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Safe to freeze fish from a grocery store?

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DCal430

Diamond Member
If you buy thawed fish from grocery store how safe is it to freeze the unused portion for the day and thaw it again later for use? I know it isn't the best idea to eat meat that has been frozen, thawed, and frozen again.
 
If it's labeled as "previously frozen," then no. Do not re-freeze it.

OK, the USDA disagrees with me...

Refreezing
Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3-4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.
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Can't seem to find a legit grocery store here that sells no previously frozen fish. The only ones are the Asian markets and I question their standards.
 
I don't eat frozen fish from grocery stores only fish I froze myself. If the eyes on the fish are clear then freezing it again wouldn't hurt.
 
I can't think of any way that it could be dangerous. Unless it is a big fish, your freezer is up high, and you drop a frozen package on your foot. Please, wear steel toed shoes when you do this. Oh and also wear safety goggles, rubber galoshes, and oven mits! Seriously though, how can slowing down bacterial growth be dangerous?

It will make the food lower quality though as each freeze/thaw breaks cell walls. This turns your food eventually into mush if you do it several times. I wouldn't choose to refreeze many things for that reason.
 
colder temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. unfreezing and refreezing just makes the food less palatable, but as far as safety really only the exposure to pathogens and the amount of time it gets to breed is what matters.
 
There is nothing wrong with it, we typically put it in a tight ziplock filled with water and that is the best way to freeze it. But yes, quality is not going to be as good, but thats too be expected.
 
it's safe, it's just gross. fish is mushy enough as it is without refreezing.

(it's only mushy because of how it's processed on the boat. sushi is processed via ike jime and remains firm.)
 
JulesMaximus said:
Local fish market

Costco sometimes has decent fish too and yes, you can refreeze it.
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Screw that. We got people selling bundles of flowers and bags of fruit when we're trapped at red lights... I'll head down to the Santa Monica Pier or someplace in the Southbay and get someone to sell me some fish at a traffic light.
 
DCal430 said:
Can't seem to find a legit grocery store here that sells no previously frozen fish. The only ones are the Asian markets and I question their standards.
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I've found asian markets usually have better fish than grocery stores (not specialty meat markets). Well, asian markets that sell whole fish anyway. You can check the freshness for yourself--cloudiness in the eyes, smell, pressure test.
 
eLiu said:
I've found asian markets usually have better fish than grocery stores (not specialty meat markets). Well, asian markets that sell whole fish anyway. You can check the freshness for yourself--cloudiness in the eyes, smell, pressure test.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it depends on where you live. Every time I have been to an Asian market, it smells like fish, and good fish doesn't smell fishy. The fish in the grocery store usually looks pretty good and is flash frozen at sea so I am fine with that.
 
I just go to chinatown. Too many times I have bought fish from a supermarket and it was bad. Never again. Not only that, but chinatown is cheaper.
 
Skillet49 said:
I'm sure it depends on where you live. Every time I have been to an Asian market, it smells like fish, and good fish doesn't smell fishy. The fish in the grocery store usually looks pretty good and is flash frozen at sea so I am fine with that.
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That's often true at asian markets--fishy smell. Not every fish they have is fresh/awesome, but they often have several that are. Most places I've been to let me pick the fish I want, so I'll check them individually, find the best ones, and buy those.
 
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