Shrimp is a favorite dish for cocktail parties and fancy dinners. It is commonly served with a sweet and savory sauce and eaten with your fingers. Even though some view it as a bug, it is a tasty and nutritious ocean crustacean!
Shrimp can be stored in a refrigerator for a maximum of 5 days. For the best taste and quality, you should consume cooked shrimp within 3 days after cooking it. But, if you consume it within 5 days you should not have to worry about food poisoning or viruses. Shrimp that is kept for over a week will begin smelling very rotten and have a strong fish scent, rather than its usual sweet and slightly salty scent and flavor.
Shrimp can safely be stored in a fridge or a freezer. When storing your shrimp, make sure you adhere to proper handwashing and storage systems. Air-tight containers are the best option to preserve the freshness and flavor of the shrimp for your next meal.
How To Store Cooked Shrimp In The Fridge
Cooked shrimp must be stored at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in your refrigerator. Or, you can choose to store it in your freezer. Regardless of where you choose to store your cooked shrimp, it must be wrapped and stored appropriately. To wrap properly be sure not to stack them on top of one another and you should take precautions to prevent decay.
Shrimp is not very structurally sound meat. Shrimp is a crustacean and does not have the physical integrity of many other types of meat.
For this reason, you should not simply wrap them or stick them in a plastic container. Shrimp should be kept in an airtight container with additional protective wrapping.
The best way to protect your shrimp is to tightly wrap it in plastic wrap before placing it in a plastic container. Do not stack the shrimp on top of one another, however. Try to lay them out singularly without stacking them on top of each other.
The reason you do not want to store your shrimp on top of one another is this causes moisture to build up between the shrimp.
You want the shrimp to be as separate from one another as much as is possible between each shrimp. This will prevent the shrimp from decaying quickly and prevent mold from developing between them as well.
How To Tell If Cooked Shrimp Is Bad
Shrimp tends to appear very soft, slimy, and smell rancid when it has gone bad. As shrimp starts to break down from age, it gives off a recognizable scent of rotting meat with a fish scent. For almost all types of prepared foods, you will want to avoid relying on scent and sight solely, however. Pathogens and other germ infestations do not always give off a scent or visual indication. Make sure you handle your food carefully.
Shrimp tends to get very slimy and gooey as it goes bad in your fridge. If you notice your shrimp is losing its structural integrity this is a good sign that your shrimp is no longer any good.
Shrimp should feel firm and somewhat spongy when you squeeze it. If you crush the flesh with your fingers, the flesh should appear flaky and a little dry.
If you notice the flesh smooshes in your hands, do not eat this shrimp. Other primary indications of bad shrimp are a loss of color and a rancid scent. Regarding the scent, some people have difficulty figuring out the best way to describe this scent after the shrimp has gone bad.
But, the best way to determine the quality of your shrimp is to remember that shrimp does not have a strong smell. Good, fresh, shrimp has a very mild salty scent.
It does not smell fishy nor does it have a strong scent of decay. This scent of decay is somewhat acidic, and can best be compared with vinegar.
The best rule of thumb, though, is to avoid shrimp with a strong scent. This is a strong indication that the shrimp is no longer any good.
The color of cooked shrimp should be a nice, light salmon-pink color. It is normal for there to be specks of orange in the tail region especially. However, if you notice spots appearing on the flesh of the shrimp, you may want to throw it away.
These spots may not necessarily mean it is bad. But, it is a good sign of age and you might want to avoid this if you notice it. Cooked shrimp should also be white on the underside. If you notice it turning a greyish hue, you might want to toss this shrimp out.
Remember that pathogens do not usually have visual cues (or scent). If you prepare your shrimp in an unclean kitchen or fail to wash your hand regularly while cooking, you might pass on pathogens. These include E. Coli and other foodborne illnesses. Make sure you take proper precautions!
How to find the Freshest Shrimp at the Grocery Store
Shrimp is not a very firm substance. It has an outer shell and exoskeleton that provides visual indications of decay as the shrimp goes bad.
One key factor to keep an eye out for when examining your shrimp for freshness is how the shell is attached to the body of the shrimp.
As the shrimp’s flesh gets older, the shell begins to separate from the shrimp’s flesh. Other indications of fresh grocery store shrimp are the color, the integrity of the shrimp’s legs, and the shrimp’s eyes.
The indicators of cooked shrimp are similar. But, if you want the freshest type of shrimp, you should purchase fresh, uncooked shrimp.
The eyes of the shrimp are a great indicator of the freshness of the shrimp. The eyes should be glossy in appearance.
They are typically small and black and should be distinct from the face. If it appears that the eyes have sunken into the face of the shrimp or no longer have distinctive features, the shrimp is probably not that fresh.
Can You Get Food Poisoning From Eating Refrigerated Shrimp?
You can get food poisoning and sickness from eating refrigerated shrimp that has gone bad. Shrimp that is stored properly handled safely, and placed in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking should not get you sick. The main reason people get sick is the development of germs and bacteria on the shrimp which then makes you sick after you consume it.
Safe food practices are the best way to prevent this.
You should not consume raw shrimp. Shrimp consume parasites and small worms when they are alive. These parasites live in their bodies and can be very harmful to the human body when consumed.
The best way to avoid this from happening is to boil and/or cook your shrimp before you consume it.
Another way to avoid food poisoning and stomach viruses is to thoroughly cook your shrimp and store it properly as soon as it cools enough. You will not want to refrigerate your shrimp immediately after you cook it.
The shrimp will be very hot and if you try to refrigerate it right after you cook it will likely cause you to have moisture build up in your container. This moisture will condensate within the container and probably cause the shrimp to decay faster.
If you leave your shrimp out overnight or if the shrimp was out for longer than 2 hours you should throw it away.
Avoid any sketchy or unfamiliar sellers of shrimp. Purchasing your shrimp from a local shrimp market is safe as long as you are certain of their standards.
The same applies to grocery store shrimp. If you notice the fridge is not cold enough or the shrimp is left on an unrefrigerated shelf, do not purchase it. You should also notify a manager so they can correct the issue.
How Do You Know if Shrimp is Fully Cooked?
To properly prepare your shrimp you should begin by thoroughly washing them. To wash shrimp, place them in a colander and run them under cold water for several moments.
Do not attempt to thaw frozen shrimp with hot water. Also, do not wash your fresh shrimp or cooked shrimp with hot water because it will decrease the temperature of the shrimp and might cause them to go bad quicker.
Next, you should remove the tails, heads, and other portions of the fresh shrimp before you begin cooking it. All shrimp should be boiled before frying or pan-searing your shrimp.
This is a great safety precaution and helps to ensure the shrimp is thoroughly cooked throughout the shrimp.
After this, cook them to your preference and serve! Just make sure you refrigerate any shrimp that is leftover before it goes bad!