Northwest Fishing Reports

Guys and Gals - this might be a rookie question but I'm wondering what you find is the best way to store your cured eggs and how long is it reasonable to keep them before they are no good for steelhead or salmon fishing. I don't fish much or use eggs much so that's why I have an extra inventory of them! (I know - it's a strange problem to have)

Lots of options here and it depends somewhat on what type of cure it is. As far as a storage vessel, my preference is a one quart wide mouth jar. After the eggs go in, I vacuum the lid on with my Foodsaver machine. The vacuum isn't a must but I have noticed longer life and fewer issues by doing it. The 16oz Ziplock plastic containers with the screw-top lids also work great and are cheap and easy. Some folks just use a freezer bag, get all the air out, and roll it up like a burrito. Air and moisture are the enemy so you just need something that will keep both out.

As far as shelf life, I have jars that are a few years old that have fished great. It's all about a quality egg, good curing process, and a good storage process. One of the biggest dilemmas people run into with shelf life (assuming the eggs, cure, and storage process was good) is storing them in a auto defrost freezer. Most fridge/freezers are this way and it can significantly shorten the lifespan. If you have no other option, put them in the bottom of the freezer in the back so they are least affected during the defrost cycle. If you have a chest or stand-up freezer in the garage that is not auto defrost, that's where the eggs belong for long term storage.

I mentioned above about the type of cure making a difference. If I am putting up eggs cured for steelhead that were done in a borax cure, once cured I put the eggs in the jar and fill the jar up with borax to fill in all the empty space and surround the eggs. The does a lot for protecting them in the freezer. It also helps a lot if you use the plastic back burrito method. I'm sure some others will add great tips as well. Best of luck to you. I hope that helps.

Scott

Thanks for the many great tips. Espcially the auto defrost freezer tip. I just bought a manual defrost freezer for my fish so that's where my eggs are going after I vacuum pack them!

Here's another recent thread on the same subject.
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/vi ... 15&t=19134" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

After you cure your eggs in a jar and the are sealed tight you can store them anywhere. It is unnecessary to freeze or refrigerate them, although refrigerators are a great storing space. If your jar of eggs is sealed tight you can just put em up in the garage. Cures are preservatives that essentially do the same thing as vinegar does to a jar of pickles.

NFCustom wrote:After you cure your eggs in a jar and the are sealed tight you can store them anywhere. It is unnecessary to freeze or refrigerate them, although refrigerators are a great storing space. If your jar of eggs is sealed tight you can just put em up in the garage. Cures are preservatives that essentially do the same thing as vinegar does to a jar of pickles.

Never actually tried that. In my opinion even cured eggs after a week or so have a very different smell, kind of rotten and no longer smell like fresh cured eggs. Ive had a lot of success with freezing eggs before vaccum sealing, then sealing it shut. They come out smelling brand new, and ive had to do some serious surgery on quite a few chinook and coho to remove hooks this year on em

fishenfreak wrote:

NFCustom wrote:After you cure your eggs in a jar and the are sealed tight you can store them anywhere. It is unnecessary to freeze or refrigerate them, although refrigerators are a great storing space. If your jar of eggs is sealed tight you can just put em up in the garage. Cures are preservatives that essentially do the same thing as vinegar does to a jar of pickles.

Never actually tried that. In my opinion even cured eggs after a week or so have a very different smell, kind of rotten and no longer smell like fresh cured eggs. Ive had a lot of success with freezing eggs before vaccum sealing, then sealing it shut. They come out smelling brand new, and ive had to do some serious surgery on quite a few chinook and coho to remove hooks this year on em

Do you remove the blood from the skeins? I also forgot to mention that you have to vacuum seal the jars with a food safer. Once their open you have to refrigerate.

NFCustom wrote:

fishenfreak wrote:

NFCustom wrote:After you cure your eggs in a jar and the are sealed tight you can store them anywhere. It is unnecessary to freeze or refrigerate them, although refrigerators are a great storing space. If your jar of eggs is sealed tight you can just put em up in the garage. Cures are preservatives that essentially do the same thing as vinegar does to a jar of pickles.

Never actually tried that. In my opinion even cured eggs after a week or so have a very different smell, kind of rotten and no longer smell like fresh cured eggs. Ive had a lot of success with freezing eggs before vaccum sealing, then sealing it shut. They come out smelling brand new, and ive had to do some serious surgery on quite a few chinook and coho to remove hooks this year on em

Do you remove the blood from the skeins? I also forgot to mention that you have to vacuum seal the jars with a food safer. Once their open you have to refrigerate.

Ok that makes more sense if they are sealed. Never tried that. Maybe that would keep them fresher without being frozen. I do remove the blood also

Why are my eggs getting mushy after a week or so? Ive been using firecure. I just laid them out and sprinkled a little borax over them to see if they will stiffen...any way to help get them back in to shape???

Bmastro777 wrote:Why are my eggs getting mushy after a week or so? Ive been using firecure. I just laid them out and sprinkled a little borax over them to see if they will stiffen...any way to help get them back in to shape???

are they nice and firm right after curing or were they never stiff to begin with?

They are nice and plump after the cure but then go mushy after a week or so sitting in the fridge in plastic sealed containers.

Bmastro777 wrote:They are nice and plump after the cure but then go mushy after a week or so sitting in the fridge in plastic sealed containers.

yea exactly why i freeze mine within a week. same happens to me. if i dont use within a week or so i freeze them, but in your case, either setting on paper towels in the garage to air dry overnight or heavily boraxing will do the trick. i would air dry, borax takes the juice out of a good wet cured egg

Bmastro777 wrote:Why are my eggs getting mushy after a week or so? Ive been using firecure. I just laid them out and sprinkled a little borax over them to see if they will stiffen...any way to help get them back in to shape???

You're not refreezing them and thawing them more than once are you? That will cause mush eggs.

Bmastro777 wrote:They are nice and plump after the cure but then go mushy after a week or so sitting in the fridge in plastic sealed containers.

Same thing happens to me. They are nice and plump after curing, during the first few days. And then, if they just sit in the fridge (unfrozen), they get mushy. Basically it looks like a bunch of the eggs start bursting. Maybe they are overcuring.

Will try immediately freezing after they plump back up, rather than keeping in the fridge. Maybe the freezing will stop the curing, if it is overcuring that is causing the mushiness/bursting.

Shad_Eating_Grin wrote:

Bmastro777 wrote:They are nice and plump after the cure but then go mushy after a week or so sitting in the fridge in plastic sealed containers.

Same thing happens to me. They are nice and plump after curing, during the first few days. And then, if they just sit in the fridge (unfrozen), they get mushy. Basically it looks like a bunch of the eggs start bursting. Maybe they are overcuring.

Will try immediately freezing after they plump back up, rather than keeping in the fridge. Maybe the freezing will stop the curing, if it is overcuring that is causing the mushiness/bursting.

two options. one is freeze them if not being used in a few days and dont plan to use them in a while. If you want them for the next week or something, place them on a cookie sheet with paper towels and let them dry out for a day, if you do that it will stop the curing process!

I have been fishing and working with eggs for going on 30 plus years and have decided that if you are not going to use the eggs with in a day or so after curing that they go right to the freezer and then in vuc u PAC bags and then DATED and back to the freezer