In recent years, sushi has only grown more and more popular. People rave about its health benefits, as well as highlighting how it is a great choice for a light meal. Sushi on its own is also great for any time of the day, but sometimes there are leftovers.
Instead of wasting such a delectable treat, wouldn’t it be best to save it for later? Since sushi usually has either raw fish, avocado, or other ingredients that may change in quality or color over time, that leaves me wonder, how long is sushi good for?
How to Tell If Your Sushi Has Gone Bad
Let’s start with the sushi you order from a restaurant or supermarket. If the sushi has raw fish, it is okay to take home some leftovers and store them in a refrigerator up to 24 hours. The taste and texture of the sushi may change (e.g. softer sashimi, limp seaweed paper, harder rice), but there should be no harm in eating it 24 hours after it was made.
The important part to remember is to not leave it unrefrigerated because bacteria can actually grow on sushi that has a raw component, such a spicy tuna rolls and sashimi (which is basically just slices of raw fish).
Now imagine you have a box of sushi in your fridge and after you calculate the time you realize that your leftover sushi is quickly approaching hour 25. What do you do?
First, take note of the color and the smell. If it smells fishy or even a little off to you, don’t risk it and just throw it away. If the color of the sushi looks a bit dull or just different from what you remember when the employee brought it out, best to throw it out. If it has a bit of mold (ew!) or leaves some slime, it’s time to ditch it in the bin.
How to Store Sushi
Although the Styrofoam box from the restaurant is fine, sushi should be stored tightly in a plastic wrap and then placed in an airtight container. Before wrapping in the plastic wrapper, it is essential to make sure there isn’t any excess water lingering on the rolls because this can actually promote bacteria growth. Lastly, make sure your refrigerator is at 41ºF (or 5ºC) to ensure that there will not be any warmth available to make the sushi go bad.
Now that you know how long sushi lasts, go out and eat sushi to your heart’s content. From sashimi (raw slices of fish) to maki (cut rolls with seaweed on the outside) to nigiri (no seaweed, just fish on rice), there is so much to enjoy.
Of course, you might have leftovers every now and again, but now you know how best to keep those delicious morsels from turning into a bacteria-riddled tragedy. While you’re waiting for your next sushi meal, why not figure out how many calories are in your favorite roll?