Ever had runny salmon for dinner? Neither have we. In a new, viral TikTok, however, a chef and content creator got just that when she opened her salmon filet package she bought from the discount chain Grocery Outlet.
In a video with almost 3 million views as of Saturday, content creator Hope Mikelson (@hopem1079) shares her surprise and disgust at what she finds in her package of salmon.
Mikelson seems at a loss for words as she picks up mushy globs of salmon with her fingers, the consistency similar to “overripe papaya,” as one viewer later pointed out. The fish falls apart in her hands as the video ends.
@hopem1079 ♬ original sound – Hope Mikelson
“That’s a potato or yam,” one user quipped in the comments.
“You can drink that fish,” another person wrote.
“Salmon paste,” came a third comment.
“Frozen. Thawed. Refrozen. Thawed. Mush,” one last user wrote.
What’s wrong with the salmon?
They have a point: A likely reason for the shocking quality of the salmon is indeed that the filet was possibly frozen, thawed, and refrozen by the grocery store or the customer. According to Food & Wine, the quality of any food is affected when it is frozen more than once. Slow freezing introduces large ice crystals that damage the cells of the food once it’s thawed and is a common cause for “mushy” fish.
According to Mashed, buying vacuum-sealed, flash-frozen fish can be convenient, but requires careful preparation to retain its quality. The best way to defrost frozen,vacuumed-sealed fish is in the refrigerator overnight. For those in a rush, placing the fish into a bowl of cold water can also work, but be sure the water is chilled and the package is sealed shut to avoid mushiness.
In general, most fish can be safely frozen for three to six months, Fulton Fish Market reports. Fatty fish like salmon should only be frozen for up to three months, while leaner meats can be frozen for up to six months. Beyond that point, the quality of the fish will suffer.
This isn’t the first time the quality of salmon in American grocery stores has come under fire.
The Daily Dot previously reported on a Costco customer who threw out $40 worth of Kirkland Signature Alaskan Salmon after finding parasites in the filets.
“I found, not one, not two—an entire glob of parasites in my salmon,” the woman revealed.
It turns out that parasites in salmon are not only common, but safe to eat as long as the fish is properly frozen.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Hope Mikelson via email and Instagram private message and Grocery Outlet via email for more information.
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