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[rgm]

I was wondering if anyone has ever frozen a fish first, then thawed at a later date and did the brine and smoke. Will freezing the fish first affect the whole process negatively? Thanks for your input.

[DanL]

Yes all the time. In fact I think it's recommended to freeze first to kill any parasites as the smoking process does not get the meat hot enough to kill parasites.

[Animal Chin]

+1. I always freeze my fish first.

I thaw in fridge for a day or two, brine and then smoke or make gravlax out of it. I freeze with skin on but get rid of it before the brine/cure, but that's just the way I do it. Excellent results. I'm going to try sashimi with this mint coho I have after a week, maybe two, in the deep freeze.

I've also read that if you vacuum seal, you want to cut a small slit in the bag as you're thawing to get air in there so bacteria doesn't build up in airless environment. I never did this and am fine but will likely start doing it from now on.

I have a chest freezer. I think you have to keep it frozen in a household/kitchen fridge-freezer for longer to ensure all parasites are dead.