MyListResortHow long does fish last?
Storage tips
- Keep seafood on the coldest part of the fridge, ideally over ice, and use it within a day or two.
- Seal it well so its odor does not spread to other food.
- Freeze anything you will not cook quickly, and thaw it in the fridge.
Every kind, and how long it keeps
| Kind | Fridge | Pantry | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked fish, all | 3 to 4 days | — | 1 to 2 months |
| Fatty fish, bluefish, catfish, mackerel, mullet, salmon, tuna, etc. | 1 to 2 days | — | 2 to 3 months |
| Fish, breaded | — | — | 18 months |
| Fish, cold smoked, air pack | 14 to 30 days | — | 9 to 12 months |
| Fish, cold smoked, vacuum pack | 21 to 30 days | — | 9 to 12 months |
| Fish, hot smoked, air pack | 14 to 45 days | — | 9 to 12 months |
| Fish, hot smoked, vacuum pack | 14 to 45 days | — | 6 to 12 months |
| Fish, raw but headed and gutted | 3 to 4 days | — | 6 months |
| Lean fish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, sole, etc. | 1 to 2 days | — | 6 to 8 months |
| Lean fish, pollock, ocean perch, rockfish, sea trout. | 1 to 2 days | — | 4 to 8 months |
How can you tell if fish has gone bad?
- A strong fishy, sour or ammonia smell.
- A slimy coating, or flesh that has turned dull, gray or mushy.
More on seafood shelf life and storage.
Common questions
How long does fish last?
How long fish keeps depends on which one you have, so each is listed below with its own window. These are estimated quality windows from the USDA FoodKeeper, not food-safety determinations; follow the label and official guidance.
Track it in your list
The average American family of four throws away about $1,500 of food a year, per the EPA, and most of it is opened items nobody remembered.
Add the fish you actually bought to a MyListResort grocery list and set your own reminder from the table above, free. Or scan its barcode to add it without typing.
Track this for free← All foodsSee how freshness tracking works, read the guide to tracking once-opened food, or see what a shared grocery list does for a household.
Shelf-life windows come from the USDA FoodKeeper, published by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (public domain); we vendor the FSIS FoodKeeper dataset and refresh it in place. These are quality estimates, not food-safety determinations or guarantees: actual condition depends on storage and handling, and harmful bacteria may not have obvious signs. Follow package and official guidance; when in doubt, throw it out. See our food safety notice and terms.