Freezing cooked prawns is a great way to extend their shelf life. However, there are some important safety guidelines to follow to ensure they freeze well and maintain their quality. In this article, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know about freezing cooked prawns, including tips, storage times, and thawing instructions.
Can You Freeze Cooked Prawns?
Yes! Cooked prawns can be frozen for up to 6 months, although they’re best used in 2-3 months. Timing is crucial when freezing seafood – you need to freeze them as quickly as possible. (**Full Instructions Below – Shelled, Unshelled, Thawing, Etc**)
Do Cooked Prawns Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Cooked Prawns? No
How to Freeze Cooked Prawns
As with most types of seafood, the quicker you can get them into the freezer, the better.
WARNING
There is an increased risk of foodborne pathogens if you leave prawns on the countertop for any longer than two hours.
Therefore, to ensure your cooked prawns will be perfectly safe to enjoy, here are the steps you need to follow to freeze both shell on and shell off prawns properly:
Shell On
- Cool Them: Allow the cooked prawns to cool to room temperature.
- Label and Date: Use a marker to label the container with the contents & date of freezing. It’s much easier to do this before you put the prawns in.
- Airtight container: Place the cooled prawns in your labeled, freezer-safe, airtight container. Plastic bags or rigid containers are both fine.
- Freeze: Place the container in the freezer. Store the prawns for up to 6 months.
Shell Off
- Cool and Peel: Allow your cooked prawns to cool to room temperature. Remove the shells and then devein them if necessary.
- Label and Date: Use a marker to label the container (plastic bags or rigid containers are both fine) with the contents & date of freezing. It’s much easier to do this before you put the prawns in.
- Flash Freeze: Place the prawns in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with another layer of parchment paper. Place them in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. Flash freezing like this keeps them from sticking together in a clump later on.
- Airtight container: Remove the prawns from the freezer and then transfer the them to airtight freezer bags or containers. Seal the bags or containers, removing as much air as possible.
- Freeze: Place the container in the freezer. Store the prawns for up to 6 months.
3 Tips for Freezing Cooked Prawns
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing cooked prawns to have the best results:
Check Prawns Before Freezing
Before you cook and freeze your prawns, you need to check that they’re in good shape. The first sign that your prawns aren’t what they should be is if they give off a strong odour (may resemble that of ammonia). You should also discard discoloured prawns.
Only Freeze Once
It’s so important that you only freeze cooked prawns once. This is because they have almost certainly been frozen already, even if you bought them fresh. In most instances, fishermen freeze prawns on their boats to preserve their freshness. Freezing cooked prawns more than once could cause you a serious stomach upset!
Use in 2-3 Months
While cooked prawns can be frozen for up to 6 months, they are best when used within 2-3 months for optimal quality.
How Long Can You Freeze Cooked Prawns?
You can freeze cooked prawns for up to 6 months. Most seafood freezes well, and prawns are no exception, even when they’ve already been cooked.
Prawns frozen beyond 3 months may start to deteriorate in quality.
Providing your prawns were fresh when you froze them, they should be perfectly fine.
How Do You Defrost Cooked Prawns?
When it’s time to thaw your cooked prawns you need to be really careful as they can easily spoil.
Shell On
Refrigerator thawing: Transfer your frozen prawns to the refrigerator and allow them to thaw overnight. This method is the safest way to thaw your prawns, as it prevents bacteria growth.
WARNING
Never defrost your prawns at room temperature, even if you’re hoping to save yourself some time. We also wouldn’t recommend thawing cooked prawns in the microwave, as they can go rubbery as a result.
Never defrost your prawns at room temperature, even if you’re hoping to save yourself some time. We also wouldn’t recommend thawing cooked prawns in the microwave, as they can go rubbery as a result.
Shell Off
Refrigerator thawing: Transfer the frozen prawns to your refrigerator and allow them to thaw overnight. This is the safest way to thaw prawns, because it prevents bacteria growth.
Cold water thawing: If you need to thaw the prawns more quickly, place them in a sealed bag and submerge the bag in a bowl of cool water (ideally below 40°F or 4°C). Change the water every 30 minutes until the prawns have thawed.
Can You Refreeze Cooked Prawns?
No, you can only freeze cooked prawns once. Freezing cooked prawns several times is potentially bad for your health, as you need to be really careful when it comes to preserving seafood.
WARNING
There is an increased risk of foodborne pathogens if you refreeze partially thawed raw or cooked seafood. Don’t do it!
If you’re concerned about wasting cooked prawns, consider freezing them in smaller portion sizes so you can easily remove whatever you need at any given time.
Do Cooked Prawns Freeze Well?
Overall, cooked prawns freeze extremely well. We would always recommend freezing uncooked prawns to give you greater flexibility when it comes to preparing them, but freezing cooked prawns is a perfectly safe alternative.
So, whether you have some leftover king prawn curry or the remains of a creamy prawn linguine, you can freeze your cooked prawns safe in the knowledge that they will be perfectly safe to enjoy in the future.
FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing cooked prawns or prawns in general, then these may help:
You can freeze raw prawns in much the same way. Once you get them home from the store, bag them up and get them into the freezer as soon as possible. Avoid leaving them out at room temperature. If you need more information then check out this guide.
You can eat cooked prawns cold the next day but it’s vital that you keep them stored in the fridge until you want to eat them and not at room temperature where they could harbour dangerous bacteria.
Assuming that you have stored them correctly and not let them sit at room temperature beforehand then there is little chance prawns will go off in the freezer. Their quality will deteriorate, however. It’s also a good idea to use common sense to determine whether they have gone off or not.
Yes! You can freeze cooked prawns for up to 6 months. Check out this guide for more information.
It’s not recommended since they can go rubbery as a result.
No mention of prawns with shells on or off. Any diffarance?
Shelled and unshelled are both safe. Most people choose unshelled since that’s how most recipes use the prawns. Also, we’ve updated the post to help our other readers in case they had the same question as you!