Best Vacuum Sealer For Fish

Definition of a Vacuum Sealer

A vacuum sealer is a tool that removes air and attaches the end of a plastic bag used to preserve food. The ability to remove air, pack and seal food extends the shelf life of food. The reason behind this is due to the removal and protection of bacteria that can accelerate the rate of food spoilage. Other benefits of vacuum sealers include the ability to reduce storage space, prevent freeze burns and dehydration, and maintain fresh flavor longer. 

A vacuum sealer for fish and game encounters excess moisture levels, among many other obstacles that make it difficult to properly remove air from the vacuum bag and apply a heat-bonded seal. Standard kitchen grade vacuum sealers are not suitable for hunting and fishing. When you plan to preserve your catch, it is best to use a vacuum sealer designed for fish and game. 

Compact, portable vacuum packaging for backpacking

Whether you're hiking through the mountains on a hunting trip or isolated on an offshore fishing trip, portability is extremely important to the outdoorsman. The accessories you carry with you must minimize the amount of space they take up while maximizing the value they provide. 

You may be thinking: Why would you even need to bring a vacuum sealer if you're in an isolated place?

Well, if you are hunting, simply sealing your meat (even though you may not be able to freeze it or put it in the refrigerator), will extend the shelf life compared to unsealed meat, even when stored at room temperature. It is believed that sealed meat can extend the shelf life by several days because the sealing process removes air and bacteria, which helps to slow down the food spoilage process. This could be the difference between returning to camp with freshly harvested meat and hard-earned spoiled meat. 

Therefore, the next time you go on a night hunting trip, you must bring a vacuum sealer with you to ensure that any animal you harvest will be preserved long enough to make it back to camp. A quality commercial grade vacuum sealer that is as compact as possible is essential for any outdoorsman.

Power flexibility is important for fish vacuum sealers

As a hunter or fisherman, the availability of power can sometimes be frustrating. For your fish and game vacuum packer, compatibility with AC and DC power sources is equally important.

Conventional power sources, such as household wall outlet plugs, generator plugs or fish cleaning station plugs, can use 110V/120V AC power.

Portable power sources, such as ATV batteries or marine batteries, will most likely run on 12V DC. The outdoorsman will always have a limited supply of power, so a fish and game vacuum packer with power flexibility is extremely important.

Moisture will kill most vacuum packers used by outdoorsmen

Kitchen-grade vacuum sealers are used to seal traditional foods that do not have high moisture content (cereals, nuts, granola, pizza, etc.). When used to vacuum pack items such as fish or meat, they often require or recommend that you freeze the items before sealing to prevent moisture from entering the vacuum sealing chamber. 

The problem is that whether you are vacuum sealing fish or game, these meats have a high moisture content and a vacuum sealer or vacuum sealer for game may need to handle the high moisture. The first thing most fishermen do is throw the fish on the ice, which only adds to the already high moisture content. The natural moisture content of fish is between 70-80% whether the fish is on ice or not. It is important to use the best vacuum sealer for your fish, otherwise you risk premature failure of your vacuum sealer. 

The same is true for game, although they do have a little lower water content than fish. Wild animals such as deer and hogs have close to 50-60% water content. The first thing most hunters do after cleaning their harvested animals is to let the meat sit on ice to help remove the game.

The next step in preparing your fish or game is filleting or deboning the fish in your game. Once completed, the fillets/boneless meat is rinsed in fresh water before vacuum packing. It is good practice to drain as much water as possible from the vacuum bag before sealing, but in most cases, moisture is unavoidable even if the vacuum bag is allowed to empty. In the best vacuum sealers will be able to handle this excess moisture. 

Removable scales for packing uniform portions

A detachable scale for your vacuum packaging machine is one of the most important features you will need. Whether you're catching a bunch of fish or harvesting big game, distributing the meat evenly is key to preventing waste. 

Health experts say each person should eat an average of 8 to 12 ounces of meat per serving. Our newest fish and game vacuum sealer comes with a removable scale to evenly pack your catch into individual or family-sized meals. The scale is capable of providing accurate weight measurements of up to 70 ounces (4.4 lbs.). That's enough to measure a meal for 6 people!

Other benefits of the detachable scale are the seasoning of your catch prior to vacuum packing. Whether you're looking for the best fish vacuum sealer or the best game vacuum sealer, it's essential to have an accurate scale to evenly pack your catch and perfect your recipes.

Seasoning or marinating meat before sealing

The most common method of vacuum packaging is to package only raw meat. However, an emerging method of vacuum packing is to season or marinate the meat prior to sealing. This will infuse the meat and give it more flavor when you are ready to take it out of the refrigerator and cook it. Liquid marinades are known to damage standard kitchen-grade vacuum sealers, and vacuum sealers designed to marinate your catch can hold up better. Whether the meat is cured or not, the importance of being able to handle high moisture content fish and game vacuum sealers is obvious. 

Vacuum sealers for hunting and fishing typically have a normal setting for sealing conventional foods and then a "wet" setting for sealing foods with high moisture content. Once the vacuum sealer starts sealing, it removes a bunch of excess moisture from the bag and places it in a drip tray. Once the excess moisture is removed, the seal heats up and extends the heating time to ensure a leak-proof seal throughout the vacuum packaged bag. This leaves the user with a vacuum-packed fillet or game that can be placed in the refrigerator for longer storage.

Please note: Vacuum sealers not designed to seal fish, game and other high moisture foods may be damaged when attempted. It is best to freeze your fish and game before sealing with a vacuum sealer that is not suitable for this purpose.