Do you like seafood? Fish is one of the most common seafood that we like to indulge in. Along with being delicious, it is also loaded with health benefits.
Fish is known to be a low-fat high-quality protein. It contains essential omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins.
Fish is also a rich source of calcium, phosphorous and minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
A sumptuous fish recipe for dinner can be a good idea but what if you can’t buy fresh fish every day? In this case, you would like to keep the fish in your fridge but for how long before it spoils?
Here is how long you can keep the fish in your fridge.
The proper way to store fish
Before we discuss how long you can keep the fish in the fridge, you must know how to properly store fish in your fridge because despite it’s heavenly taste, fish doesn’t have a pleasant smell. To properly store the fish, seal the fish fillets in a plastic bag and squeeze out the air. Then place the bag in a bowl filled with ice. Generally, fish can be stored in the fridge for up to two days if it is to be used immediately after purchase. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that you keep fresh fish, shrimp, scallops, and squid for just one to two days in the fridge. That being said, it also depends on the different types of fishes and how fresh they are. Bass, tuna, swordfish, trout, and salmon can keep from three to five days whereas oily fishes like mackerel, bluefish, and sardines have a slightly shorter window so make sure to cook them within three days. If you are not going to use the fish in the next two days, then make sure to wrap it tightly in a moisture-proof freezer paper or foil to avoid air leaks. Then you can thaw the frozen fish whenever you need to use it.
Buy fresh fish
To determine how long you can keep the fish in your fridge, you should make sure that you buy fresh fish and seafood. Good fish fillets or steaks should be shiny and bright, not grey or dry-looking. The flesh should also be unblemished. Once you have cooked the fish, you can store the leftovers. Most cooked fish can remain good in the refrigerator at a freezing temperature for two to three days.
Does keeping seafood in the refrigerator affect its nutrition?
It might seem like fresh fish is a healthier choice than frozen but the truth is that both fresh and frozen fish can be healthy options as long as you store them and cook them properly before eating. Freezing fresh fish can affect it’s taste and texture, also its bacterial content. Frozen fish can spoil if it gets thawed before you want to use it, for example in transport. Freezing doesn’t the nutritional content of the fish. Protein, fat and fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and D aren’t affected by the freezing process itself but they can be spoiled if you thaw the fish and refreeze it. Always remember that you shouldn’t refreeze seafood if it once thaws.
