How Long Does Fresh Salmon Last in the Fridge?
Written by Jordan Morley · Storage times from the USDA FoodKeeper database · Last updated 28 October 2026
Fresh salmon should smell mild and clean, never fishy, sour or of ammonia — a strong smell is the clearest sign it's turned.
Storage tips for fresh salmon
- Fridge at 0–5°C. A fridge thermometer is the cheapest food-safety upgrade — many home fridges run warmer than their dial suggests.
- Keep it on ice or in the coldest part of the fridge (usually the bottom shelf, at or below 4°C), in its original wrapping or a sealed container, and use it within 2 days of purchase.
You can also check the calorie content of fresh salmon alongside its safety information. Want to know exactly what's in your food? Our ingredient checker covers E-numbers, allergens and vegan status.
Why this time limit?
Fresh salmon should smell mild and clean, never fishy, sour or of ammonia — a strong smell is the clearest sign it's turned. The flesh should look bright pink or orange with no dull, grey patches, dark spots or filmy residue, and should spring back when pressed rather than feeling mushy or slimy. If the fish still has its skin on, clear shiny eyes and red (not brown) gills are a good freshness check. Any of these signs means it should be thrown away, even if it's still within the 2-day window.
How long does fresh salmon last in the fridge? Every source side by side
Search for this and you get a pile of pages that all say roughly '1 to 2 days' and then disagree about the edges. Here is what each one actually says, and who is saying it:
| Source | Raw salmon in the fridge | What kind of source |
|---|---|---|
| USDA FoodKeeper (this page's headline) | 1 to 2 days | Government database |
| FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart | 1 to 3 days for 'fatty fish' (it lists salmon), fridge at 40°F / 4°C or below; freezer 2 to 3 months, quality only | US government chart |
| FDA, Fresh and Frozen Seafood (Feb 2024) | Store at 40°F or below 'if seafood will be used within 2 days after purchase' | US regulator |
| WebMD (medically reviewed) | 1 to 2 days at 40°F or lower, before cooking or freezing | Health publisher, cites AskUSDA and FDA |
| Tasting Table | 'Up to 2 days max', then freezer | Food site, about 175 words, no sources |
| Food Republic (13 April 2024) | Best within 24 hours of purchase; up to 2 days to cook; 24 hours maximum if it is going into ceviche or other raw dishes; ice does not stretch it beyond 2 days | Food site, no sources |
| Real Food with Sarah (March 2024) | 1 to 2 days raw (cooked salmon is a separate 3 to 4 days) | Blog, no primary sources |
The only source that gives a third day is the FoodSafety.gov chart, which covers fatty fish in general rather than salmon alone. Everyone else stops at 2. Several of the pages above also give a separate figure for cooked salmon (3 to 4 days in US advice); that is a different clock, covered on how long cooked salmon lasts.
The printed use-by date or '1 to 2 days': which clock applies?
This is the question none of the rivals we read answer. Their '1 to 2 days' is general advice for fresh fish, written mostly for US readers. UK shoppers also have a use-by date on the pack. The two are not the same thing, so which one rules depends on what you bought:
| What you have | Which clock | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed supermarket pack with a use-by date | The use-by date on the pack, kept in a fridge at 0 to 5°C | The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says the fridge should be between 0 and 5°C and that you can freeze food 'right up until midnight on the use by date', which treats that date as the cut-off. |
| Pack you have opened | Our judgement: the use-by date or 1 to 2 days from opening, whichever comes first | No source we read gives an opened-pack figure for salmon, so we take the stricter of the two clocks. |
| Fish from a fishmonger or market counter with no date | 1 to 2 days from purchase | FoodKeeper says 1 to 2 days; the FDA says the 2-day fridge rule applies 'after purchase'. Ask when it came in, as it may already have a day behind it. |
| Salmon you froze and have now defrosted | Not this page: see defrosted salmon | The FSA says to use food 'within 24 hours after it's been fully defrosted'. |
How to keep it at its best until you cook it
- Get it cold fast. The FDA says to put seafood 'on ice or in the refrigerator or freezer soon after buying it'.
- Bottom shelf, wrapped or boxed. The FSA says to store raw meat, poultry and fish in their packaging or in clean sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so nothing can drip onto ready-to-eat food below.
- Check the real temperature. The FSA's range is 0 to 5°C; the US figure is 40°F (about 4.4°C), which is a little colder. A cheap fridge thermometer shows which side of that line your fridge is on.
- Airtight wrapping. Tasting Table wraps the fillet in plastic wrap and foil and keeps it in the meat drawer; it is a single food-site method rather than a regulator rule.
- Freeze on day one if you will not cook it by day two. Freezing pauses the clock; fridge storage does not. See how to freeze fresh salmon.
It is day three. Now what?
| Situation | Our call | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Raw salmon, no date, never frozen, now on day 3 | Bin it | FoodKeeper, the FDA, WebMD, Tasting Table and Food Republic all stop at 2 days. The one chart that allows a third day is a general fatty-fish chart, and we would not push to the edge with fish. |
| Raw salmon on day 1 or 2, you will not cook it today | Freeze it today | The FSA allows freezing until midnight on the use-by date, and FoodKeeper gives frozen salmon 2 to 3 months for best quality. |
| Raw salmon, use-by date is tomorrow | Cook it tomorrow or freeze it today | Use-by is the last day. Do not carry it over. |
| Cooked salmon from earlier in the week | Different page | See cooked salmon. UK advice for cooked leftovers is stricter than the US 3 to 4 days. |
A cut or smell test does not replace the time limit. The FDA's freshness checks (below) tell you when fish is clearly off, not that it is safe because it looks fine.
Is it still good? The freshness checks the FDA gives
The FDA's guidance on selecting fish says fish 'should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour, or ammonia-like'. For whole fish, the eyes should be clear and shiny, the flesh should be firm and spring back when pressed, and the gills should be red. Real Food with Sarah adds dull grey patches, dark spots, slime, a mushy feel and any fuzzy or green mould as reasons to throw salmon away. If a fillet fails any of those checks inside its time window, it still goes in the bin.
Sources checked
Everything in the sections above was checked against these pages on 28 October 2026.
- USDA FoodKeeper — fresh salmon: 1 to 2 days in the fridge, 2 to 3 months in the freezer
- FoodSafety.gov: Cold Food Storage Chart — fatty fish (including salmon): 1 to 3 days in the fridge at 40°F / 4°C or below, 2 to 3 months in the freezer
- FDA: Fresh and Frozen Seafood: Selecting and Serving It Safely (February 2024) — 2 days after purchase at 40°F or below; put on ice or in the fridge soon after buying; smell, eyes, gills and flesh checks
- Food Standards Agency: How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely — fridge between 0 and 5°C; raw fish on the bottom shelf in packaging or sealed container; freeze until midnight on the use-by date; use within 24 hours of defrosting
- WebMD: How to safely store fish — 1 to 2 days for raw fish at 40°F or lower
- Tasting Table: How long can you store fresh salmon in the fridge? — up to 2 days, then freezer; wrapping method
- Food Republic: How long fish stays fresh in the fridge (13 April 2024) — 24 hours best, up to 2 days to cook, ice does not extend it; cooked 3 to 4 days
- Real Food with Sarah: How long does salmon last? — raw 1 to 2 days, cooked 3 to 4 days; spoilage signs
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Store it properly
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Check Price →Fresh Salmon next to similar foods
| Food | Fridge time |
|---|---|
| Fresh Salmon | 1–2 days |
| Frozen Whole Lobster | 1–2 days |
| Live Clams, Mussels, Crab and Oysters | 1–2 days |
| Raw Fish | 1–2 days |
| All Cooked Shellfish | Up to 2 days |
Of the 25 fish and seafood foods with a fridge time in this guide, fresh Salmon keeps for longer than 1, the same time as 3 and less time than 20.
Fresh Salmon: the other answers on this site
| Question | Short answer (links to the full page) |
|---|---|
| In the freezer | Yes — freezes well (best quality for 2–3 months) |
Common questions
How long does fresh salmon last in the fridge?
1–2 days in a fridge running at 0–5°C (USDA FoodKeeper guidance). After that, quality and safety both start to slip, and because the bacteria that cause food poisoning are invisible, ‘it seems fine’ is not a reliable test. When in doubt, throw it out.
How can I tell if fresh salmon has gone off?
A strong fishy or ammonia smell, a slimy surface, dull flesh or milky liquid in the pack are all reasons to bin it. Do not rely on this alone: the time guideline matters even when everything looks fine.
Can I freeze fresh salmon to keep it longer?
Yes. For best quality, freeze it for around 2–3 months; it stays safe beyond that because freezing halts bacterial growth, and only texture and flavour decline.
Does my fridge temperature really matter?
Yes. These times assume a fridge at 0–5°C, which is what the Food Standards Agency says to set it to. Bacteria grow faster in a warmer fridge, and many fridges run warmer than their dial suggests, so a cheap fridge thermometer is worth having.
Can I eat salmon 3 days after I bought it?
If it was kept raw in the fridge and never frozen, we would not. FoodKeeper, the FDA, WebMD and most food sites give a maximum of 2 days. FoodSafety.gov's chart allows 1 to 3 days for fatty fish as a group. If you will not cook it in time, freeze it while it is still fresh.
Does keeping salmon on ice in the fridge make it last longer?
Ice is good for getting it cold quickly (the FDA says to put seafood on ice or in the fridge soon after buying), but Food Republic reports it does not extend the 2-day limit. Treat the 2 days as fixed.
Why do some sites say fresh salmon lasts 3 or 4 days?
Usually because they are quoting the figure for cooked salmon (3 to 4 days in US advice), or the FoodSafety.gov chart's 1 to 3 days for fatty fish, rather than raw salmon from a fishmonger. Raw salmon is 1 to 2 days.
Where in the fridge should I keep fresh salmon?
In its packaging or a clean sealed container on the bottom shelf, in a fridge between 0 and 5°C. The Food Standards Agency gives that advice for raw meat, poultry and fish so juices cannot drip onto food that is eaten without cooking.
Can I eat fresh salmon after the use-by date if it smells fine?
No. The use-by date is the safety limit, and the FSA's own rule that food can be frozen 'right up until midnight on the use by date' marks the same cut-off. Smell is not a safe test.
Related answers
Primary source: USDA FoodKeeper.
General information only, not medical advice: see the medical disclaimer. Feeling unwell after eating something? Contact NHS 111 or your GP.