Refreezing shrimp
July 30, 2019 11:56 AM   Subscribe

Hello friends, I'm wondering about a meal I cooked for dinner last night. I used frozen shrimp that I thawed at home before cooking. Can I safely freeze the leftovers and eat later? And have it taste decent? Thanks!
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat to Food & Drink (6 answers total)
 
Safely? Yes, but it won’t be especially tasty after freezing. I’d eat the leftovers today.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 12:08 PM on July 30, 2019


You're talking about freezing the leftover, i.e. cooked, shrimp, right? That should be fine from a food safety perspective, but I imagine it won't do the texture of the shrimp any favours when you thaw and reheat it later.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:26 PM on July 30, 2019


My view is it'll be fine. It's definitely not dangerous, will probably taste reasonable and what have you got to lose?
posted by howfar at 12:54 PM on July 30, 2019 [1 favorite]


Best answer: It's fine. It'll taste fine and the texture will be fine. And there's nothing magical about refreezing shrimp that will make it toxic.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:55 PM on July 30, 2019 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I've done this, and have found that the best results are when I've frozen seafood cooked in a sauce, like shrimp in a tomato-based sauce, or in a paella. I separate the seafood from any rice or vegetables and spread it a single layer for freezing quickly, like in a flattened ziplock bag. Don't crowd the shrimp as this will affect how long the shrimp take to freeze, and freezing quickly seems to make a difference to the texture. I then thaw slowly in the fridge or in the bag in cool water in a bowl. It's the ice crystals that change the texture of protein, and especially seafood, and apparently the more slowly the freezing process the larger the crystals. It might not be quite as good as freshly-cooked, but it's pretty good this way.
posted by citygirl at 12:59 PM on July 30, 2019 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: citigirl, that is the way it's cooked. I'll give it a shot. Thanks everyone!
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 1:37 PM on July 30, 2019


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