What is the average shelf life of trout? How long does trout last in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer? What is the best way to store trout to increase its shelf life? Find out the answers to these questions and more below:
Shelf Life of Trout
| Refrigerator | Freezer | |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh Lake or Rainbow Trout | 1-2 Days | 3-4 Months |
| Cooked Lake or Rainbow Trout | 3-4 Days | 2-3 Months |
| Fresh Sea Trout | 1-2 Days | 3-4 Months |
| Cooked Sea Trout | 3-4 Days | 2-3 Months |
Like all other fish trout can also be stored for a certain period either by freezing them or putting in a cold store. There are few factors on which the shelf life of a trout depends. Gutting the trout is essential prior to freezing. Without gutting it can hardly stay fresh for a day. A whole frozen trout is relatively less susceptible to become stale. At -10 degrees Celsius the trout can stay in perfect condition for one week and in acceptable conditions from two weeks. At -20 degrees Celsius trout can stay in perfect condition for 5 weeks while at -30 degrees Celsius it can stay in perfect condition for 8 weeks.
Purchasing Trout:
You should keep in mind a few things before purchasing trout. If you bring home a stale trout, you can end up getting gastritis. The first thing that you should check in a trout is if there is a transparent slime present on it. The slipperier the fish is, the fresher it is.
Traits to recognize a stale trout are that it will have sunken eyes, the transparent slime on its skin will have converted to yellowish slime, accumulated on the gills. Apart from this, the color and brightness of the trout will also have deteriorated. Hence, before buying a trout, these things should be kept in mind.
Storing Trout:
Any food item, if stored correctly can be stored for a longer period of time before getting stale. In case of trout, storing it after gutting can help increasing shelf life. A non-gutted trout becomes stiff and gets harder to clean once frozen. Moreover, it also gets stale easily.
To have perfectly fresh trout for a longer period of time, it should be stored in as less temperature as possible. There is no restriction in storing the trout by either making fillets or freezing it completely, but it has been seen that a trout stored with its head on, stay fresh for a longer period of time.
Handling Trout:
A trout should be preferably starved before storing as in this way it will not have to be gutted, but if the fish is not starved, then it should be gutted and washed properly before storing. A non-gutted trout becomes still and cannot be cleaned properly. To gut a trout you can either use a machine or do it manually. Once this is done the veins and blood inside the trout should be cleaned by brushing. Also, the gills from the trout should be removed as they contain bacteria that result in contamination.
Cooking Trout:
Trout can be cooked in many ways, but smoked trout is one of the most delicious dishes. Apart from smoked trout ‘Grilled Trout with Herbs and Citrus-Nut Oil Dressing’, ‘Pan-Roasted Trout Bruschetta with Chili Vinaigrette’ and ‘Plank Grilled Whole Trout’ can also be made.