Smoked salmon is one of my favorite food. Unfortunately, other members of my family do not share my particular passion for this fish. I have tried to find small packages of smoked salmon, but it is only available in some large packs.
Although it is expensive, I usually end up throwing out almost a quarter of the package. The reason for that is I cannot eat the whole of it quickly enough. So, saving the remaining part of smoked salmon for later is what I intend to do now. Can I freeze smoked salmon?
Types Of Fish That You Can Freeze
Surprisingly, you can preserve smoked salmon in a freezer. And you may able to do the same for other kinds of fish (a fresh catch after a well-prepared trip or after filleting the meat). It may not matter whether you freeze a whole or fillets of smoked salmon. Find out more about fishing gears that can earn you some good fish:
You may agree that a delicious and straightforward cooking way of salmon is to smoke it. Such a process helps you to kill all parasites, bacteria, or viruses which might be hiding in the trout. Remember to remove the air entirely when doing this process because air causes flavor loss, spoilage, and freezer burn, according to Salt Chef.
Why Do We Need Freeze Smoked Salmon?
If you keep smoked salmon with the wrap in your refrigerator, the fish will have its life of two months. By opening the package, you have only three days. But you may store it for much more when freezing smoked salmon.
However, you should avoid repeating freezing and thawing the fish as they may degrade its meat. Furthermore, repeated refreezing and thawing allow salmonella to infect the food.
Author Tips: Before Buy Smoker must read these Electric Smoker Reviews.
How Long Should You Keep Smoked Salmon Frozen?
You can freeze smoked salmon for up to six months at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Although frozen fish still looks good, the inside texture and flavor begin to vanish after the indicated storage period, as noted by this website.
Think about dividing fresh smoked trout into individual servings. Then, you can place them in freezer-safe, airtight containers or bags marked carefully with your freezing date. Smoked salmon may dry out easily in the freezer unless it is tightly sealed.
How to Prepare Smoked Salmon for Freezing
Step 1: Slice It Into Pieces
To make smoked salmon ready for freezing, you may either cut the fish into pieces or leave it whole. I realized it was much easier to slice it into small pieces that match my individual serving size within one day. Besides, smaller pieces of smoked salmon are easier to store in your freezer.
You can divide the fish into some pieces with the exact amount for eating within 24 hours after unwrapping it from the store packaging. As you should not refreeze the smoked salmon once it was thawed, smaller pieces are indeed better than big portions.
Step 2: Wrap The Smoked Salmon
You should use freezer bags or containers which let you remove air while wrapping the smoked salmon.
You are not recommended to use boxes or bowls to contain smoked salmon because these types of containers allow much air circulation around them. A vacuum seal might be ideal for you.
If you can avoid contacting the frozen fish with air, you won’t encounter freezer burn or oxidation.
You can watch the video below to understand the freezing process.
In fact, you can freeze salmon easier than other types of meats. It is better if the original packaging is intact before freezing the trout.
Step 3: Label the Wrapped Smoked Salmon
It is important and necessary to label the packages before freezing them. You may use this type of label, noting the freezing date and the package contents.
Peel these labels off and attach them to your packages which you will freeze.
Furthermore, you also can freeze some types of foods that contain smoked salmon like dips or quiche. After making the dish, divide it into serving portions for future use and safe storage. Then, put the label for each of them before freezing.
By using this way, you may not realize any flavor degradation.
Step 4: Thaw The Frozen Fish
Do not thaw the fish at the temperature below 35ºF or in the warm water because these conditions may reduce its texture. Whenever you want to enjoy your smoked salmon, remove a wrapped package and thaw in your refrigerator.
There is the bacterial bloom risk incurred if the fish is exposed and thawed too long. You only need no more than 24 hours to thaw the fish. After that, you will have a tasty treat of smoked salmon.
In short, you can enjoy your tasty treat after thawing frozen smoked salmon without any flavor degradation. Preparing the fish for the freezer is easy and quick, especially with a convenient tool like the vacuum sealer.
Four simple steps to have Frozen Smoked Salmon
- Slice it into pieces
- Wrap the smoked salmon.
- Label the wrapped smoked salmon.
- Thaw the frozen fish.
What do you think about the freezing process for smoked salmon? Please post your comments and questions. We would love to clarify them.
Laura Smith
I'm Laura, I like all the kind of delicious grilled foods which makes me hungry all the time I see them. That's why I built this blog to share with you all of my Grilling experiences, recipes, and all the tips about foods that I've learned from food experts.