Can you successfully freeze smoked salmon?

[Maison Rustique]

I over-bought and hate to waste it. I'm guessing the quick answer is yes, but what I really want to know is can you freeze it without degrading the taste/texture? Anyone tried it?

 

And just to clarify, I'm talking about the "wet" smoked salmon AKA lox and not the drier shelf-stable vacuum-packed stuff.

 

Thanks!

[ranitidine]

Yes, you can. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then put it in a zipper-lock plastic bag and freeze it. It is very easily defrosted, either in the refrigerator, overnight, or on the counter, in about an hour or so. I find it loses nothing of its flavor or texture.

[Lippy]

Be sure to wrap the salmon in serving size packages to avoid de-frosting and re-freezing. I overwrap the plastic with aluminum foil, and make sure to press out all of the air before putting it in the zip-lock bag and then pressing the air out of the zip-lock bag before sealing it.

[Maison Rustique]

Thank you both!!

[balex]

Also a whole side of smoked salmon (so half a fish) freezes very well in a single piece.

[GrantK]

The drawback there is not being able to defrost smaller chunks as needed. When I used to fish, I'd often get salmon smoked. The smokehouse would cut the fish into 1 lb chunks and vacuum seal it. I've kept it for years that way with no appreciable loss of quality.

[Maison Rustique]

Thanks, balex and thanks, GrantK! I'm so glad you mentioned vacuum sealing. I'll wrap small portions in plastic wrap and then vacuum seal the packets. I'd guess that should do the trick!

[ngatti]

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but while frozen and defrosted smoked salmon is perfectly acceptable; I do find a noticible degradation in texture and the longer it's held frozen the greater the degradatiobn.

 

I *do* freeze smoked salmon all of the time, but as a rule, in my kitchen, smoked salmon that has been frozen is defrosted only for use as LEO mis en place.

 

I just think that the bunch of salmon mavens I deal with daily can tell the difference. Or rather, the way I look at it; if *I* can tell the difference than many others will be able to also.

[ranitidine]

Nick, it's true that I use the defrosted salmon for LEO. I was going to try some on a bagel this morning to see if I agreed/disagreed with you, but I was too full from last night's dinner.

[Maison Rustique]

Hmmmm...maybe we'll just eat a lot of salmon for the next couple of days.

[Leslie]

It's my understanding most commercial lox sold has been frozen at some at point to kill parasites. So freezing left overs is actually re-freezing it.

[omnivorette]

I don't think that's true. Lox is brine-cured and cold-smoked, there is no freezing involved.

 

At least not at Acme, which is one of the largest suppliers of lox on the east coast.

 

Also, freezing raw fish and then defrosting before using it is different than freezing fish after it has been cured and smoked, I would think.

[Leslie]

It could be a difference between East coast practice and West coast practice. The curing process does not kill parasites. Only freezing does. And many salmon, especially wild Alaskan Pacific salmon carry parasites. That is why wild salmon sushi is also frozen before served raw.

[balex]

Freezing and defrosting always causes some degradation. Except for octopus.

[Suzanne F]

It's my understanding most commercial lox sold has been frozen at some at point to kill parasites. So freezing left overs is actually re-freezing it.

 

Salmon for sushi is frozen for that reason, since nothing else in the processing will take care of that. Eiji Takase (Taka) first coated it with salt, then froze it. Not sure about lox/Nova, though.

 

ETA: Oh. I see you already said that.