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Can You Refreeze Shrimp?

By: Author William Thomas

William Thomas

Editor-in-Chief & Pitmaster

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.
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Can You Refreeze Shrimp?

When we thaw food, we are doing it because we intend to cook it. One food that is sometimes put in the freezer and then taken out is meat.

However, sometimes you might not end up cooking the meat. This will lead to you putting the raw meat back in the freezer.

The same can be said for after it has been cooked. You will finish cooking it but don’t feel like eating it, so back in the freezer, it goes.

Refreezing meat comes with some caveats, so you can’t just do this off the cuff.

One meat people do this with is shrimp, and in this article, we will find out if you really can refreeze fish and how to do so safely.

Is It Possible to Refreeze Shrimp?

Let us come right out of the get-go and tell you that you can refreeze shrimp that has already been frozen.

It does not matter if the shrimp is raw or has been cooked first. Both can be refrozen.

The details will be covered in the next section.

Refreezing Cooked Shrimp

Shrimp is delicious food. This is a fact that can’t be denied, but after you go through the hassle of thawing the meat and cooking it, you may not feel like eating it. It can be refrozen after using any of the top three thawing methods that exist.

Once you have thawed the cooked shrimp, it can last in the fridge for about 1 to 2 days. This is not as long as some other meat, but it’s expected with seafood.

If the shrimp have been left on the counter for more than an hour, then it’s best to throw them away.

The reason for this is that bacteria thrive at room temperature, and they will grow all over the shrimp if just left on the counter after a certain period.

One last thing to remember is that sometimes eating cooked shrimp that has been thawed and refrozen will sometimes lead to freezer burn. Either that or it will taste funny.

Cook shrimp has a larger chance than some other meats out there of getting freezer burn. This is because cooked shrimp has high water content.

Does this mean you can thaw and refreeze it? Of course not! You just need to be prepared for it to taste strange.

Refreezing Raw Shrimp

Similar rules exist for thawing, and refreezing raw shrimp, like there exists with cooked shrimp that went through the same process.

It can last about a day or two in the fridge before it needs to be frozen. The same goes for shrimp being left out at room temperature for too long.

It must be thrown away because of bacteria growing on it.

The biggest difference is that raw shrimp can only be refrozen if it has been thawed in the fridge. If it has been thawed with any other method, then the shrimp needs to be cooked before even attempting to refreeze it.

This is, once again, because of bacteria that can form on the shrimp.

Surprisingly, raw shrimp has a lower chance of not having freezer burn if it has been thawed and then refrozen. So, going with raw shrimp might be a better option, so it does not have a strange taste.

How to Safely Thaw Shrimp

Three methods exist when thawing shrimp. They include:

  • The safest way to thaw shrimp is by putting it in the fridge. It takes about 12 to 24 hours to do this, so it is the longest method. However, sometimes safety is more important than quickness!
  • To defrost shrimp by putting it in the microwave, all you have to do is put it in a microwave-safe bowl or container and then hit defrost. That is all there is to this method, which is why it’s the quickest out of all of them.
  • The final method, so thawing shrimp is by putting it in an airtight bag like a Ziplock bag or something and then submerging it in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until it’s completely thawed.

By using one of these methods, you will be able to thaw your shrimp with no problem!

How to Safely Freeze Shrimp

Like with thawing shrimp, there are also ways to safely freeze your shrimp and avoid such things as freezer burn. This includes:

  • Remember the issue with leaving shrimp at room temperature for long periods. If this sounds like it happened with your thawed shrimp, then it will have to be disposed of.
  • To safely store shrimp in the freezer, you need to use some kind of airtight container or Ziplock bag. You can also wrap it in foil. All these methods will help ensure that you won’t have freezer burn on your shrimp.
  • A surefire way to store frozen shrimp is to first wrap the food with freezer paper, put it in foil, and then put that in an airtight freezer bag.
  • Last thing to keep in mind is to always label the food with the date you froze it. This way, you will know exactly when it was put into the freezer and when you do thaw it, you will know whether to do the sniff test on your food.

If you follow all these safety tips, you increase the chance of keeping your shrimp fresh throughout the thawing and refreezing process.

Final Thoughts

And there you go, all your shrimp lovers out there. You now are aware it is very possible to thaw and refreeze both cooked and raw shrimp.

There are certain factors you need to keep in mind because if you do not, then the shrimp could end up not being safe or edible enough to eat.

It sounds like a difficult process, but once you have gotten the hang of thawing out and refreezing your shrimp, it will become like second nature to you.

Hey, as they say, practice makes perfect!

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