Can you freeze smoked salmon?

The answer to the question: “Can you freeze smoked salmon?” is an absolute yes. Smoked salmon is a delicacy that no one can deny. Whether the recipe is smoked salmon pâté, sushi or combined with cheese, or just raw slices of smoked salmon straight out of the packet, smoked salmon stays excellent.

However, there are not always chances to consume the whole big packet of smoked salmon. You may find it probable to leave the uneaten parts being ruined. The leftovers are a big problem if you are trying to reduce waste.

But freezing smoked salmon can solve this obstacle. Let my technique enhance your life. As soon as you learn the tips, no more wasted smoked salmon would be present in your kitchen.

5 Quick Steps To Freeze Smoked Salmon 

As I mentioned above, to give an answer to our main question, it would be a big yes. It turns out that freezing smoked salmon is not a huge challenge. Follow these steps, and you will figure out the process.

1. Prepare ingredients

2. Cut smoked salmon into pieces

3. Package

4. Label

5. Freeze

Below is detailed information about freezing smoked salmon and the thawing process to use. Let’s continue scrolling down to learn more tips to make your smoked salmon freeze well.

What Exactly Is Smoked Salmon?

Smoked salmon is processed from fresh fillet salmon fish. The fillet imparts a smoky flavor while being cured with the smoke from smoldering hardwoods. Salmon could be cold or hot smoked, and each of them lends a distinctive taste and texture to the fillet.⁽¹⁾

Cold smoked salmon is more favored. Salmon is typically cold smoked at 32 degrees Celsius without cooking. The other smoked salmon form has quite different tastes and textures. Hot smoked salmon is “cooked” with smoke at a higher temperature range, so this technique provides a less moist and firmer texture with a less exquisite flavor. [1]

You are wondering how they could produce this expensive smoked salmon? Let’s check this video now to figure out how!

You can see this video to know more:

Nutrition

Salmon is considered a superfood due to its host of nutrients and several health benefits it brings. According to information provided by USDA ⁽²⁾ , 100 grams of salmon can provide:

• 232 calories
• 19,01g protein
• 15,49g fat
• 63mg sodium
• 0g carbohydrates
• 0g fiber
• 0g sugar

Salmon contains a high proportion of fat which is primarily omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, which have been documented to provide a number of health benefits such as reducing inflammation, reducing the risk of cancer, and lowering blood pressure.⁽³⁾
Salmon is also a great source of vitamins and minerals essential for human health, especially vitamin B.

This vitamin is linked to several vital processes in the body, including converting food into energy, making and repairing DNA, and reducing inflammation. Studies have shown that all B vitamins work together to maintain optimal brain and nervous system functioning.

Like omega-3 fats, protein is an essential nutrient that the body must obtain from the diet. Protein helps the body recover from injury, protects bone health, and maintains muscle mass during weight loss and the aging process.  The great sources of proteins that salmon provides can easily meet the needs of our body.

While fresh salmon is quite costly to afford and hard to find, another beneficial option is canned salmon. Some qualified canned salmon are ideal replacements for these expensive fresh salmon.

Smoked salmon also remains almost the same nutritional value as salmon but much higher sodium content. The salt added in the brining and curing process is the reason that smoked salmon has a pretty much sodium proportion.

When smoked salmon is surprisingly healthy, you want to get it in the kitchen. However, you are pretty confused about what smoked salmon to choose in the grocery store. Don’t worry; Brewing Happiness will show some buying guides in this video.

You can see this video to know more:

Why Are People Deeply In Love With Smoked Salmon?

Smoked salmon is versatile and easy to cook. This ingredient used to be considered high-class food, but the world has changed. Now smoked salmon isn’t a luxury garnish anymore; it is served for a wide range of its fans globally.

There are fabulous recipes that call for nutritious slices of smoked salmon, such as creamy smoked salmon pâté, smoked salmon sushi, and so on. Smoked salmon is typically served with salads, paired with cream cheese or lemon juice.

Smoked salmon imparts a tangy flavor that matches well with anything you like. It can be a tasty appetizer with a great salad and lemon. Meanwhile, smoked salmon is also a perfect companion with starch ingredients, including rice, pasta, and noodle.

So Can You Freeze Smoked Salmon?

Generally speaking, I would say yes. In fact, smoked salmon is freezing well. Freezers make things easier to store. Smoked salmon is not an exception, while freezing avoids your delicacy suffering bacteria growth and losing its original taste and texture.

Through proper freezing and defrosting methods, worry about leftovers is gone. While smoked salmon is beneficial food, you still can not eat the whole bag in a single day. In this case, do you want to leave it somewhere in the kitchen and wait until it is being ruined, then throw it in a trash bin with guilt? Or you could choose to turn it into frozen form and store it for months. That’s your choice.

3 Must-Know Precautions Before Getting Started

Although it’s not a big problem while freezing smoked salmon, there are still things you need to follow to get a desirable result.

1. Freezing Won’t Work If Your Smoked Salmon Is Nearly Expired

Smoked salmon can last about two weeks after being taken out of sealed bags. I suggest you freeze smoked salmon as soon as possible so that you can keep smoked salmon in the best status. However, if the rest of your smoked salmon’s life can not reach one week, you’d better find ways to consume it soundly instead of trying to freeze it.

Remember that you can not save things that are already on the edge of getting into bad status. Not just for smoked salmon, when you decide to freeze anything, don’t skip checking the expiration date.

2. Sealed Or Tight Packaging Matters

Any kind of air-tight or sealed bags would save frozen smoked salmon from oxidation while in storage. Excellent source of 3-omega fatty acid puts smoked salmon in a vulnerable position to oxygen.

Exposing smoked salmon to the air would create unwanted changes in nasty taste, stinky aroma, and rotten texture. I would recommend you to keep your stuff away from oxygen as much as you can.

3. Notice The Companion Goes With Smoked Salmon Before Freezing

Smoked salmon freezes best alone. Smoked salmon is delicious and versatile; there are plenty of recipes that pair smoked salmon to several ingredients. You’d better remove or freeze them separately.

The most popular choice to serve with smoked salmon is cream elements, including cream cheese and sour cream, which is easy to fall apart and ruin your dish through defrosting.

It is not a smart idea to freeze smoked salmon with veggies either. Vegetables would lose their crunchy texture while thawing. I bet recipes from smoked salmon and fresh vegetables are better.

There is still an exception that can be frozen along with smoked salmon, which is herbs. However, if you can, fresh stuff still stays more ideal for recipes.

How To Freeze Smoked Salmon Properly?

For longer preservation, food is usually frozen. So does smoked salmon. I’m here to show you a comprehensive guide when it comes to how smoked salmon is frozen.

Preparation

This step is crucial to keep everything in control. Therefore, I would show you my guide to make things more convenient when you come to the next steps.

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

I would recommend you to find some sort of stuff to take careful preparation. Vacuum sealer bags would help to prevent your smoked salmon from moisture while refrigerating.

There are many great choices of vacuum sealer bags that would help you squeeze all the air out for a better long-term freezing process. Additionally, a stack of greaseproof paper would be needed.

Step 2: Prepare Smoked Salmon

To make smoked salmon ready to freeze, you’d better cut it into small slices. Suppose your smoked salmon is completely in the form; just skip this step. Small slices would facilitate the process of freezing and defrosting.

Suppose you don’t want to cut the fish into slices; simply keep it in the shape you enjoy. Make sure to leave it in the size that you and your family often eat a day in order to prevent producing more leftovers. No one likes to increase waste.

To enhance the preservation of the decent taste and chewy texture of this fish, using olive oil is a small tip to help. Cover the surface of smoked salmon with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent freeze burn during storage.

Freezing Smoked Salmon

Step 3: Package

Firstly, you need to layer up the smoked salmon and greaseproof papers. A piece of greaseproof paper between two slices of smoked salmon will do the tasks to prevent slices of salmon from sticking together. Then wrap the layers in sealer bags. Each bag should contain a suitable amount of salmon for your family a day.

You should invest in a nice commercial vacuum sealer that easily removes all the air out of smoked salmon sealer bags for more desirable effects.

Effective vacuum sealers not only facilitate freezing food processes but also perform well to keep a small fridge’s space neat and clean. If you don’t want to use a vacuum sealer, a hand-push attached to sealer bags would also help.

Step 4: Label

After sealing up, don’t forget to label it. You can write the name of frozen food, date, or any important notes on it just in case the information faded away in your memory. Trust me; labeling matters.

Step 5: Freeze

The final step is to leave the smoked salmon container neatly in your freezer and use it as needed. Frozen smoked salmon would last up to 6 months. The condensed flavor will be lost beyond this time. However, I would recommend you to use it within two months so as not to gain errors.

Noteworthy Thawing Advice

Thawing is a huge challenge. There are some rules you need to follow to prevent your food from being attacked by bacteria and tainted.

#1 Slow Thawing

Changing temperature dramatically would cause a harmful transformation in the flavor and texture of the smoked salmon. You’d better make it slowly to let frozen stuff have time to adapt.

Thawing begins when you put the frozen fish in the fridge. Thawing would be done after 24 hours; then, you can eat it within 3 or 4 days.

This slow thawing in the fridge may cause an unpleasant fishy smell. In this instance, an odor absorber would help to deal with stink.

#2 Fast Thawing

This method allows you to thaw frozen stuff within a few hours. Simply submerge the sealer bags into cold water. Do not thaw your frozen smoked salmon at room temperature unless you want to let bacteria thrive in and destroy your food.

Once you use this quick method, try to consume it immediately, or you must throw the ruined slices of salmon away.

Hacks Help You Have Even Better Freezing And Defrosting Effects

I have discovered some tips that enhance your storage skills. They do help you while dealing with the freezing and thawing process.

1. Make Out The Shelf Life Of Smoked Salmon During Storage

If you have an entire unopened bag of smoked salmon, keep it sealed and place it in the freezer. In this case, following the expiration date on the label is enough.

Suppose you have opened the bag; you’d better transfer it in a new sealed bag. It only lasts about one week when it stays in an opened bag in the fridge. But excessing the air out of the bags and keeping the food in the tight bags would increase the time it might stay good.

When it comes to more extended storage, freezing smoked salmon in the freezer is the best idea. Once frozen, this food might not go too bad in under two months and lasts up to 6 months. After the second month, frozen smoked salmon would gradually decrease the quantity and have changes in texture and flavor.

2. Parchment Paper Can Be Used In Place Of Greaseproof Paper

Parchment paper can be in charge of the tasks of greaseproof paper. In case you don’t have any greaseproof paper, just use parchment paper instead.

Placing parchment paper between slices of smoked salmon would facilitate frozen stuff to thaw in a small amount. This way also helps to reduce plastic bags and wraps in your kitchen.

Frequently Asked Question

To this point, you must gain some wisdom about the freezing smoked salmon process. I bet now you may have some wonder. So I’m here to answer some frequently asked questions.

What Makes A Perfect Freezing Process?

Fresh smoked salmon always tastes wonderful in whatever recipes are involved or even eaten raw. But freezing smoked salmon is certainly not a bad idea; it would still retain a smoky flavor and firm texture. Moreover, frozen stuff can be served in various tasty recipes just as fresh smoked salmon does after thawing.

This comprehensive freezing guide can preserve smoked salmon for longer uses and cut down leftovers in the kitchen. So I think you should give it a chance and start learning how to freeze and defrost smoked salmon in a proper way through this article.

However, the longer you store smoked salmon in the freezer, the more its flavor and texture will degrade. So be a smart consumer; just take a suitable amount of the food while shopping in order to serve all frozen smoked salmon before the fish undesirably tastes bad.

You probably gained some knowledge from my article. Is this information suitable for you? Don't hesitate to share your experience with frozen smoked salmon with me and others in the comment section below. Remember to like and share this great guide with your friends and family. Thank you for reading.

References

1. En.wikipedia.org.. Smoked salmon - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoked_salmon>.
2. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agricultural Research Service.. Salmon. [online] Available at: <https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1028841/nutrients>.
3. Ods.od.nih.gov.. Office of Dietary Supplements - Omega-3 Fatty Acids. [online] Available at: <https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/>.