Freeze and defrost salmon: What you should consider

Salmon is a very popular edible fish that you can use in many different dishes. Salmon is easy to freeze if you keep a few things in mind. Then you can easily use it again at a later date.

Freezing salmon – Here’s what you should keep in mind

If you have bought salmon in a large quantity, it makes sense to freeze it. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

• If you buy salmon to freeze, it should be as fresh as possible, as salmon should only be frozen once. However, with salmon from supermarkets or many fishmongers, the fish is thawed again for sale after it has been transported frozen.

• To avoid this problem, you should ask the seller exactly whether the fish has been frozen before. Alternatively, already frozen salmon is useful, which you can also transport in this condition.

• To ensure that you always have exactly the portion you want to eat ready for defrosting, you should portion the salmon appropriately before freezing.
  • Smoked salmon is a special case. This is already shrink-wrapped and preserved by the smoking process. You can freeze it without hesitation as long as the packaging has not been opened. If it has, you should process the fish quickly. Frozen smoked salmon is less suitable for eating raw because of the changed surface, but you can still use it in warm dishes without any problems.
    

    Thawing salmon – Here’s how

    You should thaw frozen salmon gently so that it remains edible.

    • Thawing in the refrigerator is particularly suitable for larger quantities of frozen salmon. To do this, take the fish out of the freezer and put it in the fridge about 12 hours before cooking. Take it out of the packaging beforehand and place it in a bowl. In the fridge, it should be placed at a certain distance from other foods so that the flavour does not go over. After you have taken the salmon out of the fridge, you should process it immediately.
    You can also defrost salmon in the microwave. To do this, take it out of the freezer and remove the packaging. Place the fish on a plate, covered with kitchen paper, so that the thinnest part of the fish is in the middle. Per 450g of fish, it needs 4-5 minutes in the microwave. It works best with the defrost function. Then leave the fish to defrost for a while in the kitchen before preparing the salmon.
    • Another option is to defrost the salmon in the sink. This takes about 30 minutes for 500g of fish. Put the fish in a waterproof bag to prevent the bacteria from multiplying. The salmon must be completely covered with cold water in the sink, which you should change every half hour. Again, you should prepare the fish directly.
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