Salmon is delicious, but it’s also a duty to preserve its freshness. It’s so important to consume only fresh fish because you risk pathogen exposure and food poisoning if it's not fresh. Keeping salmon fresh will protect its delicate flavor and maintain its high nutritional content intact.
A huge part of this process is to learn how to pick fresh salmon by knowing what that actually looks like. Knowing this tip can help you identify if it’s gone bad from the get-go. Fresh salmon should have a vibrant pink color and an ocean-fresh type of smell. This smell should not be fishy. Salmon that is fresh will be firm and have a sturdy flesh and a moisturized appeal. If you spot a salmon with sticky residue around the gills, a very fishy smell, and discolored or dry flesh, let it pass. You are better off not risking it!
Now, once you get your hands on a delicious piece of salmon, it’s up to you to keep it that way until consumption. Storing fresh fish can get tricky, but we are here to help. Today’s post is all about the best ways to keep salmon fresh!
Best Ways to Keep Salmon Fresh
Rush home after buying fresh salmon.
There is no time to hang around town after buying fresh salmon. This fish only lasts about two hours once taken out of the cold water and freezer bag without developing bacteria. If you take too long to store salmon in the fridge after a trip to the grocery store, it will spoil. No matter how fresh it was at the moment of your purchase or how much shelf life you think it should have left. So, to avoid any trouble, save your groceries for the last stop of your errand run.
Prepare fresh salmon for storage.
This is crucial to storing fresh, clean salmon. As soon as you get home, remove the fresh fish from the wrapping and rinse carefully under cold water. Once you made sure there are no stray scales or bones, pat it dry with a paper towel. To maximize the level of freshness, you should enfold it with a thin layer of plastic wrap and a second layer of aluminum foil. Voila, your salmon is ready for storage!!
Store salmon properly in the fridge for maximum freshness.
If you are going to cook salmon within a couple of days of buying it, then you can keep it inside your fridge in the meantime. Fresh fish lasts up to two days before there is a need to freeze it. You should place the salmon in the coldest part of your fridge, at around 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Know when to move fresh salmon to the freezer.
Once the two-day mark has passed, the fresh fish has to be moved to the freezer. There, it can maintain its freshness for up to three full months. To store it here, you have to follow the same steps as for the fridge, adding a freezer bag at the end. But be extra careful! You want to make sure the plastic wrap and aluminum foil are folded air-tight to properly preserve the salmon. Otherwise, you will be risking freezer burn.
Here is another useful tip: buy vacuum-sealed salmon if you already know it’s going straight to the freezer. It will ensure the best preservation of its freshness!
Always leave time for thawing before you cook salmon.
You might think you are in the clear once the salmon is frozen, but defrosting can risk its freshness as much as freezer burn. This is why thawing is an important part of the process! Here is how to do it: place the fish in a freezer bag (without the plastic wrap and aluminum foil) and leave it to defrost submerged in a bowl of cold water. It should take about an hour for the fresh frozen salmon to defrost. Once the flesh becomes slightly soft and flexible, it’s time to get cooking!
Food Safety Hand Washing
Now that you know how to properly store your salmon to maintain its ultimate freshness, knowing how to properly wash your hands is just as important. This may seem like something you already know how to do, but believe it or not, you may be washing your hands wrong.
Before and after you come in contact with food, especially meat, poultry, and seafood, you must immediately wash your hands. This seems like a no-brainer, but if you don’t know how to properly wash your hands you run the risk of giving food poisoning to you or your loved ones. Keep reading to see if you’ve been washing your hands correctly!
- Run the water and apply soap to your hands.
- Rub your hands together to create a soapy lather.
- Scrub your hands together for 20 seconds.
- Wash your entire hands. This includes the top of your hands and wrists, between fingers, and under your fingernails, too!
- Use a clean towel to dry your hands or air-dry your hands if there isn't one available. Pro tip: use the towel to turn off the faucet
Now that you learned how to properly wash your hands before and after touching food, have you been washing your hands the right way all along? This seems like such a simple thing to do and something everyone should already know, but knowing how to wash your hands is the first step to prevent food poisoning and prevent exposing food to any unknown bacteria.
How do you usually go about keeping salmon fresh?
Now that you know about the best ways to keep salmon fresh, you are ready to endeavor into your own freshness journey. Remember the tips we gave you and always go with your gut if you think the fish is spoiled. Better to be safe than sorry. One last thing before you go; feel free to check the rest of our Oshen Salmon blog and our Pinterest for more practical advice and delicious recipes!
