Can I refreeze tilapia?

[colleency]

I bought a pound of frozen tilapia from Trader Joes. I guess I hadn't realized that the package was quite so large. There are 4 fillets in it. My recipe (Fish Tacos with Mango-Avocado salsa and Creamy Chipotle sauce, posted by ???) actually does call for a pound of fish, but it makes 4 servings. As there are just two of us, I usually cut my recipes in half, especially with fish, so there won't be leftovers.

I couldn't get the fillets apart while frozen. Should I:

wrap and refreeze the other 1/2 pound of fish, and use it next week?

or

Make the full recipe, take the third portion for lunch tomorrow, and probably throw out the fourth portion? (There is no way DH will take fish for lunch).

[clairea]

I have refrozen tilapia before. You definitely lose some quality, but depending on how you wanted to use it again it might be ok. If you refreeze it I would probably use it in a dish where there is a sauce, or some other flavors going on, so you aren't just focused on the taste of the fish -- its not my first choice but I have been ok with the results when I have done that. Personally I would refreeze it rather than making all 4 portions because I really don't like left-over fish.

Here is an old CL recipe that I have used this way before. It's nothing fancy, but it is quick, easy and good.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Orange Roughy Veracruz

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cooking Light 1993 Fish And Seafood


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 cup yellow bell pepper rings
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, with
jalapeño peppers and spices -- drained
4 (4-ounce) orange roughy, or other lean white fish
fillets
1 Dash garlic powder
1 Dash ground red pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and tomatoes; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes. Add fish; sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Turn fish over. Cover and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer fish to individual serving plates, reserving cooking sauce in skillet. Keep fish warm.

Place skillet with cooking sauce over medium-high heat, and cook 3 minutes or until thickened.

(serving size: 3 ounces fish and 1/2 cup sauce)

Source:
"Cooking Light, May/June 1993, page 130"
Copyright:
"© Cooking Light"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 137 Calories; 3g Fat (21.1% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 23mg Cholesterol; 485mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

Serving Ideas : Spoon sauce over fish.

NOTES : Jan Gos, an art teacher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, developed this recipe for a quick way to cook her favorite fish.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 5630 5304 1010 0 0

One other though -- I have heard (but have never tried it) that defrosting fish in milk will get rid of any "fishy" taste. Since I think the fishy taste is stronger with refrozen fish, it might be worth a try to see if that helps a little too.

Claire

[colleency]

Thanks a lot, Claire. I'll try that!

Do you think I should defrost the fish in milk both times, or just the refrozen time?

[clairea]

I have never actually defrosted fish in milk, so I don't really know for sure. I can't remember where I read that tip, either I'm pretty sure it was talking about fish that had only been frozen once, though, so I am sure it wouldn't hurt to do it both times. My though was it might make more of a difference the second time, when you know you are already dealing with some degradation of quality. If you try it post back and let us know how it works!

Claire