It has all happened to us, suddenly, in the midst of a hunger attack or a meeting with friends, we buy extra sushi. When stored in the refrigerator, sushi has the peculiarity of losing all its charm in a matter of hours.
The rice becomes taffy, the seaweed is moistened and the avocado turns black, which gives the sushi a less appealing appearance.
How Long Does Sushi Last?
Sushi is comprised mainly of fish and rice. These snacks are ideally consumed at the time to keep their flavor fresh, although if necessary they can be kept in the refrigerator for a day to the fullest.
After a day, the flavor of sushi is lost and the rice becomes dehydrated. Fish and shellfish bacteria begin to multiply because it is usually raw food, if you have avocado it darkens. We advise you to eat it freshly made!
To preserve the sushi for a few more hours, it’s recommended to try these steps:
- Keep it in contact plastic paper, preferably, arrange the sushi as a “roll” and wrap them as if they were candy in the plastic so that it is completely “sealed”.
- Once they are perfectly wrapped in plastic, store the sushi in a plastic container with an airtight lid and put it in the refrigerator.
With these steps, sushi can last 24 hours longer in good condition. However, there are rules of sushi to remember as well.
- Sushi cannot be saved if you have previously added some kind of sauce to it. If there is avocado, you have to remove it immediately because it will invariably turn black (no matter how you try to conserve).
- Sushi wrapped in seaweed will always have a more tacky texture if they are not eaten at the moment.
- The life of sushi (although it is preserved in plastic), is no more than 24 hours. Sushi that is fried (or has weathered vegetables) cannot be refrigerated.
Related Question: How Long Is Sushi Good For?
Can Sushi Be Frozen?
This question may arise if you have prepared too much sushi than usual at home or if you ordered a large amount of sushi online and you have filled up when there are still a few pieces left to be eaten.
As the food is not thrown away, let alone if it is as delicious as the Japanese, surely you should consider if sushi can be kept in the freezer for a few days. Next, we explain if you can freeze the sushi and what happens if you do it.
The answer is yes, sushi can be frozen, but its flavor and texture will never be the same when defrosted.
The main problem is in rice since it is a food that does not support freezing very well. The reason is that the rice becomes dehydrated if it’s put at very low temperatures, so when you thaw it you will find dry and caked rice. If you freeze boiled rice, the same thing would happen.
On the other hand, if your sushi contains fish, you have to think that it will surely have been frozen, so you would be freezing it a second time, something not highly recommended.
In addition, if any of the types of sushi contains seaweed, after being frozen and thawed it will lose stiffness and become excessively mature.
How To Freeze And Thaw Sushi
If you have no choice but to freeze the sushi, don’t do it just by putting the sushi tray in the freezer. We recommend that you wrap each piece in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag.
To defrost it, it is better to put it in the fridge first for a while and then take it out. We do not advise you to use the microwave.
Those of us who love sushi and sashimi should be careful with bacteria. Bacteria live in many fish and can be transmitted to humans, or cause very serious allergic reactions. Therefore, in many other countries, it is forbidden for restaurants to serve raw (or half-raw) fish to their customers if the fish has not been frozen at least 48 hours before. These two days in the freezer are enough to end the life of the bacteria making the consumption of the fish once defrosted is completely safe.
Still, bad freezing and thawing can ruin the quality of the fish, both its appearance, its texture, and its flavor. Follow these tips to minimize the effects of freezing:
Frozen
Clean the fish well before freezing it. If you had washed it, dry it well. Insert it in a vacuum bag. The air is our enemy and its presence oxidizes the meat of the fish spoiling it over time. As an alternative, if you don’t have a vacuum machine, put the fish in a bag with water so that it ends up frozen inside a block of ice that protects it from the air.
Do not freeze too small pieces. If possible freeze loins of good size which would allow you if it is necessary to remove with the knife rusty outer parts of bad spectra. Minimize the time your fish spends in the freezer. To eliminate bacteria 48 hours is enough.
And of course, avoid having frozen fish for more than 3 months. Use a modern refrigerator to freeze as quickly as possible. If your fridge is very old it may not be a good idea to freeze fish for sushi.
Thawed
Remove the piece from the vacuum bag, wash it with very cold water, dry it with paper towels and thaw it in the fridge. Depending on the size of the piece, it will take at least one day to defrost and in many cases, it needs two full days. That is why it is necessary to plan well.
Some sushi chefs wash the piece of fish with cold saltwater and then dry it well and finish the defrosting in the fridge. If you’re in a hurry: if the fish wasn’t in a vacuum bag, put it in a zip bag. Put it in the sink and let cold (never hot) water run on the bag.
We should never defrost fish at room temperature. Bacteria dangerous to our health can proliferate.
Never defrost with hot water or use the soft defrost function that your microwaves surely have. The resulting fish is not suitable for making sushi or sashimi.