People are always wondering what the shelf life is on products made by Banner Smoked Fish. In this guide you will learn answers to the questions like, “How long does my smoked salmon last in the fridge?” or “How do I know if my Smoked Fish is still good?” or even “Can I freeze my smoked salmon?” The short answer is, it depends. The more detailed answer is as follows:
Guide to Product Shelf Life
For Smoked Salmon that is cold smoked; such as the pre-sliced smoked salmon that is vacuum packed the typical shelf life ranges from 30 to 60 days. It mostly depends on the temperature of the refrigerator is it being stored in; we recommend keeping it at 34° F or below but we recognize that most household refrigerators don’t hold at those temperatures. Most of all, you should know, the 34° F is not the actual law or requirement, but just our recommendation from many years of experience and product testing. The actual requirement is 38° F which is more realistic in household refrigerators and will keep your vacuum sealed product good for about 30 days. Of course, once opened, we recommend consuming within 4 days for maximum freshness but it can likely hold well for at least 7 days. Cold smoked salmon can freeze for up to six months in a sealed container or while vacuumed. Let it thaw under refrigeration and consume.
For hot smoked items, such as vacuum packed kippered salmon, or baked salmon, you should have the same shelf life like mentioned with cold smoked salmon, which is about 30 to 60 days while vacuum packed. Again, the colder the refrigerator the longer the product will last, you would be surprised what 1° F can do for the shelf life of any product. Hot smoked kippered salmon or baked salmon freezes well and can freeze for up to six months in a sealed container or while vacuumed. Let it thaw under refrigeration and consume.
Sable is a little bit more delicate as it is not as stable in terms of the shelf life of the product. We do not recommend freezing and thawing sable more than once and while it will mostly be non-vacuum-packed you have about 7 to 10 days of maximum shelf life. While vacuum-packed we recommend storing for no more than 21 days at cold temperatures. Once opened we recommend consuming right away but to be kept for no more than 4 days for optimal freshness.
Smoked Whitefish is hot smoked and has about a 10 day shelf life from when you receive it. It is recommended to consume within the first few days of receipt as the product quality begins to deteriorate after a few days. Smoked Whitefish can be frozen to last longer but we recommend not freezing for more than 30 days.
Herring and herring items have a longer shelf life as they are pickled and salted very well. The Matjes herring can stay in a can, unopened for more than 6 months, refrigerated. However, once opened, it is recommended to remain in the original can and with the juice from the can as it will help the product last longer. You should be able to have about 30 days from when opened to consume the herring, and while it is in the original container. The pickled herring can be refrigerated for 2 months without issues. However, if cream sauce is added it will spoil the product quicker. We recommend consuming herring items within the first two weeks and that it should not be frozen again. However, if it must be frozen, it can be frozen, it will just lessen the quality over time.
The smoked fish salads and premium smoked fish salad all have about 10 days of shelf life from receipt. It is recommended to consume within 4 days for maximum freshness and to be refrigerated at colder temperatures. It is also not recommended to be frozen and thawed, however, they can be.
We hope this guide helps, and of course, if there are any questions, email us directly at info@bannersmokedfish.com