# Vacuum Packing Shrimp



## white cap (Jun 11, 2004)

I finally bought a Food Saver and plan to vacuum pack shrimp next week.

How do you not puncture the plastic during the sealing process?

Any advice would be appreciated!

wc


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## Terry G. (Jul 17, 2006)

i'd break the beak and tail barb


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## OUTLAW (May 26, 2004)

put the shrimp in water and freeze first then seal with foodsaver


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## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

Ulikely you will puncture bags during sealing process.

The best way I have found to freeze shrimp is before you seal them, lay them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until they are soft frozen. Or, get the shrimp as dry as you can before vacuum sealing them.

The foodsavers do not work well if there is alot of moisture in the bag.



WHITE CAP said:


> I finally bought a Food Saver and plan to vacuum pack shrimp next week.
> 
> How do you not puncture the plastic during the sealing process?
> 
> ...


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

You bought a Food Saver to keep your bait fresh? Is fresh dead that hard to find in Rockport...or are you still embarrassed to walk in the bait shops and ask for it? :rotfl:

I dry the shrimp real good, wrap in a paper towel and vacuum seal! Every now and then a barb will break the seal so you have to check them after you stack them in the freezer! :smile:





You thought I was in Sargent and you could sneak this by me...didn't you? :rotfl:


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## Melon (Jun 1, 2004)

Harbormaster said:


> You bought a Food Saver to keep your bait fresh? Is fresh dead that hard to find in Rockport...or are you still embarrassed to walk in the bait shops and ask for it? :rotfl:
> 
> I dry the shrimp real good, wrap in a paper towel and vacuum seal! Every now and then a barb will break the seal so you have to check them after you stack them in the freezer! :smile:You thought I was in Sargent and you could sneak this by me...didn't you? :rotfl:


U shure know alot about dead shrimp! 

Just sayin......


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## jamaicablonde (Nov 6, 2008)

I've had pretty good luck by first putting the shrimp in a gallon ziploc. Don't seal it, just kind of fold it over. Then I put it in the vacuum bag. That extra layer of plastic helps keep the shrimp from poking holes in the vacuum bag.


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## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

I don't think a shrimp horn will puncture a foodsaver bag. They're pretty tough.


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## oldtrackster (Jul 20, 2007)

Good thread, keep ideas coming. I have had difficulty keeping the foodsaver bag puncture free.


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

I've lost my last bag of vacuum packed shrimp due to freezer burn from shell puncture. I now use freezer zip lock bags with a little salt & just enough water to seal the deal.


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## crhfish (Dec 3, 2008)

If the shrimp are big enough they will tear up a seal bag. I also use the ziplock bag inside the seal bag trick. Seems to work ok.


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## scoutskipper (Aug 11, 2005)

I usually purchase the bags of individually frozen shrimp when HEB has them on sale. I tried cutting a hole in the bag they come in and putting that bag in a Foodsaver bag. More often than not they would poke holes thru both bags and eventually lose the vaccum. I finally solved the problem by wrapping the original bag in a couple layers of newspaper and securing it with tape. I then slide the paper wrapped bag into the foodsaver bag, pull the vaccum, and I have never had a problem again.


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## white cap (Jun 11, 2004)

Thanks everyone(except the ole harbor man) for the ideas!

My secret is out......gotta save those shrimps for those "slot" harbor catfish in the fall!

wc


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## saches master (Sep 21, 2009)

three things when freezing shrimp in the food saver bags.....
1...fresh from the boat, get as dry as possible and then carefully "stack" in the bag
2...or wrap in freezer paper (newspaper) then put in bag and seal

and well, guess it was only 2, if you buy your shrimp from HEB (out of thecase) make sure it is still frozen. I personally buy only frozen shrimp and ask for them to go get the 5 lb bag for me. they have no problem with it and I have no problem paying the little extra. Those bags of shrimp have been quick frozen, if you really need to have smaller bags then justfreeze them while still frozen, but that is a waste. They are frozen so quickly that if you don't let them thaw all you need to do is get one of the larger ziplocks, pu the bag and all in that bag then take what ypou need out as you need it. They are meant to stay up to 6 months fresh. If your product is from Vietnam/ or out of states use within 3 in state you can use the 6 month rule. I know its an oxymoron to call frozen fresh but the way they freeze theses days sometimes it really is fresher than the fresh.....just be sure to thaw on your own. that way you guarantee the freshness yourself hasn't been lost to a few days of sitting in a case.


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## Fin-Addict (Jun 1, 2004)

I wrap them in freezer paper and put them in the freezer for about an hour. Then vacuum seal them. Been doing it this way for quite a while now and haven't had any poke thru or not seal!


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

Harbormaster said:


> I dry the shrimp real good, wrap in a paper towel and vacuum seal! Every now and then a barb will break the seal so you have to check them after you stack them in the freezer! :smile:


X2. Like Harbor said and Jabx, they must be dry. paper towels are a vacuum
sealers friend.


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