The traditional Japanese dish sushi is quite well-liked all over the world. Sushi can be made with a variety of cooked seafood as well, despite the fact that many people associate it with raw fish. Other ingredients include vegetables and vinegared rice wrapped in nori, a dried seaweed.
How Long Is Sushi Good For?
Popular seafood and rice dish called sushi is served. It can be cooked but is frequently served raw. Many people are curious if you can eat leftover sushi. Well, the shelf life of sushi can vary depending on the type of sushi and how it is stored.
While sushi without fish can keep for up to a week in the fridge, sushi with fish can only keep for three days to a week (depending on the type; more on that later). Sushi can be kept for one to two months in the freezer. The texture and flavor of the sushi are altered by freezing, so it might not taste as good as fresh sushi.
There are a few telltale signs that your sushi has gone bad and is no longer safe to eat. Along with offering advice on extending sushi’s shelf life, we’ve compiled a list of 11 telltale signs that your sushi is past its prime. For instance, you shouldn’t eat sushi if the rice is dry or discolored or if the fish appears or smells off. Before eating your sushi, give it a sniff to make sure it doesn’t smell off. If it does, don’t risk it; just throw it away!
Because of how it is made, sushi without fish typically keeps longer than sushi with fish. You will need to be more cautious when making sushi with raw fish because it has a shorter shelf life. Fresh raw salmon that hasn’t been cooked or cut into pieces for sushi can typically be found in the store because most grocery stores keep their seafood refrigerated. Checking the expiration date is advised, just in case.
Sushi’s raw fish can spoil very quickly. If you have leftover sushi that contains raw fish, it is best to eat it within two days to be safe (as long as it was refrigerated).
Contrary to popular belief, sushi doesn’t actually expire after one day. Without fish, sushi can be kept in your refrigerator for up to a week with proper storage. However, once you include fish in the mix, you are having a safe time because raw fish has a shorter shelf life than cooked or non-fish seafood rolls.
How Long Can Sushi Be Stored Before It Goes Bad?
The shelf life and storage instructions for your sushi will be determined by its primary ingredients.
Generally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that leftovers should not be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours, and no more than 1 hour if you’re eating outdoors and the temperature is above 90oF (32oC).
This advice is applicable to both cooked and raw sushi, including sashimi, tempura, and California rolls.
But the U.S. does not recommend putting sushi in the refrigerator. According to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), raw fish and shellfish can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days, but three to four days when cooked.
The goal is to keep sushi out of the temperature “danger zone” of 40–140oF (4–60oC) to prevent bacterial growth that spreads quickly, which raises your risk of contracting a foodborne illness.
How To Safely Store Leftover Sushi
According to the FDA’s recommendations for the storage of raw fish and seafood, sushi should be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, foil, or moisture-proof paper and kept in the refrigerator or freezer.
An airtight container is an alternative that will prevent bacterial growth and moisture. Don’t use containers that don’t seal tightly because they might encourage bacterial growth or food spoilage.
Sushi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days raw and four days cooked. Sushi can be frozen for longer storage, but the product’s quality may suffer.
Risks Of Eating Spoiled Sushi
Sushi and sashimi are raw fish and seafood that are more likely to contain parasites and bacteria that can infect humans and result in foodborne illnesses.
Sushi has been linked to salmonella outbreaks in the US while it is a common foodborne illness associated with anisakidosis, a larval infection of the gut, in Japan.
The most typical signs of a foodborne illness are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach cramps, though individual symptoms may vary).
Severe cases of food poisoning are possible, particularly in young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions. These groups are thought to be at higher risk of complications.
Sushi may be a source of mercury, a toxic heavy metal that, in large amounts, may harm the brain, gut, and kidneys, in addition to the risk of foodborne illness.
Sushi Shelf Life Guide (For Popular Sushi Types)
The following settings are assumed for your refrigerator and freezer because they will have an impact on how long the sushi will stay fresh. When purchasing fish for sushi or sashimi, be sure to purchase only the best products, whether locally or from an online seafood delivery service.
- Refrigerator (Store at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below)
- Freezer (Store at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below)
Simply remove your sushi from its packaging, wrap it tightly in plastic, and then store it in an airtight sushi container box or zip-top bag to ensure safety and prolong the life of the food. To prevent raw seafood from spoiling the rice too quickly (raw fish spoils more quickly than cooked fish), pack all ingredients separately.
Although it might seem incredibly difficult, you can probably make your own sushi with a little assistance from one of the countless free YouTube tutorials, which we firmly believe in.
Since we know how important the cold chain is, we immediately put all of the ingredients we use to make sushi in the refrigerator after we bring them home. We also don’t keep our homemade sushi in the fridge for more than 48 hours before eating it.
In addition, we never seal or repackage sushi after we’ve already opened it, and we never put it back in the refrigerator. But as we’ve already stated, that’s just something we do; it’s not mandatory that you do it, either.
Whether It Is Possible To Freeze Sushi
Sushi can be frozen, but it can also be refrigerated, and while we not only advise you to do the former, we’ll also gladly inform you that if you don’t, there’s a good chance that the sushi you leave out on the counter will make you very ill, we don’t suggest that you try the latter.
Although technically speaking it is possible to freeze sushi, just because something is technically possible does not mean that it should be done.
You can freeze sushi that you’ve made yourself, but you should be aware that it will lose a lot of flavors and that the rice and any cucumbers you used may not actually survive the freezing process.
But whatever you do, under no circumstances try to freeze sushi that you’ve purchased at a store. We’ll say it again to show how serious we are. You shouldn’t try to extend the best-before dates listed on the packaging of food items in any way, whether legal or illegal.
In addition, you don’t know whether any of the ingredients in the sushi you bought at the store were previously frozen or not. You are aware of the adage “never freeze anything after use,” don’t you? Don’t do it, that’s correct. Therefore, yes, you can freeze sushi, but we don’t suggest it.
Signs Sushi Has Gone Bad
Raw fish sushi is made with the best ingredients possible (i.e., sushi grade) seafood, which is why it’s pretty much odorless. (Put down your chopsticks if it isn’t, and make a quick exit.) As a result, one of the simplest ways to tell if the sushi in your refrigerator is past its prime is by smell. Chau tells us, in an interesting turn of events, that this is true not only of the seafood components but also of the sushi rice itself. Generally speaking, it is best to be safe and dispose of leftovers in the trash if there is any “off” smell, whether it be fishy or funky. For sushi with raw seafood, Jue tells us, “Sashimi that has gone bad typically has a discolored or slimy surface.” Last but not least, Chau advises looking for mold in the rice because it can occur and is likely to be the type you don’t want to eat (i.e., “not the koji type of mold that is used to make sake, soy sauce, and other ferments”).
Conclusion
A variety of raw and cooked seafood, vegetables, vinegared rice, and dried seaweed (nori) are frequently used in the preparation of sushi, a beloved Japanese dish.
To lower your risk of contracting a foodborne illness, it must be stored properly as it is more likely to contain bacteria and parasites.
While cooked sushi can last for three to four days, raw sushi, such as sashimi, can only be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days. A maximum of two hours should be allowed for both types to be stored at room temperature.
Common Questions
Is Sushi Still Good In The Following Day?
If sushi has been chilled, many varieties can be eaten the following day. But in the end, it really comes down to the type of sushi (such as whether it contained any raw or cooked fish) and how it was preserved (out in the open, in the fridge, or frozen).
How Long Will Sushi Last In The Freezer And Can It Be Frozen?
Sushi can indeed be frozen. In fact, freezing sushi is a fantastic way to store it for later use. The majority of sushi can be kept in the freezer for one to two months if it is kept at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
How Can You Tell If Sushi Has Spoiled?
Temperature management is crucial for food safety. Improper storage of sushi will not only make for an unappetizing meal, but can also be dangerous if consumed due to the possibility of contracting food poisoning via salmonella-tainted raw fish (which is commonly found in non-cooked rolls).