“Can you freeze smoked salmon?” is probably the question many of us have asked. If one day you do not consume all the smoked salmon you bought and want to preserve it for continued consumption, freezing is the best way.
However, are you concerned that freezing smoked salmon and thawing might cause certain disadvantages to the texture, color, and flavor, directly affecting your meal? And will that have a negative effect on your health?
For the best answer, continue with me in this article. Not only will I give you the answer to the question “Can you freeze smoked salmon”, but I will also give you the knowledge of salmon, the best steps to freeze and defrost it, as well as any tips you need to enjoy a hearty smoked salmon meal!
What Is Smoked Salmon?
Smoked salmon is a consumable product made from salmon and smoked by two methods: hot and cold smoking. There are lots of delicious smoked salmon in stores or even online. But you’d better notice which way they are smoked since their flavor can be quite different.
One of the most frequent concerns on the market is whether smoked salmon needs further cooking. To answer this question, you should first look at the smoking process.
The purpose of smoking is to enhance the salmon’s aroma and attractiveness. Above all, this is also an optimal way of preservation, both helping to destroy microorganisms on the salmon’s surface and prolonging the dish’s use.
Next is the high-quality nutritional value that is highly beneficial to your health. Referring to salmon, people immediately associate the rich Omega 3 and protein content.
Besides, smoked salmon also synthesizes a large source of natural minerals, especially unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and selenium, helping to improve consumers’ health.
Health Benefits Of Smoked Salmon
Thanks to its high nutritional value, smoked salmon has many benefits for the entire body. So, to know more about the health benefits of eating salmon every day, don’t ignore the nutritional information from salmon like below:
Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fats are essential nutrients that must help them from your diet because your body cannot make these fats. Salmon is the best source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
As you may know, Omega-3 fatty acids have beneficial effects on health, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, reducing cancer risk, and improving the function of cells lining the body’s arteries.
Furthermore, the absorption of omega-3 fats from salmon is as effective as taking fish oil capsules.
Contains The Antioxidant
Astaxanthin is associated with some powerful effects on health. This carotenoid antioxidant gives salmon its red pigment.
Besides, Astaxanthin reduces the risk of heart disease by reducing the oxidation of bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol.
In addition, Astaxanthin works with salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids to protect the brain and nervous system from inflammation. Furthermore, it can help prevent skin damage and help you look younger.
Reduce The Risk Of Heart Disease
Using anise regularly can help protect against heart disease. This can be explained by the ability of salmon to increase omega-3 in the blood.
Some studies show that when the balance of these two fatty acids is lost, heart disease’s risk increases. Additionally, consuming salmon and other fatty fish reduces triglycerides and increases omega-3 fat levels much more than supplementing with fish oil.
Fight Inflammation
Salmon is a powerful food against inflammation because inflammation causes most chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.
Several studies have discovered the suitable consumption of salmon to reduce inflammatory markers in people at risk for these and other diseases.
Contain Many B Vitamins
Salmon provides excellent B vitamins. These B vitamins are involved in many important processes in your body, including turning the food you eat into energy, building and improving DNA, and at the same time helping to reduce inflammation, which can lead to heart disease.
Vitamin B maintains the optimal functioning of the brain and nervous system. The content of this vitamin in salmon is quite plentiful. However, even people in developed countries may be deficient in one or more of these vitamins.
Good Source Of Potassium
Salmon is quite high in potassium. In fact, salmon contains a fairly high amount of potassium that helps control your blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of stroke.
Potassium significantly reduces blood pressure, especially when added to a high-sodium diet. Potassium lowers blood pressure and prevents excess water retention.
Good Source Of Selenium
Selenium is considered a trace mineral, which means that the body only needs a very small amount. However, having enough selenium in your meal is extremely important.
Selenium plays a role in protecting bone health, reducing thyroid antibodies in people with autoimmune thyroid disease and cancers. Using salmon and seafood high in selenium can improve selenium levels in the blood.
Protect Brain Health
Salmon in the diet can improve brain function, which is increasingly proven by studies. Both fatty fish and fish oil reduce symptoms of depression, protect fetal brain health during pregnancy, reduce anxiety, reduce the risk of dementia, etc.
Improve Mood
The amount of omega-3 contained in salmon helps avoid depression, reduce negative thoughts during puberty, and reduce cognitive decline in the elderly.
Beneficial For Weight Control
Eat salmon fat? In fact, regular consumption of salmon can help you lose weight and lose weight. Salmon protein helps regulate appetite control hormones and makes you feel full. Besides, when consuming protein-rich foods like salmon will increase your metabolism more than other foods.
The omega-3s in salmon and other fish may promote weight loss and belly fat loss in overweight people. In addition, salmon is quite low in calories.
How Is Smoked Salmon Processed?
Unlike canned salmon, smoked salmon is processed using a smoking method, which is a way to flavor or preserve food by using smoke.
Therefore, do you know how smoked salmon production works? Let’s explore with me!
Preliminary Processing
After being caught, the salmon will be cleaned, removed from the organs, and then frozen on board to keep the fish optimal fresh.
At the smoking workshop, fish are thawed with 2 degrees Celsius of cold water for 15 hours. The use of cold water to thaw will prevent the formation of bacteria inside the fish.
Next, people will start to filter the fish, remove the head, and cut the bone into two fillets. The spine and tail fin are put into the machine to filter the meat to make fish cakes.
Meanwhile, the workers will remove the fins, the excess fat, and the remaining bones on the fillet and bring them to salt.
Marinate And Smoke The Salmons
At this time, they will sprinkle a mixture of salt and 26 spices over the surface of the meat, marinate for one and a half hours to limit the salt permeability to 1%, then wash through the fish fillet with cold water.
In this process, they will apply maple syrup to the fillet’s surface to neutralize the fish flavor with the remaining salt.
Rinse Off The Salt
Next, the salmon fillets are rinsed with water to remove excess salt before switching to smoking and drying. The drying process helps salmon fillets have a thin outer film, which is the protein layer that allows the smoke to stick to the salmon’s surface better.
The fillets will be sent to the smoking oven. In the first 8 hours, the workers will put fish in the chamber to burn the maple tree’s sawdust. For the next 8 hours, they will put in the sawdust of the cherry tree, then use the sawdust of the apple tree.
The very sequence of burning the oven will be an important factor, creating a delicious taste for salmon. To create smoke, they use water to put out the fire. Since low-temperature smoking is required, this process takes at least 24 hours. However, it will retain the moisture of the fish better.
Finish
After smoking, salmon still retains the same color as fresh fish, filtered bones, filtered skin cleanly. The fish continues to be frozen for an easy slicing machine.
To limit bacteria growth, the finished product will be vacuum-packed and put into a deep-frozen area with cold temperatures up to -35C within 1 hour.
The temperature for storage and transport is -18 degrees Celsius, which is the same as the home freezer temperature. To smoke salmon, thaw the salmon fillets, remove the bones and coat the fish with salt, sometimes including sugar.
The marinating time lasts about 12 to 24 hours to remove moisture from the fish. This is the drying process of salmon. The longer the salmon dries, the more salt is contained in the salmon.
However, by absorbing the fish’s moisture, salt enhances the fish’s flavor and acts as a preservative that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria.
Types Of Smoked Salmon
While people group fresh salmon into various kinds, smoked salmon only includes two types: cold-smoked salmon and hot smoked salmon. Salmon can be smoked hot or cold. The main difference between these two smoked methods is the temperature of the smoke.
For cold smoked salmon, the temperature should be 10 to 32C between 20 and 24 hours. This range is not high enough to cook salmon, so extra care is needed during the preparation and smoking to reduce foodborne illness risk.
In contrast, with hot smoking, the smoking chamber must have a temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius. Smoking time lasts at least 30 minutes.
The most smoked salmon on the market you can find is cold-smoked salmon. They will be differentiated from hot smoked salmon based on their packaging. Cold smoked salmon tends to be smoother and lighter, while hot-smoked salmon tends to break and taste better.
How To Choose And Store Smoked Salmon
While some smoked salmon require refrigeration, others do not just require refrigeration after the packaging is opened. Therefore, choosing smoked salmon should carefully check the product label for the manufacturer’s storage and storage recommendations.
When choosing smoked salmon products, avoid buying those with dark colors. These types of salmon often have an unpleasant taste that should have been discarded during the packaging process.
You can refrigerate smoked salmon for up to 2 weeks or up to 3 months after unpacking.
Can You Freeze Smoked Salmon?
The answer is yes. You can still get great taste results from freezing smoked salmon. However, even if this is the number one option, you should pay attention to the freezing time. The longer you leave smoked salmon in the freezer, the less smoke flavor you get.
Just follow the steps from preparing to freezing and then thawing the smoked salmon properly. You’ll always have delicious salmon on hand to use in your recipes whenever you need it.
Things To Consider Before Freezing Smoked Salmon
You need to consider several conditions before freezing to ensure that the flavor, texture, and safety of smoked salmon are intact. Just follow these three essential criteria before the freeze, and your salmon will be optimally frozen:
Condition Of Smoke Salmon
If your smoked salmon is no longer fresh, don’t freeze it. It is more likely that it will go rancid after thawing and make your refrigerator smell of horror. It is also not safe for your health.
Also, while the exact shelf life of smoked salmon depends on various factors, you can still freeze it if you leave your smoked fish in the fridge for less than seven days. However, if it has passed more than seven days, you should cook it right away and don’t freeze it.
The Airtight Of The Original Packaging
Smoked salmon is full of omega-3, unsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are characterized by very susceptibility to oxidation. Once oxidized, scents are quickly replaced by unpleasant odors.
Therefore, the more limiting the exposure of smoked salmon to oxygen as possible. If you do this before, your product will last as long as possible when frozen.
Ensure your smoked salmon is always put in an airtight of the original packaging as a sealed bag and squeezed all the air out, or preferably vacuum sealed.
Ingredients Included
When properly frozen, the smoked salmon will stay fresh, but the ingredients are not certain. Some common salmon supplements can degrade after thawings, such as ice cream, peas, crunchy vegetables, herbs, and celery.
Therefore, if you want to enhance the flavor of smoked salmon, you should marinate these spices after thawing instead of placing them in the freezer with the salmon.
How To Freeze Smoked Salmon
You have received claims that you can freeze smoked salmon. So, how do you freeze it properly and still retain its good texture and taste?
I will help you maintain the quality and nutritional content of smoked salmon and reduce food poisoning risk. Just follow the steps below:
Step 1: Cut The Fish Into Pieces
If your smoked salmon is in full large pieces, cut it into thin, small, bite-sized slices. This job offers many benefits:
The freezing process is more favorable: When slicing small pieces, your salmon will be fully frozen, not just freeze the surrounding. Therefore, you will ensure the full freshness of the salmon.
The defrosting process is more convenient: You probably don’t want to thaw a giant salmon and then use it all. Slicing will allow you to thaw each slice until you reach the desired amount. And thawing also happens faster.
(However, if you bought the smoked fish that is already available in slices, skip this step.)
Step 2: Prepare Before Freezing Smoked Salmon
When the air – including oxygen – comes in direct contact with the smoked salmon, it loses moisture, the texture becomes dry and brittle, and the color changes. Yes, oxy is the worst enemy of smoked salmon when frozen.
The most important thing is never to expose your salmon to the air, or as little exposure as possible, as it will cause disadvantages in texture, taste, and nutrition.
This is an important step in determining the freshness and remaining nutrition of smoked salmon. I will introduce you to 3 ways to prepare frozen:
- Method 1: Use Plastic Food Wrap
To wrap sliced smoked salmon, prepare a plastic food wrap. First, wrap each slice of the smoked salmon you cut with plastic wrap. Note to squeeze the air out while you are wrapping.
Seal all edges and do not leave any openings. Ideally, you should wrap two or three layers of plastic. Then, put the wrapped fish in a freezer bag or container and cover it tightly.
- Method 2: Use A Vacuum Extractor
To reduce the hassle of wrapping your smoked salmon multiple times with plastic wrap, use a special plastic vacuum extractor bag.
The plastic wrap specially made for the vacuum extractor will make sure to remove all the air around your smoked salmon before sealing the package.
When packaged this way, your smoked salmon will be kept for up to 6 months. However, this method requires you to have a vacuum extractor, and not everyone owns it.
- Method 3: Use A Box
This way, you need to choose a box with an airtight lid. Then place the slices of salmon on the bottom of the box to form a layer, not overlapping.
Next, you place a layer of grease-absorbent paper on top of the smoked salmon. The grease-absorbent paper prevents the slices of salmon from sticking together after freezing. In this way, you can easily take out individual slices to thaw.
Then just keep repeating the steps until the box is full. Then, cover tightly.
Step 3: Label The Smoked Salmon Packages
Once you have wrapped the smoked fish well and made sure that no air is getting in, you can label the date of purchase and the frozen date separately for each package to ensure better tracking of the shelf life of the smoked salmon.
This prevents you from getting piled up in the refrigerator and not misusing expired or defrosted smoked salmon. However, if you only have one bag of frozen salmon, this may not be necessary.
After the label, all your smoked salmon bags/boxes put them in the freezer, and wait until they are frozen.
Bonus Tips For Freezing Smoked Salmon
So you already know how to freeze smoked salmon? However, I have some tips to help you get the best results:
The best material for pre-freezing smoked salmon packaging is vacuum bags, followed by food wrap, and finally containers. The airtightness decreases gradually in the order of these materials.
To preserve the original taste and texture of smoked salmon, before wrapping it, you should prepare some first-rate cooking avocado oil or olive oil. Use them to apply both sides of each salmon slice evenly.
These oils help to minimize oxidative damage and dehydration of smoked salmon, contributing to the integrity and texture of the salmon after thawing.
Remember to use grease blotting paper between each slice or layer of smoked salmon. Otherwise, it’s extremely tiring to remove them from each other after freezing.
And don’t be surprised if your refrigerator smells fishy, even if you’ve wrapped the smoked salmon very well!
How To Defrosting Smoked Salmon
Not only do smoked salmon properly freeze, but you also need to thaw it properly to preserve its flavor and texture and not shatter it. Here are some good ways to thaw properly:
In The Refrigerator
This is the best method you should use. Although this method will take quite a while, maybe a day or night, it is still the safest method. Bring the frozen smoked salmon from the freezer to the cool compartment of your fridge to defrost slowly.
You can transfer the frozen almond milk to the cool refrigerator compartment in the evening, and it will completely melt in the morning. It may also take longer if your frozen salmon cubes are larger.
I recommend this method because it allows gradual temperature changes on your frozen salmon, not too sudden. As a result, the ice crystals can slowly melt without dissociation.
With this defrosting method, you may wait longer than others. However, I’m sure that it will bring you the best-defrosted smoked salmon in both nutrients, flavor, color, and texture.
In Cool Water
If you need to defrost smoked salmon for an occasion and can’t wait all day, give this method a try. However, it is not as good as thawing in the refrigerator cooler and will somewhat affect the texture.
Since water conducts heat better than air, thawing your smoked salmon in the water will be accelerated. Prepare a basin of cool water and place the frozen smoked salmon slices in it to speed up the defrosting process.
In The Defrosting Tray
Defrosting food with thawing trays has many benefits, and salmon is no exception. There are numerous defrosting trays available on the market today. So, you can freely choose sizes that suit your frozen salmon the most.
The defrosting tray is specially made of highly conductive material, which will safely speed up the thawing process of frozen smoked salmon. Compared to thawing in the refrigerator cooler, thawing the smoked salmon in this tool can make the process twice as fast.
Furthermore, each slice of your frozen salmon will be thawed evenly and at the same time, without causing a hard spot. Since the defrost tray is so compact, you can put it in a corner and forget about it for a while. This is also a thawing method that is certified as a safe food.
Some Notes:
Never defrost smoked salmon at room temperature, as sudden changes will cause the salmon to lose its texture and become susceptible to infection.
Thaw only as many slices of fish as you need for your meal, as thawed smoked salmon should not be frozen again.
Once the smoked salmon has been completely thawed, you need to cook it right away.
Smoked salmon has an odor, so thawing smoked salmon should be kept away from other foods in the refrigerator.
You can place a bowl of deodorant or baking powder in the refrigerator to deodorize.
How Long Can You Keep Smoked Salmon Frozen?
Normally, smoked salmon, if stored in the refrigerator cooler, only lasts for two months. That’s why it’s a good idea to freeze it when you don’t need it to keep your smoked salmon fresh for as long as possible.
If you cover the salmon slices completely from the air, smoked salmon can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. Salmon will not be spoiled. However, after six months, most of its yummy flavor and texture will be greatly reduced.
For the safest consumption, freeze smoked salmon only for up to 4 months. Because the longer the salmon is frozen, the flavor will decrease. Although it is completely safe, you can no longer smell the delicious smoke. So use it as soon as possible.
Signs Of Spoiled Smoked Salmon
It is not difficult to recognize the signs of smoked salmon spoilage. You can see its failures through the following obvious signs:
- Smell: Rotting smoked salmon has an unpleasant odor.
- Color: The bright orange color of smoked salmon turns dark brown, and worst of all, green. White mucus surrounds the slice of salmon.
- Taste: Once cooked, you will find that the salmon has a sour taste and cannot be eaten.
Pay attention to the above signs. If your smoked salmon has any, throw it out immediately and don’t regret it. Any spoiled food is detrimental to your health.
Suggested Menu For Defrosted Smoked Salmon
There are many delicious dishes that you can unleash your creativity and variations on thawed smoked salmon. Join me to discover some delicious recipes from these delicious, nutritious ingredients right away!
Smoked Salmon Salad
A smoked salmon salad with various fresh fruits and vegetables mixed together makes it perfect for hot days or at parties high in protein.
Smoked salmon provides a lot of protein and animal origin, so you can combine it with vegetables and green roots to balance nutrition, typically salmon salad.
Smoked salmon salad is quite a familiar dish for those who need to lose weight and keep in shape. You can add a few other ingredients to your portion of the serving, such as onion, tomato, butter, and a little vinegar. Thus, the meal is both colorful, flavorful, and full of essential nutrients for the body.
It only takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook, and you immediately have a delicious and nutritious smoked salmon dish for the whole family.
Smoked Salmon Sushi
In the list of dishes with smoked salmon, it is impossible not to mention Japanese sushi specialties. Sushi is a rice ball mixed with vinegar combined with fresh seafood, in which the highest quality is salmon.
Instead of making sushi with raw salmon ingredients, it is so familiar. Why not try changing the flavor of your dish this time by replacing raw salmon with smoked salmon. You are sure that your family members will love this dish.
The sweet and sour vinegar rice combined with the delicious and sweet taste of smoked salmon makes a unique dish extremely attractive to users.
Smoked Salmon Spaghetti
Cream sauce spaghetti is quite sweet because of the creamy sauce that not everyone can feel. However, if you are a fan of pasta, you can improve this dish by adding a few slices of smoked salmon to balance the salty, sweet taste in it.
Many people have adopted this idea and received positive feedback from customers because they enjoy not only delicious food but also good health.
Smoked Salmon Pizza
According to some surveys from pizza shops, the salmon pizza combo is one of the products that, despite the price is a bit high, is among the best-selling products.
It can be seen that the demand for users is getting higher and higher, and awareness of the nutritional value of the dish is also better. Undeniable pizza smoked salmon sausage full synthesis of protein, protein, and especially omega-3 for the body.
Smoked Salmon Sandwich
This is probably the most simple and fastest-processed smoked salmon dish on the list above. You can add a few slices of salad, avocado, or mustard sauce to your sandwich and use it as a breakfast or an afternoon snack, for sure, good for health.
FAQs
Find the answers to your questions below:
Wrapping It Up
At this point, have you been satisfied with the answer to the question “can you freeze smoked salmon”? The final answer is you can absolutely freeze it, which is the best preservative method for smoked salmon.
You will hardly find the changes in flavor, texture, and color of the smoked salmon if you have the right method of freezing, as I showed you before. And the nutritional content in each salmon slice does not change much.
I hope the information in my guide will help you answer all your questions about smoked salmon. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions, and don’t forget to share it with your friends who have the same question.
