How to Store Salmon Eggs (for Food and Bait)
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Salmon eggs provide the same nutrition benefits as you’d attain while eating salmon meat, but apart from eating, many people prefer using salmon eggs as bait while fishing. You may not fish every other day, unless of course you’re a fisherman, so it might be of help to know some of the effective ways you can store your salmon roe so that it’s usable all year round.
To store cured salmon eggs, you’ll require plastic containers such as Ziploc bags, a freezer and some Pautzke Nectar. Shift your salmon eggs to your Ziploc bag, adding the juices in it as well. Cover your Ziploc bag with some newspaper taped around it and store the container in the freezer. They should last for above 2-3 years well and good.
Your plastic container needs to be big enough to fit the number of salmon eggs you have. Seal the container firmly to prevent any voids. If you have a vacuum sealer such as FoodSaver, it would help seal the container even better. Instead of filling it completely, leave a bit of space to allow for expansion while freezing. Moreover, adding the juices helps in preventing dehydration and unwanted freezer burns.
So that was the procedure in a nutshell. Now let’s get into the details.
We shall assume you’ve already cured your salmon eggs, which is the first step. If you haven’t, then we’ve left a section just in the next heading which explains in detail how you cure salmon eggs properly. And we’ve also kept a section for those who do not plan on using cured salmon eggs as bait, but simply wish to store caviar for eating later on.
How Do You Cure Salmon Roe?
So now you know how simple it is to store salmon eggs, but in case you’re stuck at the curing part, which is the first and most essential one, we’ve got your back with a very simple guide to help you understand the curing process. Stick around and follow the steps below:
Step 1 – Using Fresh Salmon Eggs:
The curing process will be effective only if you invest in good-quality, fresh salmon eggs. It’s best to start the curing process within 24 hours of catching fish, otherwise the eggs will begin to rot.
Step 2 – Draining Blood Out Of It:
Cutting the gill plates, preferably just one or two of them, properly drain all the blood out of it. If you skip this step, you won’t be able to cure the eggs for long since the blood will cause them to rot.
Step 3 – Draining the Water:
Apart from draining the blood, it’s also important to drain the water out of the eggs, which you can do by rinsing them with river water. Avoid using tap water.
Step 4 – Commence the Curing Process!
This step may differ based on the instructions given on the label of the cure you’re using. However, most cures require you to apply an appropriate amount of them on a plastic spoon, followed by sprinkling the cure on your eggs. Avoid using bare hands for this process, as well as metal spoons as they may react with the cure.
Step 5 – Stir Away!
Stir thoroughly so that the cure spreads evenly across the salmon eggs. Put them aside in a freezer after this for an hour or so.
Step 6 – Removing the Fluid
When you remove your eggs after an hour from the refrigerator, you’ll find that you can separate the cure’s fluid from the eggs. Try testing with a spoon. If you can, it’s now time to drain the fluid using a plastic strainer. Again, avoid using a metal utensil since you don’t want the cure’s fluid to react with the metal.
Step 7 – Stir Again!
While the fluid is being drained, you’ll have to stir it again with a plastic spoon to make sure the fluid is being drained out thoroughly from all areas.
Step 8 – Finally, Storing the Eggs!
Pour the eggs from the strainer onto a piece of parchment paper, and leave them to dry for about 10-15 minutes. After that, you can simply add your eggs into a Ziploc bag and place it in a freezer, which thereby, completes your curing process!
How to Store Caviar for Eating Later On?
Perhaps you don’t fish, and don’t really need to cure salmon eggs because of that. Maybe you just bought some canned caviar, or have thawed caviar at home, and want to learn an effective way to preserve their flavor and nutritious benefits. Now, this essentially comes down to whether you’re using canned or thawed caviar.
Storing Canned Caviar:
In case of canned caviar, you don’t need to store it in a refrigerator as it already contains preservatives that will prevent it from spoiling for a certain period of time. So in case you haven’t opened the can yet, you can store it outside the refrigerator for any length of time as long as it doesn’t exceed its expiration date.
If you’ve opened the can, however, store your caviar in a refrigerator, sealed in a container, and it should last for about 30 days.
Storing Thawed Caviar:
You don’t want fluids leaking out of the caviar and contaminating the foods in the shelves below, so always store your caviar, along with other meats, at the bottom-most part of your refrigerator. It’s also the part that’s the coldest, ensuring your caviar will be preserved well and good.
How to Tell If Salmon Roe Has Gotten Bad?
It’s important to know when your salmon roe has gotten bad so you don’t end up affecting your health if you eat it. If the taste becomes a bit too sour, and the overall texture of the roe is no longer firm but saggy and leaky, it’s a sign you should discard your roe.
How to Defrost Salmon Roe?
You defrost salmon eggs the same way as you’d defrost fish meat. Wash it in cold water for about 30 minutes, and there you go!
What Kind of Fish Can You Bait With Salmon Eggs?
A variety of fish are able to eat salmon eggs. It’s essential for their health as well, since fish eggs are an excellent source of protein and other nutritious elements.
It’s a common misconception that only trout eat salmon eggs, but there’s actually a wide variety of other fish you can attract with your salmon eggs as bait, including salmon itself, bluegill, steelhead, bass, catfish, sucker fish and so on.
It’s interesting to know that even salmon can easily consume eggs from its own species, but it’s understandable since they rely merely on their instincts and will consume anything that is a source of protein.
Why Use Salmon Eggs for Fishing?
If you’re a beginner to fishing, you might be tempted to know why fishers use salmon eggs as bait. The reason is simple: salmon eggs are a source of protein for fish, which attracts them towards eating them.
Synthetic baits are also a common choice amongst fishers. They have bright colors and scents attractive to fish, but in case somebody doesn’t have one, they can simply get salmon eggs and use them as a natural bait.
Some people also use natural scents such as the very famous Pautzke Nectar in their salmon eggs, which basically increases your catch rate while you’re fishing because the scents help attract the fish.
But it’s not just that – using natural scents adds an extra coating to your fish eggs and helps to preserve them better in the freezer. It also gives them a juicy flavor which is delicious to fish.
Salmon Eggs for Eating and Salmon Eggs for Fishing – Are They The Same?
This is perhaps the most important part of this article. We mentioned how you can effectively store your caviar in the refrigerator for eating, and we talked about how to cure salmon eggs and store them to use as bait later on. But are these two the same thing?
Short answer: no. While you definitely can eat salmon eggs and they actually make some great recipes such as the Japanese Ikura sushi, but salmon eggs prepared for fish baits are not suitable for human consumption since they contain scents, and most importantly, curing materials we’ve discussed beforehand, which are harmful if ingested by a human.
They may not cause death, but they might get you sick. So never make the mistake of eating out of the Ziploc bag containing the cured salmon eggs you prepared as a bait.
After catching the fish, make sure you drain the blood out of it immediately, by first cutting its head apart, followed by cutting a gill rake. The way you start your curing process is as important as the way you end it. Doing so will give you the best-quality bait that you’re looking for.
Conclusion:
No matter for what purpose you use salmon eggs, knowing how to store them properly will ensure that you make the best out of it. Always be vigilant with regards to storing food, so you keep it from spoiling and are able to preserve it for a long time.
