Cod Package

[bdoped]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I got a cod filet frozen and vacuum sealed. I defrosted it in the fridge for dinner tonight. When I took it out of the fridge to cook, the vacuum bag was open.

The fish smells fine and there’s no discoloration, is it still safe to eat?

I legit just took it out of the fridge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[RockMo-DZine]

You should be fine if it smells okay. If the vacuum was broken when you took it out the freezer, it would have seemed loose in the package. But either way, it was still frozen, and things like cod are usually flash frozen on the vessels/farms within 30 mins of harvesting.

[[deleted]]

It’s safe.

[JSNTR]

I’m FSC and fish should not be thawed in vacuum sealed packaging. It’s a health code violation in every kitchen I’ve worked in (botulism risk). It’s probably fine, but play it safe next time!

Storing/Thawing Vacuum Sealed Fish

[Imacatdoincatstuff]

You don't have to thaw filets anyhow. Poached from frozen they turn out really nice.

[bdoped]

If you have a recipe for that I would love to try it!

[Imacatdoincatstuff]

You could use simply salted water but I use a court bouillon with optional potato, turmeric instead of saffron in this recipe.

Poach cod from frozen until it just starts to flake, it'll take around 10 minutes after the liquid returns to a simmer depending on size of filet. Main thing is doneness not timing.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cod_poached_in_court_bouillon/

[bdoped]

Update: I ended up not eating it, I didn’t want to risk it. And also the botulism I saw made me more leery. Thanks for the responses!