Store raw meat, poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so juices don't drip onto other foods and cause cross-contamination. When thawing meat in the refrigerator meat should be placed on a plate or in a container to prevent juices from contaminating other foods.
Smell the raw salmon to see if it has a bad odor. If the fish smells pungent, fishy, or ammonia-like, it is probably bad. Fresh salmon should have a very mild scent. Look for a milky coating to indicate the fish has gone bad.
Spoiled salmon tends to host plenty of pathogens, such as bacteria and mold, which can cause awful health issues. Scombroid poisoning is a common type of food poisoning that results from high histamine intake. Symptoms of scombroid poisoning include a headache, blurred vision, itchiness, flushed skin, and diarrhea.
You know when salmon has gone bad if it smells sour, rancid, fishy or like ammonia. If it smells like this when it's raw, the smell is likely to get stronger when it's cooked. You don't want to risk salmon food poisoning, and experts say you should throw it out.
Because it's a healthy option with a quick cook time, it's perfect for those who meal prep. According to the USDA, cooked salmon leftovers should be eaten within three to four days. However, you can technically store the leftovers for up to seven days tops, although you will be compromising both taste and safety.
The look
It should be shiny, translucent, and free from any milky slime. Dull looking, slimy fish are major signs your sushi is off. The whiteness of the rice and the crispness of the nori (seaweed) can also be indications of freshness.“Use by” dates are typically found on dairy products, meat and fish, which spoil quickly and can cause illness if eaten after their “use by” dates. According to the FSA, it can be dangerous to eat food past the “use by” date even though the food might look and smell fine.
"Do not thaw frozen seafood at room temperature.
If thawing in the refrigerator, allow one to two hours per pound of seafood". Another quote from the link below; " If food is allowed to remain at room temperature for two hours or longer, bacteria can multiply and cause food poisoning.Raw steak can last anywhere from 2 days to two weeks in your refrigerator. It all depends on how it is packaged. From the butcher counter, steaks may be wrapped in plastic wrap and butcher paper, and then sealed with a rubber band or tape.
Filleted raw fish, such as cod, salmon and haddock, stays edible up to four weeks after catching, provided it is kept refrigerated below five degrees. It stays safe, but will not taste good.
Spoiled fish, the result of poor food handling practices, can also cause dramatic gastrointestinal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Some common traits of bad fish are a slimy, milky flesh (a thick, slippery coating) and a fishy smell. Give the fish a sniff - it should smell like the ocean, but not fishy, if it is fresh.
First, it is important to know that frozen fish doesn't "go bad"—that is, it won't make you sick if it's been in the freezer too long. Fatty fish like salmon and tuna should keep at top quality for 2-3 months, while lean fish like cod and catfish will keep well in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Gutting can wait. Research carried out by Nofima points to the fact that fish which is bled, cooled and stored correctly can keep for at least 24 hours before being gutted and still maintain good quality.
Fish should not have any "fishy" smell at all, as this indicates the fish is beyond peak freshness. Fresh fish should have no smell at all, or a clean icy smell. Regardless of just how fishy it smells, if there is any "fishy" smell you should not eat it.
Answer: It's fine to refreeze the fish fillets — as long as you thawed them in the refrigerator and held them there for no more than two days. 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.