How Long Does Lox Last
Keep refrigerated and tightly wrap the lox to maximize its shelf life of lox. Lox can last for up to 5 to 8 days in the refrigerator if it is properly stored. It starts to smell off and become slimy after 2 to 3 days when it goes bad.
Look at the label for a date, and if it is well past that or you opened the package more than 5-10 days ago (depending on the variety), throw out your bad salmon. If this salmon is closer to, or further from, the date on the label than one to two days, taste it before serving. While your salmon may still be fine to use, eating within the printed date will ensure your best tastes.
When you anticipate taking the salmon out of the fridge in a few days, you may want to freeze your salmon in its packaging. The salmon should be placed in the freezer for a month or two before the time you are planning on moving it from your fridge to the freezer. You can freeze the spoilage salmon in it is own form, as long as it is not yet opened, or split it up and frozen into portions in insulated bags. You can also store the unpacked smoked salmon in a quality freezer bag to ensure the smoked salmon stays in good quality for longer.
Properly stored, unopened smoked salmon typically stays fresh in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 weeks, or as long as the package says. Of course, standard smoked salmon has about 21 days on its shelf life, whereas other options, like honey-smoked salmon, may go as long as 90 days without opening. It becomes a race against the clock when you have the bag opened, since a standard smoked salmon might be good for one week. For instance, if a package says that smoked salmon will last 2-3 weeks without opening, then you may want to hold onto it for 2-3 extra days.
If you store an unopened package in your fridge, it lasts a maximum of 2-3 days beyond itssell-by date. If the package has not been opened at all, but has simply been sitting in the refrigerator, then the pack may last significantly longer. Once a package is opened, even when resealed, a very accurate expiration date can be effectively ignored. In fact, depending on salmons overall shelf life, it will generally be good for several days past its sold-by date.
| Shelf Life | After The Expiry |
| A 3 week Shelf life Product | Hold up to a day or two |
| A 90 day Shelf Life Product | Hold up to 5 days |
Of course, depending on the overall shelf life, the salmon usually keeps fine for a few days after this date. A product with a three-week shelf life should hold up a day or two past the date it was put out, while a 90-day shelf life product should hold up five days, and maybe a week. One with a 3-week shelf life should last a day or two over the expiration date, whereas another with a 90-day storage time should hold up to 5 days or even a week. Of course, your typical smoked salmon would be good for around 21 days of shelf life ([KSS]), but there are some other options, such as Honey Smoked Salmon, which may keep up to 90 days without opening ([HSF]).
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Canned salmon may last months, but once opened, will only have a shorter shelf life of about two or three days. Smoked salmon can technically go moldy, but it is more likely to only occur once you open the package and have stored it for about 10 days.
The ABCs of Hot Smoking The best news about smoking salmon at home, according to this same publication from the Pacific Northwest Extension on home fish smoking, is that you can smoke any fish you want, with no fear of foodborne illnesses, as long as you follow a few basic practices when you prepare, salted, smoked, cooked, and stored the fish. If salmon is smoked without the right procedures in salting or cooking, the fish may be breeding grounds for pathogens. This is because a number of dangerous bacteria can, and will, grow in conditions typically found during smoking of the fish.
Fish, lox, or other varieties of smoked fish, generally keep for around 5 to 9 days in a fridge. The FDA suggests that, properly stored, smoked fish can last for up to 2 months in the freezer. Smoked fish products purchased from Pure Food Fish Market will last for two days outside of the fridge, and up to three weeks inside.
Smoked seafood lasts slightly longer (about 14 days) but still needs to be eaten as fresh as possible. We are also happy to vacuum seal any smoked fish products on demand, in order to maintain their highest quality and freshness while being stored in your freezer.
If your smoked fish is still vacuum sealed, and you anticipate eating all of it in just a couple days after it is defrosted, then you may choose to freeze it just like that. If you opened your original vacuum sealed package, you will need to keep the smoked salmon either in a sealed airtight container or freezer bag, or wrap your smoked salmon in a sheet of freezer paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap. Store the opened salmon in its original packaging; wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, or put it in a sealed, self-sealing plastic bag, to keep it from drying out. Smoked salmon can be frozen up to six months in a sealed, airtight, or vacuum sealed bag before starting to lose flavor.
If you purchase frozen salmon, defrost it, then smoke it, we have found no reason why you cannot re-freeze it. We think you would not want to store an unopened package of salmon in your home that long.
That means right after leaving the store, you are better off getting your salmon safely into the freezer in the 30 minute window. For normal, unpacked salmon, you should consume within a week of opening, regardless of what the shelf life is. There is also a smoked Salmon from Sea Bears, which claims to have a 4-year shelf life, provided that the pack stays sealed,[SB] though I would be pretty hesitant about keeping this for that long.
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An odd smell coming out of your refrigerator or pantry might be a sign the salmon has exceeded its shelf life. Signs of spoiled salmon include the presence of slime, or visible discolored or matted surfaces, an off-flavor, or an unappetizing taste. Although the contamination levels are relatively low in raw salmon, they rise following several preparation steps such as brining, skinning, cutting, etc.
How long does lox last once open?
After opening, keep smoked salmon packages in the refrigerator and tightly wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil to extend their shelf life. An unsealed box of smoked salmon can be held in the fridge for about a week if properly stored.
How do you know when lox goes bad?
Smoked salmon, or lox, can go bad. You can easily tell if your lox has gone bad if it begins to emit a sour odor and becomes slimy in texture after two to three days past the expiration date, indicating that it is unsafe to consume and needs to be discarded immediately.
What happens if you eat expired lox?
Consuming expired smoked salmon or lox with more serious spoilage signs, like mold or a rancid smell, is likely to make you sick. This is because it may contain harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses and symptoms like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.