Here’s something most folks don’t know: wild salmon has a season. If you see “fresh” wild salmon in a grocery case in January, it’s either farmed or it was frozen somewhere along the way and thawed before it hit the ice. That’s why I’ll tell anybody who’ll listen that frozen salmon, done right, beats “fresh” from the case.
What happens to fresh fish
A fish that’s sold fresh has to travel. It gets packed on ice, trucked to a processor, shipped to a distributor, then sent on to a store. By the time it’s sitting in the case, it can easily be a week or more out of the water. Fish starts losing quality the minute it’s caught, and ice only slows that down.
Then there’s the stuff labeled “previously frozen.” That fish was frozen once, thawed for the display case, and it’s been on a countdown ever since. Take it home and freeze it again, and you lose even more texture.
Why fast freezing works
When salmon freezes slowly, big ice crystals form inside the meat and break up the cells. That’s what makes some frozen fish turn mushy. When it freezes fast, the crystals stay tiny and the meat holds together.
Our fish get filleted by hand, vacuum sealed and frozen right after the catch. Vacuum sealing keeps air off the fish, and air is what causes freezer burn. You’re basically pressing pause on the fish at its very best.
How to thaw frozen salmon
This part matters. Take the fish out of the vacuum bag, or at least cut the bag open, then set it on a plate in the fridge overnight. The FDA recommends opening vacuum-packed fish before you thaw it, so don’t skip that step.
In a hurry? Put the fish in a zip-top bag and sink it in a bowl of cold water for about an hour, changing the water now and then. Skip the counter and the microwave.
Pat it dry before you cook it and you’ll get a much better sear.
How long frozen salmon keeps
Kept frozen and sealed, our salmon holds its quality for months. For the best flavor I’d eat it within a few months, but it’ll still beat a lot of “fresh” fish after that. If a bag ever loses its seal, eat that one first.
A couple of fun facts
Washington banned farming non-native Atlantic salmon in its waters after a net pen near Cypress Island collapsed in 2017 and let more than 200,000 farmed fish loose in the Salish Sea.
Wild salmon get their color from what they eat. Farmed salmon usually get color added to their feed so they look the part.
Questions folks ask me
Is frozen salmon as good as fresh?
When it’s frozen right after the catch, it’s often better than the “fresh” fish in a store case, because it was frozen before it had a chance to lose quality.
Can I cook salmon straight from frozen?
Yes. Rinse off any ice, pat it dry and give it extra time in the oven, about half again as long. Baking works best.
Does freezing salmon kill the nutrients?
No. The protein and omega-3s are still there after freezing.
Where can I buy frozen wild salmon in Bellingham?
At our shop on Rural Ave, by appointment. Text me at 360-927-1604.
Austin