Raw fish is only good for 1-2 days in the fridge, but cooked fish can last 3-4 days if stored properly in an airtight container at 40°F (4°C) or below, though using it within 3 days is generally safer for best quality. Always check for signs of spoilage like a sour/ammonia smell, sliminess, or discoloration, and toss it if present, regardless of the days passed, to avoid foodborne illness.
Raw fish and shellfish should be kept in the refrigerator (40 °F/4.4 °C or less) only 1 or 2 days before cooking or freezing. After cooking, store seafood in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.
Cleaned And Gutted Fish – Should be refrigerated and consumed within 1 to 2 days for optimal taste and texture. Filleted Fish – Best if eaten within 1 to 2 days but can last up to 3 days if kept at very cold temperatures (32°F or below).
Its texture may also become slimy, less firm and mushier, and it may turn gray. Shine is fine. Slime is not,'' According to the experts, these are the top signs to look for when determining if fish has gone bad: Sour or ammonia smell Cloudy or milky eyes Brown bloodline or gills Bruising Slime or mucus.
Fresh or previously frozen fish thawed and stored in the refrigerator is safe to eat for a limited window. Key guidance: Raw fish (thawed in refrigerator): use within 1--2 days. Best practice: cook within 24 hours for optimal quality; 48 hours maximum for safety.
You can leave defrosted fish in the refrigerator for up to two days after thawing it. Even so, it's best to cook your fish fairly quickly after it's fully defrosted.
The best way to determine if fish has gone bad is to smell it. If the fish smells sour or spoiled, throw it out. If the fish has a mild ocean smell, it's likely safe to eat—but if you aren't certain, there are other signs you can look for. For example, it's bad fish if it appears or feels slimy and/or has a dull color.
Despite what we might have heard, fresh fish shouldn't smell fishy – its aroma should be clean, slightly oceanic and similar to fresh water (it's sometimes described as being like cucumber). Earthy, ammonia or overtly fishy smells are all bad signs that suggest fish is past its best.
Symptoms begin within 2 minutes to several hours after eating the fish. The most common symptoms are tingling and burning sensations around the mouth, facial flushing, sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, palpitations, dizziness, and rash.
Whole fish should have firm flesh and red gills with no odor. Fresh fillets should have firm flesh and red blood lines, or red flesh if fresh tuna. The flesh should spring back when pressed. Fish fillets should display no discoloration, darkening, or drying around the edges.
Cooked fish and other seafood can be safely stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. Refrigeration slows but does not prevent bacterial growth. Therefore, it's important to use food within recommended time before it spoils or becomes dangerous.
Raw salmon lasts 1–2 days in the fridge. Cooked salmon stays fresh for 3–4 days. Thawed and defrosted salmon should be cooked within 1–2 days. Smoked and vacuum-sealed salmon lasts longer—1–2 weeks unopened.
To know if fish is fresh, check for clear, bright eyes, a clean ocean smell (not "fishy"), bright red gills, shiny skin, and firm flesh that springs back when touched; avoid fish with cloudy eyes, a strong odor, or mushy texture, as these are signs of spoilage.
In Australia, fresh fish generally lasts 1-3 days in the fridge, ideally in the coldest part, stored cleaned and covered to prevent drying and odour transfer, with 1-2 days being a safer bet for best quality and safety, especially for whole fish. Always store it well-wrapped, away from other foods, and use it quickly, or freeze it if you can't cook it within 48 hours to maintain flavour.
Symptoms. Because the gills are primarily affected, fish suffering from bacterial gill disease will have respiratory problems, with visibly rapid or labored breathing and swimming close to the surface of the water as if trying to get air. They will show signs of a lost appetite, with little to no eating.
Signs and Symptoms
Ciguatera symptoms usually develop 3–6 hours after eating contaminated fish but may start up to 30 hours later. If you've recently eaten fish and develop symptoms, seek medical care. Common symptoms include: Nausea.
Fish should be cooked, eaten or frozen right up to the use-by date. Some fish cannot be re-frozen - check the packaging. After the use-by date, the food is unsafe to eat, even if it has been stored correctly and looks and smells fine. Once raw fish has been defrosted, cook within 24 hours.
Unlike PCBs, mercury and other chemicals, most microorganisms can be destroyed by cooking. Cook fish thoroughly until internal temperature is 145°F or until flesh is pearly and opaque and separates easily with a fork.
The rule 10-Minute Rule or Canadian Cooking Method is simple: cook fish for 10-minutes per inch of thickness. Then, flip the fish only once, halfway through the cooking time. Whether you plan to follow a recipe or not, start by measure the thickest part of the fish with a clean ruler.
How do I recognize fresh fish?
The taste of fish depends upon the species, what they have eaten, how they have been cared for after being caught and how they have been prepared. Taste is an individual preference and is in no way an indicator of contamination. Off flavor can be caused by algae in the water, but is rarely toxic.
In fact frozen fish can be safer in a lot of situations and is required by law for most sushi grade fish in the US. I would be fine with frozen fish defrosted in the refrigerator for 3-4 days at least. Longer than that the flavor will degrade quickly followed by increased bacterial load.
But is a fish filet suspicious if it smells like itself? Most of the time, yes. You'll know when salmon has gone bad if it smells fishy, sour, rancid, or like ammonia. And, as a general rule, if it stinks like this when it's raw, it's likely to get stronger when it's cooked.
Quality checklist
Properly frozen seafood will retain much of its colour. Bruising can cause black discolouration. Dehydration can result in freezer burn—bleached spots, papery or cottony edges and a dry texture. Oxidation causes the flesh to turn yellow and then brown.