# This Salmon is "sell by 1/28." It's 1/30 - can I still eat it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271 "2006-01-30T23:15:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/1 "2006-01-30T23:15:59Z")
This is raw, uncooked salmon from Trader Joe’s, though it’s marinated with some sort of seasoning. I’m really paranoid about food going bad, so I’m not sure if I should eat it. How long is salmon good after the “sell by” date? I’m not sure if this is pertinent, but I keep my fridge **cold** , to the point where the spout on my Brita pitcher sometimes freezes shut a little bit and a thing of yogurt got crystally recently. I figure that gives it a little more life. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/2 "2006-01-30T23:20:35Z")
Smell it. If it smells like Salmon it’s fine, eat it. If it smells funky toss it. Those dates don;t mean much and are a guidline at best. There’s no reason to be paranoid about this kind of stuff unless you’re immunosuppressed or elderly. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/3 "2006-01-30T23:22:54Z")
It’s still good. They tend to be conservative with the sell by dates and you should have at least 5 days after that. The exact date when it goes bad depends on the product and the conditions that it is exposed to so it is hard to pin a date on it. It is best top be able to judge the quality on your own. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/4 "2006-01-30T23:33:18Z")
What they said, plus cook it well. ---
**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/5 "2006-01-31T14:05:04Z")
I’ve noticed the dates printed on fruit at TJ’s. Did the salmon actually say “sell by” or was there just a date? I went to the cash register with some veggie that had a past date stamped on it, thinking I might get a discount, but was told that the date meant when it was packaged, not it’s expiry. ---
**Author:** ![M.Meursault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@M.Meursault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.Meursault)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/6 "2006-01-31T14:18:12Z")
> [@xbuckeye](#): > > What they said, plus cook it well. Cooking it well is good advice. Besides, who wants undercooked salmon? If you’re still uncertain and worried, though, I’d say toss it if that would help you feel better. Better to throw the fish away than cook it and fret about eating it. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/7 "2006-01-31T14:41:44Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Smell it. If it smells like Salmon it’s fine, eat it. If it smells funky toss it. Those dates don;t mean much and are a guidline at best. There’s no reason to be paranoid about this kind of stuff unless you’re immunosuppressed or elderly. Although it’s probably still fine, you can’t always judge by smell. I had a piece of smoked salmon forgotten at the back of my fridge for about two months. When I finally recovered it, it smelled and looked pretty much the same. I’m sure I would have been really ill, had I eaten it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/8 "2006-01-31T15:03:21Z")
> [@M. Meursault](#): > > Cooking it well is good advice. Besides, who wants undercooked salmon? The entire Pacific rim. DON’T cook it well. Salmon should be medium at most. I prefer it medium rare. You’re fine with that salmon. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/9 "2006-01-31T15:08:39Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Although it’s probably still fine, you can’t always judge by smell. I had a piece of smoked salmon forgotten at the back of my fridge for about two months. When I finally recovered it, it smelled and looked pretty much the same. I’m sure I would have been really ill, had I eaten it, though. Why are you sure about that? It’s smoked salmon. Smoking preserves foods. That was originally the point. People are WAY too paranoid about food borne illnesses. Now, some smoked salmon today is just for flavor and doesn’t have a super long long shelf-life, but at least if you kept it vaccuum packed and refrigerated, I bet it would last 6 months. Opened, well, I wouldn’t toss it after 2 months. I’d check it first. ---
**Author:** ![M.Meursault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@M.Meursault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.Meursault)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/10 "2006-01-31T15:30:17Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > The entire Pacific rim. > > DON’T cook it well. Salmon should be medium at most. I prefer it medium rare. > > You’re fine with that salmon. Touché. To be honest, though, I’ve never cooked salmon so I honestly have no idea how to cook it so it’s good. When I have steak or chicken that’s about to take a turn for the worse, I tend to overcook it, just to be safe. I would just assume that would apply to fish, but, as I said, I have no idea about salmon. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/11 "2006-01-31T15:43:16Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Why are you sure about that? This salmon _was_ only smoked for flavor, not to preserve it. Also, I said it looked and smelled “pretty much” the same. If I hadn’t been inspecting it, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the ooze beginning to form underneath it that definitely wasn’t there when it originally went into the fridge. That’s why I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/12 "2006-01-31T15:45:35Z")
And it wasn’t packaged anymore - it had been opened those two months prior. Packaged, I’m sure it would have been fine. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/13 "2006-01-31T15:50:49Z")
> [@M. Meursault](#): > > To be honest, though, I’ve never cooked salmon so I honestly have no idea how to cook it so it’s good. When I have steak or chicken that’s about to take a turn for the worse, I tend to overcook it, just to be safe. I would just assume that would apply to fish, but, as I said, I have no idea about salmon. When in doubt, ask the experts: [Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute](http://www.alaskaseafood.org/recipes/tips/pages/tip-grilling.html) > [@](#): > > Cook fish approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Seafood continues to cook after it’s removed from the heat so take it off the heat just as soon as it is opaque throughout. . To check for doneness, slide a sharp knife tip into the center of the thickest part of a cooking seafood portion, checking for color. Remove from the heat just as soon as it turns from translucent to opaque throughout. Note that 10 minutes is for the whole piece of fish, not each side. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/14 "2006-01-31T16:24:23Z")
Fresh fish does not smell “fishy”, it smells of the sea. Overcooked salmon is a waste; nasty, dry stuff. Cook gently (not super high heat) and keep checking it as it cooks. Carefully check the thickest portion of the fish as it cooks, it’s done when it will flake but is still moist. Now I need to get a salmon out of the freezer for dinner! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/15 "2006-01-31T20:01:28Z")
Hey! I didn’t even eat the mousse! ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/16 "2006-01-31T20:36:51Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > People are WAY too paranoid about food borne illnesses. Word. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/17 "2006-01-31T20:53:49Z")
I’m kinda surprised someone hasn’t dragged up that recipe for Dishwasher Salmon yet. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-salmon-is-sell-by-1-28-its-1-30-can-i-still-eat-it/342271/18 "2006-01-31T22:44:20Z")
I’ve made some delicious pan-seared salmon, using a cast-iron pan on very high heat. The outside forms a dark crust, and the very inside is quite rare. Is this something not that safe to eat? I hope not…