If you live near a body of water and have a local Fresh Frozen Salmon, chances are that the “fresh” salmon you’re purchasing is actually frozen at one point. According to the website The Better Fish, “Fresh” fish at a seafood counter is typically only as fresh as two weeks old due to transport, distribution and processing time.”

That being said, many salmon fishermen prefer selling their fish as frozen rather than thawed. They know that freezing the fish immediately after it’s caught and thawed for sale locks in flavor, texture, and quality – ensuring that customers get the freshest possible product.

Fresh Frozen Salmon: Quality You Can Trust

Frozen fish can also be a more economical choice, as the cost of shipping thawed salmon from the source to the grocery store can be prohibitive. Additionally, as a rule of thumb, frozen fish is better for the environment than fresh fish. Shipping seafood by air, which is necessary to get truly fresh fish, creates 10 times more greenhouse gas emissions than shipping by container ship and five times as much as shipping by truck (via Bon Appetit Management).

Additionally, frozen salmon is often just as nutritious as fresh fish. Nutritionist Rima Kleiner told Tasting Table that “as long as it is flash-frozen right after being caught, salmon from the freezer can be just as good as fresh-caught.” She added that frozen fish does not reduce fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin A and D, in the same way that thawed fish can.