# Frozen vacuum-packed salmon - how long?



## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

Hi

I just bought some frozen wild caught Alaskan salmon that is vacuum-packed. It was frozen over a year and a half ago. Is this going to be ok to eat when thawed?

Thanks in advance.


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

Absolutely. Thaw in the frig, don't break the vacuum pack until thawed and ready to cook. It should taste great. 
If the seal has been broken and the fish has snow inside the package, then you probably have freezer burn. It won't taste great but it won't hurt you. 
But if it just looks like a piece of frozen fish in plastic, then it's fine.


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## bessiebeardsley (Apr 14, 2020)

I searched the Google and found out that frozen salmon in a vacuum bag can be stored for 2 years. After vacuum-sealed salmon is thawed, it will last in the refrigerator for about two days. I'm not really an expert in this business and only recently started freezing food in order to save money. We live in a difficult time and I have to find ways to get out of a difficult situation. By the way, during the search, I found a blog where you can learn how to freeze different products properly. If you are interested, you can check out https://freezeit.co.uk . If you know of similar blogs, please share them.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

We are having a Walleye fish fry tomorrow with the Walleye being sealed and frozen for over a year.


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## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

Just a little follow up here.

I bought some more vacuum-packed frozen wild caught Alaskan salmon. I emailed the co. asking how long it would stay in the fridge after thawing. Here is the answer I got,

_It shouldn't be in the fridge that long thawed in the package. If thawing in the fridge, puncture package or remove from the packaging altogether.

Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes are the bacteria of primary concern when thawing vacuum packed fish.

The current USDA guidelines do want the plastic vac-pack pouch to be pierced for overnight refrigerator thawing (AKA, allowing air to get inside to prevent the potential growth of anaerobic bacteria)

Cook within a day or two_

Cheers.


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

Good to know. I wouldn't have expected to have to puncture the packaging when vacuum packed and refrigerated.


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## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

Nor I. I didn't ask, but I wonder why that's necessary? Does the bacteria accumulate more/faster if the pkg is still sealed?


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

I'll try to look that up b/c it makes no sense to me. If vacuum sealing keeps the air out to insure longer shelf life, then letting air in would allow aerobic bacterial growth. Sealed- anaerobic, not sealed- aerobic. Damned if you do... 
Of course I wouldn't be thawing frozen fish if I didn't plan on eating it right away but a little clarity on this might help in the future.


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## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

chefwriter said:


> then letting air in would allow aerobic bacterial growth. Sealed- anaerobic, not sealed- aerobic


This is exactly what I thought.

Is there a place to pose this inquiry to? Be it the FDA, or some other org... like the National Salmon Assoc. (LOL)?


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