Salmon is one of the most popular types of fish out there. It’s rich in omega-3, super tasty, and can be prepared in various ways as part of several dishes. While it’s undoubtedly best fresh, you might wonder if you can freeze salmon that has already been cooked.
Can You Freeze Cooked Salmon?
Yes, you can freeze cooked salmon for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer.
Does Cooked Salmon Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Cooked Salmon? No
How to Freeze Cooked Salmon
Freezing cooked salmon couldn’t be any simpler, which is great news if you have some of this delicious, healthy fish leftover.
Cooking and then freezing salmon is also a good idea if you have a couple of steaks that are about to go off, which you don’t want to eat right away.
Let’s take a look at the steps you need to take to freeze cooked salmon safely:
- Cool: No matter how you’ve prepared and cooked your salmon, the first thing you need to do is allow it to cool. You can do this by placing it in a dish at room temperature, and it should have cooled sufficiently within an hour or so of cooking.
- Wrap: Place your salmon onto a film of plastic wrap (or tin foil) and wrap it well, ensuring all of the fish is covered. Once wrapped, drop it into a freezer-safe bag.
- Seal: Push as much air out of the bag as you can before sealing it.
- Label and Freeze: Write the date that you prepared the salmon, as well as its use by date on the bag before adding it to the freezer. Remember, you can freeze cooked salmon for around three months.
Yes, you can freeze cooked salmon that was previously frozen. It should be cooled and then immediately frozen. When you want to eat it, defrost it fully before reheating it.
3 Tips for Freezing Cooked Salmon
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing cooked salmon to have the best results:
Enjoy Cooked Salmon Cold
Instead of freezing cooked salmon to reheat it at a later date, you can enjoy cooked salmon from chilled in lots of ways. Consider flaking it over a delicious, crisp salad, for instance, for a truly delicious meal to enjoy during the summer months.
Freeze it Raw
If you’ve bought some salmon from the supermarket that you won’t use before it goes bad, you can wrap it, bag it up, and freeze it without cooking it. Either raw or cooked, salmon freezes really well, so you don’t need to worry about wasting it.
Make Sure it’s Double-Wrapped
Salmon has a potent smell, so you need to make sure it’s tightly wrapped and then placed in a freezer-safe bag before you freeze it. The last thing you want is for all your frozen veggies and other items to smell and taste like salmon!
How Long Can You Freeze Cooked Salmon?
You can freeze cooked salmon for around three months. We wouldn’t recommend leaving it any longer than this as it will begin to lose some of its flavours and oils.
If you’re freezing salmon raw, you can freeze it for slightly longer.
Cooked salmon will be good in the fridge for 2-3 days after you’ve prepared it, as long as it’s tightly wrapped.
Cooked salmon will keep for between 3 and 4 days in the fridge. Once cooled, pop it onto a plate, cover it with a sheet of cling film and then pop it into the fridge.
How Do You Defrost Cooked Salmon?
The safest way to defrost cooked salmon is to remove it from the freezer the night before you plan to reheat it, placing it in the fridge. You don’t have to remove it from its packaging, either.
Alternatively, you can defrost cooked salmon in the microwave. But if you do this, make sure you heat it slowly and on the microwave’s designated defrost setting. If you defrost it on high heat, your salmon will almost certainly dry out.
Can You Refreeze Cooked Salmon?
You should only freeze cooked salmon once. This is primarily because you don’t necessarily know if the salmon was frozen before you purchased it.
Equally, freezing cooked salmon more than once will reduce its flavour and cause it to dry out.
If you have more cooked salmon than you know what to do with, wrap each fillet individually and take out only what you need at any given time. This reduces wastage and, therefore, the need to freeze it more than once.
Does Cooked Salmon Freeze Well?
Cooked salmon freezes really well. If you use it within three months of freezing it, your salmon won’t dry out and is likely to taste just as good as it did the first time around.
Just remember to wrap it well, so it’s protected from freezer burn, and allow it to thaw in the fridge before you reheat it for best results.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing cooked salmon or salmon in general, then these may help:
Yes, of course! You can reheat cooked salmon in a number of ways. We would opt for reheating it in the oven. Wrap it in foil with a splash of water and then heat through in a hot oven.
Regardless of the method that has been used to cook salmon, it can be frozen for around 3 months once it has cooled down.
Although it might be safe, it’s not something worth risking. Instead, try to freeze cooked salmon immediately after cooling it. Do not allow it to sit in the fridge for a few days first.
