Fish and seafood: storage times

Tap a food for how to store it, how to tell it has gone bad and whether it freezes well.

Food	Fridge	Freezer	Pantry
Canned tuna	—	—	3 years
Tuna in a pouch	—Opened: 3–4 days	—	18 monthsfrom purchase
Opened canned fish and meat	—Opened: 3–4 days	—	2–5 yearsfrom purchaseOpened: Not recommended
Fresh crab meat	1–3 days	2–4 months	—
Crab legs (king, snow, Dungeness)	2–4 daysfrom purchase	9–12 monthsfrom purchase	—
Pasteurized crab meat (sealed tub)	10–12 monthsfrom purchaseOpened: 3–5 days	4–10 monthsfrom purchase	—
Raw fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel)	1–2 daysfrom purchase	2–3 monthsfrom purchase	—
Raw lean fish (cod, haddock, sole)	1–2 daysfrom purchase	6–8 monthsfrom purchase	—
Cooked fish	3–4 days	1–2 months	—
Live whole lobsterDon't cook and eat a whole lobster that was dead before cooking.	1 dayfrom purchase	Not recommended	—
Cooked lobster tails	2–3 daysfrom purchase	2–4 weeksfrom purchase	—
Frozen raw lobster tailsFridge time is after cooking. Keep frozen; cook as directed.	3–4 days	8 monthsfrom purchase	—
Live mussels, clams and oysters in the shell	1–2 daysfrom purchase	2–3 monthsfrom purchase	—
Shucked mussels, clams and oysters	3–10 daysfrom purchase	3–4 monthsfrom purchase	—
Scallops	1–3 daysfrom purchase	6–18 monthsfrom purchase	—
Raw shrimp	1–3 daysfrom purchase	6–18 monthsfrom purchase	—
Cooked shrimp and shellfish	3–4 days	1–3 monthsfrom purchase	—
Cold-smoked salmon (lox), vacuum-packed	21–30 daysfrom purchase	9–12 monthsfrom purchase	—
Hot-smoked fish, vacuum-packed	14–45 daysfrom purchase	6–12 monthsfrom purchase	—
Surimi, imitation crab	Until the use-by date	9 monthsfrom purchase	—

Fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder, freezer at −18 °C (0 °F). Freezer times are for best quality: food kept frozen stays safe, but slowly loses taste and texture. These times are USDA guidance, not a guarantee. When in doubt, throw it out.

Storage times: USDA FoodKeeper (Food Safety and Inspection Service), public domain. Text by ShelfLife.