Saving smoked salmon
How long will smoked salmon (lox) keep in the fridge after the package has been opened? I love lox and bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, but alas the hubby does not, so I am the lone eater here and I tend to throw things out rather than keep them. I have a fear of getting sick on food past its prime. If I knew it would be safe to eat, I could probably finish the package in two weeks . . . would it still be okay to eat? If not, would the smell be off? I threw the remains of some out over the weekend that had been in the fridge (opened) for about 16 days--it didn't smell weird, but I was just scared to eat it. But what a waste!
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11 Comments:
You can freeze it.
smallblondemom at 9:33AM on 10/27/09
The simplest way is to invite me for breakfast.
Seriously, it's fish, albeit smoked, and it will probably begin to smell, look or feel unpleasant (like, it may become dry and tough) before anything grows dangerous enough to hurt you.
Lorenzo at 12:31PM on 10/27/09
For what it's worth, I've been fine eating lox that had been in my fridge for at least three weeks. And I'm typically quick to throw things out, also. I figure that the smoking is a preservative, so it's got much more longevity than, say, a fresh filet that goes bad within hours.
unpocojmoney at 1:35PM on 10/27/09
i'm also the sole smoked salmon / lox / gravlax / whatever kind of cured salmon eater. usually i eat the entire package in 2 days but i've kept it up to a week opened with no issue...but i remember it got a little dried out and didn't taste as good, no funny taste, just not as good
korovka at 1:40PM on 10/27/09
Thanks for the input, guys. I had thought about freezing it, but wasn't sure if that would affect the texture. I think I'll just keep it in the fridge and hopefully I can eat it up within two - three weeks. @unpocojmoney -- I guess the smoking process would act as a preservative, so that eases my mind some.
thegourmetgal at 3:34PM on 10/27/09
Freeze it, or part of it.
Or make it into a salmon spread or mousse to eat with crackers.
CJ McD at 3:50PM on 10/27/09
for this kind of question there's always this site...
http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17604
hmw0029 at 4:41PM on 10/27/09
@unpocojmoney: I believe that it's not so much the smoke that preserves it as the salt and the fact that there's much less moisture in smoked salmon than in fresh salmon, so what you have left is a fairly salty, fatty/oily protein rather than the kind of wet and non-salty environment in which bacteria love to set up shop. However, the smoke "probably" does contribute to the preservation. I've never seen a very definitive scientific statement about the preservative effect of smoking meat and fish. The books I have on the subject tend to glaze over this issue with a comment such as "Smoking meat was originally used as a method of preservation and probably does have some preservative effect, but ..." and then goes on to explain how salting, drying, fermenting and the use of cures plays a far clearer role in preserving foods.
Lorenzo at 6:26PM on 10/27/09
I'm in the same boat - DH won't usually eat it if we have it on hand. So, I usually buy a 4 or 6 ounce package - which turns out to be about two servings anyway - and I'll just have two lovely smoked salmon breakfasts in a week. I don't let it go for much longer than that.
It does freeze, but the texture can get pasty, in which case I make a smoked salmon dip that my friends love.
yayfood at 10:38AM on 10/28/09
Smoking removes some of the moisture from the fish, which helps to preserve it, so it will last significantly longer than fresh fish. But two weeks is pushing it. Wrap it in plastic wrap then place it in an airtight container (not a plastic bag). That should get you 7-10 days out of it. I made a mac-n-cheese with smoked gouda and jack cheese and then crumbled some smoked salmon into it, which helped me get rid of a large piece of smoked salmon I'd bought near Half Moon Bay. It was all so creamy and smokey... delicious!
lauracarmen at 2:43PM on 10/28/09
I've frozen smoked salmon and its still edible when thawed. I found the consistency poor though....I can't peel off the slices because they tear and crumble.
As far as how to tell if its over the hill - I trust my nose. Fish especially always lets you know!
Joschus at 2:52PM on 10/28/09