The World Health Organization (WHO) has said about 600 million people get ill and 420,000 die each year from contaminated food. It is almost 1 out of 10 people in the world. Most of this illness happens because of our awareness of good food, especially oily fishes.
Do you also love oily fishes? If you do, there is a higher possibility that you buy salmon frequently. But did you ever lose track of the date when you bought salmon?
Well, it happens with me almost once in a month. I know it happens to you too. What should you do then? Do you throw the fish away?
No! Just because you don’t have any idea about how to tell if salmon is bad, you cannot throw them. Salmon is undoubtedly one of the tastiest foods in the world.
Not only the taste, but salmon is also highly nutritious too! Salmon is at the top of the list of the most nutritious and delicious option for a healthy diet.
This oily fish is a great source of essential oils and omega three fatty acids. However, to get the maximum benefits from this fish, it is important to consume it fresh.
So, if you want to know how to tell if salmon is bad, then this article is only for you! From the physical appearance to its taste, there are multiple ways to determine whether your favorite fish has already gone bad or not.
Here I have listed some important techniques to testify your freeze or smoked salmon.
But, before starting with the techniques, let me inform you of another important thing. I think it is essential to know the importance to find out the status of salmon. Let’s start with this.
The Importance of Determining Whether Salmon Is Gone Bad or Not:
For every fish lover, salmon is the most obvious choice. It is not only delicious, healthier too.
But the problem arises when your refrigerator starts to betray with you. It might not work properly for any technical or other faults. But the reason doesn’t matter. If your refrigerator becomes faulty, you might end up with numbers of problems.
So, should you eat those salmon without knowing whether your salmon is good or not? I know everyone will veto for this decision. Because it is a bad choice!
To avoid these problems, you must know whether your frozen salmon is okay or not. Let’s check a few other importance of determining the status of frozen salmon.
- To Prevent Food Poisoning:
Food poisoning is one of the most dangerous health issues that may happen if you don’t know your salmon is bad.
A report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that about 3,000 people die, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 48 million people get sick every year from food poisoning in the United States.
If you don’t want to be one of them, you should check your salmon before eating. That’s why you should have a clear idea about how to tell if raw salmon is bad.
- To prevent Tummy Aches:
Tummy aches occur if your stomach failed to digest the foods properly. Few people categorized this problem with food poisoning. But this problem is far more dangerous than that.
You may feel a very little pain at the beginning. But it will increase with thyme. The most scaring fact is tummy aches may lead to death too.
So, before suffering from tummy aches by consuming bad salmon, you should have a clear concept about how to tell if cooked salmon is bad.
- To Prevent Parasitic Infections:
If you have a faulty refrigerator, there is a huge possibility that your salmon might be gone bad.
But if you don’t know about the faultiness of your refrigerator, you might not check your food before eating. So, different types of illness might be occurred by it.
Along with stomach pain, the incorrectly refrigerated food may cause parasitic infections too. According to my opinion, this parasitic infection is the worst case that might happen to someone.
It kills your organs slowly. So, to stay safe from the dangerous parasitic infections like Trichinosis, you should know about how to tell if frozen salmon is bad.
- To Stay Safe Harmful Bacteria:
If you don’t store your fish properly in the refrigerator, there is a huge possibility that you are growing bacteria’s on your fridge. It is a perfect place to grow harmful parasites and bacteria’s. The scariest fact is whenever those germs start to grow, they spread like wildfire.
It is true that heat might kill a few germs while you cook. But it does not remove all of the toxins from your cooked salmon.
The left-over toxins will also cause some severe health issues for our body. So, before getting ill by faulty salmon, isn’t it better to know about how to tell if smoked salmon is bad? Yes, it is!
The moral is: you should never eat fish or any other food that has the possibility of getting bad. As a salmon lover, try to get a clear concept about how to tell if your salmon is bad or not.
I hope you understand the importance of determining to check whether your salmon is good or bad? So, now it’s time to inform you few signs that help you to check if your salmon is good or bad.
More Stories: How to tell if Cooked Meat is Bad – All You Need to Know
9 Important Facts to Tell If Salmon Is Good or Bad:
In this article, I have listed some important facts to determine whether your salmon is fit for consumptions or not. Here it goes –
- Did You Check The Consumption Date Before Buying?
Every salmon lover buys lots of salmon from the local shops or supermarket. Usually, the salmon sellers sell their products in a transparent bag.
They also mention the expiration date of that packed salmon printed in the package body.
So, you should check the expiration date before purchasing packaged salmon. You have to consume it before the expiration date.
- Does The Eye Look Fresh Or Dull?
Psychologists say that eyes are the windows to the human soul. But this method works for salmon too! You can check the salmon’s freshness by checking its eye.
The fresh salmon have a fresh and transparent eye.
On the contrary, the bad salmon has a dull and nontransparent eye. Even you may notice that few salmons eyes are so much inflated that they look like it might nearly falling out from its sockets.
So, you should avoid the salmon’s that shows any of these symptoms. However, this method is applicable only if the head is still attached to the body.
- Is There Any Noticeable Dark Spot On Its Body?
The taste of salmon varies from the organ by organ. Few people like to eat the head, few like the body or the tail.
So, if you like the head, then you don’t need to pay for the body and tail part.
So, instead of buying a whole fish, most of the people like to buy the portions of salmon.
However, purchasing the portions is more effective to check whether the fish is fresh or not. If you do so, you can check the fish visually while buying the portions.
While buying the portions, check the whole portions carefully. Try to notice if there is any molds or dark spots. The molds are formed in salmon meat. So, you can check them only if you purchase the portions.
If you notice any dark spots on the meat, it means that salmon is expired. These expired salmons has a huge risk of food poisoning.
However, there will be no dark spot on the fresh salmon. So, you should buy these fresh salmon that has no dark spots.
- Does It Smell Odd?
Your nose is one of the best organs to find out a fresh salmon. You might think that as the salmon is visually correct, so it is fresh. But it might not lead you to the fresh salmon always.
Even if your salmon pass the visual test, you should smell it. If you get an overwhelming unpleasant odor, it must be a stale salmon. Even the ammonia smell also refers to a bad salmon.
On the other hand, fresh salmon has a good smell. They smell like clean water. So, if stored salmon smell bad, I strongly suggest you throw away that particular piece of salmon.
To save you and your beloved family members from food poisoning, I know you will do it without any hesitation.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also suggests some important procedures to choose fresh and safe seafood’s. Next time when you will visit supermarkets, consider these facts to choose fresh foods.
- What Is the Color of Grill: Dark Red or Ruby Red?
This method is applicable not only for salmon but also for other types of fishes too. Before purchasing any types of fishes, you have to check its grill. It is another big fact to determine a fresh or dull fish.
If the color of grills a salmon looks fresh and red, it means that the salmon is fresh. But if the color looks dark, then you should avoid it without any second thought.
Further, the grills must be wet. There should not be any dark spot on the grill. If the grill is dry or contains any dark spot, avoid that fish.
- Does the Flesh Look Vibrant or Not?
The flesh of a fresh salmon will be vibrant and lubricious. The flesh color also represents the origin of a salmon. The farmed salmon is closer to red, and the wild salmon looks like pinkish or dark red.
But you will also find some yellow colored flesh. These refer to some bad salmon. Further, the yellowish colored salmon’s doesn’t taste as good as vibrant colored salmon. The vibrant colored salmon are more tendered and juicier.
- Does It Bend Properly?
Bend test is another method to check fresh salmon. Lift the salmon with a single hand and place your hand in the middle. A fresh salmon will bend less than the bad salmon.
It happens because of the firmness of salmon’s meat. As time passes, salmons lose its firmness slowly.
- Does The Flesh Have Lost Its Elasticity?
The bend test is applicable only when you are purchasing the whole fish. Otherwise, you have to do the elasticity test.
Generally, the body of salmon isn’t that much elastic. You can check the elasticity just by poking it. While buying a portion of a fish, poke that particular portion.
If the poked meat retrieves to its previous shape quickly, it means your fish is fresh. But if the fish retrieve slowly or cannot retrieve at all, you should avoid that piece.
- Does The Meat Appear To Separate?
The fresh salmon is very lenient. It will not fall apart while you hold them. The salmon meat stays connected with the white strands.
But these white strands don’t stay fresh all the time. They lose their properties as time passes.
If you notice that the salmon becomes less firm and the meat becomes separated from the white strands, don’t buy it.
How to Store Salmon Properly?
If you buy a large amount of salmon frequently, the storage is another thing that you should consider deeply. That’s why I have listed some quick tips to store your salmon properly. Let’s check those tips –
- At first, make sure that you have bought the freshest salmon. After reading the previous part of this article, I hope now you know how to tell if salmon is bad or good.
- After purchasing the salmon, store it as soon as possible. It minimizes the possibility of spoilage.
- Use a better food-grade plastic bag to store salmon. It keeps your salmon fresh for longer time. Further, it ensures that your stored salmon do not spread its fishy smell to other foods.
How Long Salmon Stays Fresh?
The shelf life of salmon depends on some factors. Few important factors are the cooking method, preparation method, storage method, etc. here I have listed some common shelf life of salmon. Check it –
| Salmon | Refrigerator | Freezer | Pantry |
| Frozen salmon | 4 to 5 days | 6 to 9 months | _ |
| Canned salmon | 6 to 8 months | 9 to 12 months | 6 to 8 months |
| Cooked salmon | 5 to 6 days | 6 to 9 months | _ |
| Smoked salmon | 5 to 7 days | 6 to 9 months | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Fresh salmon | 1 to 2 days | 6 to 9 months | – |
Final Thoughts:
Salmon is just like any other fish. It is best to consume when it is fresh.
If you cannot find a fresh salmon, try to purchase a packaged or canned salmon. The packaged or canned salmon stays fresh for a long time.
I hope you have learned a few important things after reading this article. So, now you know how to tell if salmon is bad or good.
If you have any queries about salmon, share your thoughts via the comment box. We always appreciate your valuable thoughts.
Eat fresh, stay healthy.
