Can you freeze fish?
Yes, you can freeze fish
Best quality within 9 to 12 months, depending on the kind.
hot smoked, air pack
Up to 9 to 12 months
hot smoked, vacuum pack
Up to 6 to 12 months
cold smoked, air pack
Up to 9 to 12 months
cold smoked, vacuum pack
Up to 9 to 12 months
breaded
Up to 18 months
Keep frozen. For safety, cook as directed.
raw but headed and gutted
Up to 6 months
Keep frozen. For safety, cook as directed.
What the freezer time means
Freezer times from USDA FoodKeeper are about quality, not safety. Food kept frozen at 0 F (-18 C) stays safe indefinitely; what changes over the months is texture, moisture and flavour. Wrap fish tightly, press out air, and label the pack with the date so the window above is easy to track.
Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Anything that thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, with some further loss of quality; anything left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should not go back in.
Storage habits that make the difference
Keep smoked seafood refrigerated at all times, and once opened, wrap it tightly or store it in an airtight container. Use within about a week of opening, or freeze unopened vacuum-sealed packages for longer storage. Thaw frozen smoked fish in the fridge before serving.
Can you freeze other seafood: smoked?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.