Is it bad to double freeze seafood?
I like to buy 11 lb boxes of squid at my local fish market. They come frozen so, in order to process them (clean and package into smaller units), I have to defrost them. Once I prepare individual packages (about 13 9 oz packages after cleaning), I put them in the freezer. I never have had any problems (been doing this several years) but some people told me it is bad to refreeze any kind of meat. What do you think?
Best Answer
Refreezing food, assuming it has been treated appropriately while thawed, and not held overly long at thawed temperatures, is fine from a safety point of view. This is as true for squid as it is for any other food.
You may have some loss of quality from the thawing and refreezing cycle. Home freezers are not as cold and do not freeze as rapidly as some commercial freezers or blast chillers. The ice crystals that form within the will have time to grow larger under home freezing conditions, leading to a greater loss of moisture and possibly deterioration of texture.
Since you have been doing this a while, you know how your particular squid is affected by the process. If you find the quality in the acceptable range--and it probably is, especially if they were blast frozen aboard the ship that caught them originally--then no worries on that front.
See also: How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?
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Can you freeze seafood twice?
Yes, cooked or uncooked fish that has been thawed in the refrigerator can safely be frozen and refrozen.What happens if seafood is refrozen?
If raw or cooked food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking or heating, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods that were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods.How many times can you freeze seafood?
Any frozen fish or shellfish will be safe indefinitely; however, the flavor and texture will lessen after lengthy storage. For best quality, freeze (0 \xb0F / -17.8 \xb0C or less) cooked fish for up to 3 months. Frozen raw fish is best used within 3 to 8 months; shellfish, 3 to 12 months.Why shouldnt you refreeze seafood?
That's because with either method, the fish fillets could have at least temporarily warmed up to a temperature higher than 40\xb0F. At that point, harmful bacteria can begin to multiply and only further cooking will destroy it; simply refreezing the fish fillets won't do the trick.Why You Should Be Buying Frozen Seafood (and Tips for Buying Frozen Seafood)
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