili per pint.

4. Don't over fill the jars as you need to pour the pickling liquid in after they are filled with fish. pour the room temperature liquid over the fish and place the lids on. refrigerate for 2-3 days before eating. this will last for up to a month in you fridge.

Makes 9 pints

2 days max for me. If I wasn’t going to eat them for a week I’d just go fishing in a weeks time and hope for the best. I mean we can’t even keep much in the way of fresh caught fish anymore to begin with, so getting at them right away when they are at peak fresh quality is the only way to go for me and makes the most sense. If not cooking within a couple days tops I would freeze them myself. Although they may be perfectly fine left in the fridge for a number of days, kinda defeats the purpose and ultimate enjoyment of having a meal of fresh caught fish.

when pickling pike do you have to remove the bones or does the pickling desolve the bones.

When we buy fish in the store it’s a heck of a lot older than 2 days.
The fresher the better and as people have mentioned, if you can’t get to it for more than a couple of days then freeze it.

As far as what’s safe..if you cleaned it fast and washed it well, patted it dry and got it in a fridge that is 4degrees C or lower it will be safe for awhile. How long?
I ain’t zactly sure but I’m thinking 7 days is “probably” pretty safe.

Meat and fish begins to rot from the outside as that’s where the bacteria is. You’ll notice a slight slimy feel and you know it’s going off. Some people will wash it off and cook it up fast.

I rarely keep fish anymore but when I do its brookies and I have them in tinfoil for lunch over a twig fire. As a kid guiding for pickerel we again had them fresh for shorelunch...... nothin better If we were going to keep some we would freeze the fillets with water in the old paper milk cartons and they would keep for a few months......the trick is to freeze them quick to prevent the fillets from adsorbing much water so the deep freeze works best

I like them fresh and usually eat them the next day , you can freeze them in ziplocks full of water . They keep really long and don’t freezer burn .

X2, works very well.