Can You Refreeze Shrimp? Here Are The Detailed Guides

Are you into eating shrimp cooked in many types of dishes? Nowadays, it’s quick to buy raw or frozen shrimp in many stores, but food safety is something to doubt about.

One valuable question is, can you refreeze shrimp? Unfortunately, refreezing thawed shrimps can be troubling if you don’t have the proper knowledge or don’t follow the proper steps.

However, the delightful news is that you won’t have problems refreezing your shrimps if you previously thawed them properly.

Did you know that refreezing seafood may have a strange taste when they’ve already passed a long period in your freezer?

For this reason, it’s a must to follow safety protocol if you want to preserve the juiciness of your shrimp.

Let’s find out the detailed steps on how you can refreeze shrimps by reading the rest of the post below.

Can You Refreeze Shrimp After Thawing?

Yes. It’s safe to refreeze shrimps placed in the refrigerator for thawing. This way, the shrimps aren’t exposed to an open environment, reducing the likelihood of contamination.

Meanwhile, thawed shrimps using a microwave won’t do well if you refreeze them. This process makes them susceptible to bacteria accumulation. Hence, refreezing them isn’t sensible.

We strongly recommend cooking the shrimps immediately if you thaw them in a microwave. Likewise, we don’t recommend refreezing shrimps thawed using cold water. It’s best to cook them right away since refreezing them won’t work.

Buying frozen shrimps from stores is already thawed when you reach home. For this reason, we suggest cooking them first and not putting them directly inside the freezer.

How Can You Refreeze Shrimp?

Keeping your shrimp fresh and tasty becomes possible by refreezing them in the refrigerator. This method is considered the best because, unlike other methods, it doesn’t reduce the shrimp’s lifespan and affect its texture.

Here are detailed steps to refreezing your shrimp:

1. Cool down the cooked shrimps before putting them inside the refrigerator for refreezing. This technique helps keep the shrimps from getting freezer burns.
2. Keep the raw shrimp’s shell intact when refreezing them to give the meat a protective cover.
3. Storing raw or cooked shrimps in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag helps keep them from absorbing other food flavors.
4. Place the airtight container or freezer bag in a safe spot inside your freezer. Allow the shrimp to freeze according to the required period.
5. It’s best to mark the freezer bag or airtight container with the refreezing date so you won’t forget.

Note: Refreezing and constant freezing tend to affect the texture and flavor of the shrimp. We recommend using the shrimp once exposed to a single round of double freezing.

How Does Refreezing Affect Shrimp?

Refreezing can deteriorate the shrimp’s flavor, quality, and texture. Compared to fresh shrimps, refrozen shrimps are less juicy.

When your shrimps get freezer-burnt, their color, taste, and texture are massively affected.

How Long Is It Safe To Refreeze Shrimp?

According to the USDA, it’s safe to refreeze shrimps for up to two days provided you thawed them in the fridge.

You can safely freeze defrosted uncooked shrimp or cooked shrimps for one up to two days in the freezer.

Meanwhile, you can transfer the shrimp to the freezer if you don’t prefer cooking them immediately.

It’s safe to store the shrimps inside the freezer for a few months provided you pack and cover them correctly.

Nonetheless, avoid leaving the shrimps at room temperature for an extended period after thawing them. Air contamination can affect the shrimps badly.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Frozen Raw Shrimp?

Generally, you need to cook frozen raw shrimps for roughly eight to ten minutes. Please note that this cooking time is approximately 50% longer than cooking thawed or fresh shrimps.

Can You Freeze Fresh Shrimp From The Grocery Store?

Yes. You can freeze fresh shrimp bought from grocery stores so long as they’re top-quality and ideal for freezing.

You can freeze raw or cooked shrimps, with or without shells. You can extend their longevity and quality by freezing raw shrimps, removing the heads but keeping the shells on.

7 Risks of Refreezing Shrimps

1. Contamination

Unquestionably, contamination is the most severe hazard related to refreezing, defrosting, and freezing. The risk of bacteria accumulation is more likely as the cellular structure of shrimps disintegrates due to freezing.

Thawing shrimps tend to introduce more bacteria, and unfortunately, refreezing the same food in the freezer won’t change anything.

2. Shrimps aren’t fresh.

Refrozen shrimps tend to lose texture and become mushy. In addition, the amount of moisture in them may result in freezer-burning them.

Yes, freezer-burn shrimps are still safe to eat; however, they won’t produce the best outcomes in dishes.

3. Bad Smell

Developing bacteria growth is prevalent when refreezing shrimps, particularly when you don’t practice safety measures.

You can tell that the shrimps aren’t good anymore when they have a fishy or ammonia smell. Contaminated shrimps produce an unpleasant smell.

4. Unpleasant Taste

Eating fresh food is matchless, and consuming seafood that hasn’t been correctly frozen is unsafe, specifically with shrimps.

Incorrectly frozen shrimp tends to lose good taste even though they aren’t contaminated.

5. Mushy Texture

You can expect refrozen shrimps to have a mushy texture since their cell walls disintegrate. They don’t look fresh as fresh shrimps and tend to get overcooked sooner.

6. Change of Color

The disintegration of the cell on the shrimp’s surface is one of the downsides of defrosting. Thawing them causes the cells to open more and become leached.

As a result, you notice a change in their texture and color, especially when not correctly frozen.

7. Release Water

Frozen shrimps tend to release more water. Hence, your dish might end up soupy if you don’t process the frozen shrimps well beforehand.

Tips For Refreezing Shrimps

• Buying fresh shrimps is better than frozen shrimps, especially if you plan to freeze them. Refreezing frozen shrimps are more likely exposed to bacteria.
• Avoid cooking shrimps with an unpleasant smell and strange appearance after defrosting.
• Boil thawed shrimps in water and refreeze them if you plan to put them back in the freezer. This method helps eliminate any contamination risk.

FAQ’s

1. Can you refreeze shrimp after cooking?

We strongly recommend not refreezing cooked shrimps and consuming them immediately after thawing them.  It’s safe to refreeze cooked shrimp merely if you’ve defrosted it inside the refrigerator.

Be sure to immediately refreeze the cooked shrimp sooner. Avoid refreezing cooked shrimp defrosted in the microwave or at room temperature

2. What is the best use of twice-thawed shrimps?

When the shrimp’s meat passed through a twice-thawing process, it becomes mushy. As a result, the taste becomes slightly unpleasant, making its usage limited.

You can only use twice-thawed shrimps in sauces, soups, dips, and casseroles because the change in flavor won’t be noticeable.

3. How to know if the refrozen shrimps have spoiled?

You can tell if the refrozen shrimps have spoiled when you notice changes in their appearance. You’ll notice a foul smell, discoloration, and slimy texture.

Avoid eating the shrimps if you notice these strange conditions as doing so may result in food poisoning. Consuming shrimps in bad condition may also lead to bacterial infections that can cause muscle aches, chills, and fever.

4. Can shrimps go badly in the freezer?

Yes. Even if you’re using frozen shrimps, they can go bad if not used sooner. Freezing and thawing shrimps several times make them prone to going bad.

Low freezer temperature and an extended power outage can make the shrimps unsafe to consume.

5. Can you refreeze shrimp that has been previously thawed?

Yes. However, it’s necessary to thaw the shrimps the same day you plan to cook them, or a day earlier.

Eating the shrimps the same day is advised if you’ve thawed them out on the countertop or used the microwave.

You can put thawed shrimps in the refrigerator for two days if you’ve thawed them in the fridge.

We don’t recommend leaving the thawed shrimps for more than two days in the refrigerator.

6. How many times can you refreeze shrimp?

Avoid refreezing shrimps repeatedly, particularly if you’ve thawed or taken them out from the freezer for an extended time.

Doing so causes them to get wasted because as the temperature rises, the bacteria activity in the meat also rises.

7. How long does refrozen shrimp last?

You may keep the refrozen shrimp inside the freezer for three to six months after correctly defrosting them. Nevertheless, using them sooner is much better to avoid any contamination.

8. What can I do with slightly frozen shrimp?

Handling slightly frozen shrimps is easy and convenient. Once they are all set, you can use them in your favorite frozen dishes.

Alternatively, you may add them to salads, pasta, or rice to enjoy a nutritious meal.

9. Can you put thawed shrimp back in the fridge?

Putting thawed shrimp back in the refrigerator is safe if you’ve thawed them in the fridge. But, if you leave them exposed for over two hours, refreezing them is not safe at all.

The fridge’s regulated temperature doesn’t allow any contamination of bacterial infection in the shrimps.

10. How long can you freeze cooked shrimp?

The answer to this question relies on the technique used to store the cooked shrimp inside the freezer. Put the shrimp stew or soup in an airtight container.

If the shrimp is pan-fried or boiled, ensure that you cover them with an aluminum foil tightly.

You can safely store cooked shrimps inside the fridge for four days, provided you follow proper refrigerating techniques.

Your cooking technique, the refrigerator’s temperature, shrimp quality, and your container may affect the quality of frozen shrimps.

Final Thoughts

Shrimps are undeniably almost everyone’s favorite since they’re tasty and easy to cook. But, can you refreeze shrimp? Fortunately yes, but you need to be extra cautious when refreezing them if you don’t want them to get contaminated.

We strongly suggest avoiding refreezing the shrimps negligently if they’re left on the kitchen counter. To enjoy your shrimps better, considering the tips we’ve shared above can do the trick.

Remember your cooking method, the fridge’s temperature, the container used, and shrimp quality all affect a frozen shrimp’s quality.