How to properly store salmon after purchasing

Salmon is a perishable product. Therefore, first you need to choose it correctly, and only then adhere to several special rules for storing it at home.

How to buy quality salmon

Despite the fact that this red fish costs a lot of money, unscrupulous sellers manage to deceive consumers in one way or another. Unfortunately, instead of salmon, you can buy some other cheap, but red-colored fish. You can check this by placing a piece of the product on the butter on a sandwich: if it turns red, it means that the fish you bought is not salmon.

How to buy quality chilled salmon

Real red fish gives off a specific marine smell. Not everyone likes it, but it should be there. Its absence indicates a low-quality product. Often sellers “hide” the rotten fishy aroma by dipping the salmon in a solution of vinegar and citric acid. After this procedure, the fish may not smell at all.

The eyes of fresh fish are light, not cloudy or sunken.That is why, in order to hide the staleness, salmon is often sold without the head.

The gills of quality fish are bright red. Salmon without mucus is no longer fresh. High-quality fish has elastic meat.

How to choose high-quality lightly salted or salted salmon

Usually such fish is sold in vacuum containers. You should not take salmon in the form of slices; it is often sprinkled with benzoic acid. It serves as a preservative. When gently pressing the vacuum, the meat should not separate from the bones. It is correct if the veins of such salmon are clearly visible.

Rules for storing chilled salmon

Immediately after purchase, the fish should be placed in the refrigerator. If for some reason this is not possible, then after 2 hours it must be placed in a cool place. Fresh salmon can be stored for no longer than 10 days, provided that the thermometer readings range from 0 to 2 °C.

You can slightly extend the shelf life of fresh salmon if:

• before sending it to the refrigeration unit, wrap it in foil or cover the container with it with a piece of natural fabric;
• do not store chilled salmon in plastic packaging;
• do not keep other products near the fish in the refrigerator;
• place it in cold water (this will add juiciness to it).

You can also extend the shelf life of salmon by sprinkling it with citric acid or wrapping it in a cloth soaked in vinegar. It is very good if it is possible to store chilled fish on shards of ice.

Rules for storing salmon in a freezer

To store salmon in a freezer for the maximum period (6 months), you need to freeze it correctly:

• Fish should be stored for storage in cling film or in a bag that does not allow air to pass through;
• It would be correct to “wrap” the salmon in an ice crust before freezing (to do this, you need to dip it in a container of water and place it in the freezer), the resulting piece of ice should be wrapped in a plastic bag and sent back to the device.

Lightly salted, salted or smoked salmon can also be frozen, but preferably in portioned pieces.

Rules for storing smoked salmon

Hot smoked fish can be stored at temperatures from 0 to 2 °C for 5 days. If it is purchased in a vacuum, then under the same conditions, it will remain edible for up to two months (similar cold smoked fish in such packaging can be stored for no longer than 4 weeks).

Rules for storing fried salmon

Poisoning from already cooked fish is just as possible as from raw fish. It is imperative to store the dish in a refrigerator (2-3 °C) in a container covered with cling film. After 2 days, you should no longer eat fried salmon.

Rules for storing salted or lightly salted salmon

Such salmon should be stored in a solution of salt and water in the refrigerator or even on the balcony or in another suitable place where the thermometer will not warm up to more than +2 °C.

It is also possible to preserve without brine, but before storing, in this way, you need to remove the skin from the salmon, cut it into pieces and place it in a non-metal container, and then tightly close it with a nylon lid or tighten the container with cling film. In this form, the fish will be in suitable condition for 10 days. The shelf life of salted and lightly salted salmon is 2 months, provided that it is purchased and remains in a vacuum container.