Who can deny the fact that salmon is such a great delicacy? The various ways of preparing fresh salmon and smoked salmon is just finger licking great. This is why at times you might prepare more than enough smoked salmon without even knowing it.
Yes, it is indeed possible to freeze your smoked salmon. To prevent the growth of micro-organisms which can put your fish at the risk of getting spoilt and to retain its flavor and quality, the temperature of the freezer should be at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
If such a thing happens, what do you do with the excess fish? Do you throw it away? Do you store it in a freezer? Can you freeze smoked salmon? These are some of the questions that you would need to answer.
What About Repeated Freezing And Thawing?
The only time when you can be sure that your salmon has never been frozen is only when you have caught the fish yourself. In most cases, any retailer will choose to freeze the raw salmon to avoid massive losses. The main reason is that unrefrigerated raw salmon typically only lasts for about two hours at room temperature before it starts breaking down.
That explains why most frozen salmon you see in the supermarket is frozen. If you have caught your salmon and you don’t intend to cook it right away, you should freeze it immediately to preserve its initial freshness. The process of freezing and thawing your smoked salmon is not recommended at all.
It will end up degrading the quality and affect the texture of the fish meat. It also permits the growth of bacteria which will infect your food and make it unsafe for human consumption.
The Best Way To Freeze Smoked Salmon
To increase the chances of your raw salmon being in a good condition and decent taste after freezing, a lower temperature will work best. Here is a useful video you can watch about freezing salmon.
If you barely have the privilege to catch your own fish, this means that you will get a smoked salmon from a retailer who had already vacuum packed it and froze it.
If there is a need to store your smoke salmon to be used at a later date, you can simply store it in a freezer. This is just the same case it is with the vacuum package. Preserving it in a freezer is far much better compared to a refrigerator.
You need to avoid air like a plague when freezing your smoke salmon. This is because the presence of air can lead to oxidation which is the root cause of loss of flavor, spoilage and freezer burn. It is therefore advisable to avoid air as much as you can when freezing it. We recommend using a food saver vacuum sealer during this process
The Process of Freezing The Smoked Salmon
- You can freeze it either in its original package if it’s still unopened, If it is already opened, then you have to shred your smoked salmon into tiny pieces
- Wrap the various pieces of smoked salmon using plastic wrap, and then add a layer of aluminum foil preferably. This helps a great deal in preventing the occurrence of freezer burns on your smoked salmon.
- Store the tiny pieces of salmon which are now neatly wrapped in plastic wrap and an additional aluminum foil in freezer bags. Each freezer bag should contain enough smoked salmon for a single serving to prevent repeated freezing and thawing.
- Ensure that the packages you use are tightly sealed to make them airtight. Before you store your smoked salmon in the freezer bags, make sure that you release all the excess air from the bags before you close them up. This will help in increasing the longevity of your smoked salmon.
- This one might seem to be a minor step, but it is essential. Do not forget to label the freezing bags or containers with the dates on which you stored your smoked salmon in the freezer. This way, you will know which serving to cook first before the other.
Smoked Salmon Dip
Here is a simple method for your smoke salmon dip
Ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Sour Cream
- Mayonnaise
- Capers
- Lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- Smoked salmon roughly chopped
- Fresh dill minced, plus more for garnish
- Green onion chopped
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
-  Add cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce into your food processor. Blend and make sure cream cheese has broken down for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Switch off your food processor and dill, onion, salmon and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse again until you see the fish is thoroughly blended and the mixture has a smooth texture, for about 6 to 8 minutes. Taste the dip and more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Your smoke salmon dip is ready to be served with crackers or bagels. If you’d like the dip to be firmer, chill in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes before serving.
Thawing And Enjoying Smoked Salmon
Frozen salmon is the best way of preservation. You are assured that it will be in good condition for up to six months with its flavor, color and still not compromise on its nutrients.
If you have removed your smoked salmon from the freezer and you intend to thaw it to prepare a meal in a refrigerator, it will be in good condition for up to six days at most.
You now want to make a meal out of your smoked salmon, you sure have to defrost it. To avoid refreezing, remove only the amount of smoked salmon you need for the occasion.
Remove the smoked salmon from the freezer and immediately place the freezer bag in the refrigerator. Before removing it from the refrigerator for consumption, make sure that it has been completely defrosted.
Go Ahead And Try It Out
Smoked salmon is quite a delicacy high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids which you can prepare for any meal, whether breakfast, lunch or supper and it will still be perfect. There is no harm in freezing your smoked salmon; this will help you in avoiding wastage of food.
I hope you now have answers to the question ‘Can you freeze smoked salmon. You may also be keen on How Long To Boil Crawfish? or 9 Ingredients You Need To Make The Best Salmon Skin Roll