How Long is Sushi Good For?

So you fancy a little bit of Japanese food, except your sushi has been around for a number of days. Are you wondering if it is still safe to eat or does sushi go bad? Well, today, we are going to provide you with all the answers. Sushi is delicious, but it is only good when it is fresh. How long is sushi good for? Check below to find out the answer.

How Long Is Sushi Good For?

Sushi is often made up of several different ingredients; therefore, it depends on what is in it. In the traditional sense, sushi contains raw fish. It is recommended that raw fish be eaten within three days or by the expiry date, whichever comes first.

If your sushi contains a cooked element, it should be good for a maximum of five days. However, this is an upper limit and depends on how fresh those ingredients are and how the sushi is stored. 

To get a more in-depth answer, read on to find out more.

Related: What To Serve With Sushi

What is Sushi?

Sushi is a blanket term given to cubes of fish, meat, or vegetables. It is a Japanese-style dish that can contain both raw and cooked elements. It is often served as part of a ‘roll’ where the filling is covered in a layer of sticky rice, often with seaweed. 

These rolls are often coated in a fine layer of fish eggs too!

Related: Learn how.to make Masago.

How Long Does Leftover Sushi Last in the Fridge?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recommended safe storage period for leftover sushi is one day. This is due to the fact that sushi is made with raw fish, which can start to spoil quickly once it’s been prepared and left at room temperature.

How long can sushi sit out a room temperature?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that perishable foods, like sushi, should not be left out at room temperature for more than two hours. After this period, the risk of foodborne illnesses increases significantly.

How to safely store sushi?

To safely store leftover sushi, the first step is to let it cool down if it has been left at room temperature for a while. Once it’s cooled, place the sushi in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. Immediately refrigerate the sushi to maintain its freshness. Regardless of storage methods, sushi should be consumed within 24 hours to ensure its quality and safety. This is important because sushi, especially those made with raw fish, can start to deteriorate quite quickly (FoodSafety.gov).

Why You Need to Be Careful with Sushi

Sushi mixes two elements that tend not to keep very well. They are as follows

• Seafood products
• Rice

Seafood products are notorious for causing stomach upsets. You need to be careful when you consider that sushi encompasses fish, seafood, and sometimes fish roe. None of these ingredients last long in anything other than fridge temperatures.

Rice is particularly dangerous for bacterial growth. Why? It contains a lot of moisture and has a huge surface area, providing the ideal breeding ground for food-borne bugs. You must always store both fish, seafood, and rice correctly. 

Can You Eat Two Day-old Sushi?

Provided that your sushi was prepared fresh, with fresh ingredients, there should be no problem eating two-day-old sushi.

The only other caveat is that it must have been stored at a cold temperature. You will also want it to have been covered. While leaving it uncovered won’t make it ‘bad’, it could cause it to dry out. And dried-out sushi is very unappetizing.

The main limiting factor with sushi is that it is only as good as its least fresh ingredients. So if you have made fresh rice but used fish or seafood approaching its expiry date, this becomes the limiting factor. 

If it has been left out and has got to room temperature, we wouldn’t even bother to store it. Consider it wastage and throw it away.

Recommended: Simple Rice Recipes

Is Sushi Still Good After 5 Days?

We would advise against eating sushi after five days, whether it has been refrigerated or not.

If your sushi contains a raw fish element, it is well past when it will be good. Raw fish should not be consumed further than three days past when it was bought or prepared. 

If your sushi contains a cooked element, it won’t be within the range for safe eating. The maximum recommended duration to eat cooked food is 5 days. Therefore after five days, you can consider your‘ food bad,’ which needs to be discarded.

How Do You Know if Sushi Has Gone Bad?

There are several ways to tell if sushi has gone bad. Luckily most of them are pretty obvious. Have a look at our quick checklist below. If you can check any of the boxes, consider having something else for dinner.

Sushi is bad if:

• It has exceeded 3 days for raw fresh fish
• It has exceeded 5 days for cooked fish or seafood
• It has a foul or fishy odor
• It appears dry or discolored on its surface
• There is liquid pooled under the sushi
• You notice blue, black, or green spots or mold

Above all, trust your senses. Even if the sushi doesn’t meet any of the above criteria, stop eating and discard it if it tastes strange or off. Better to be safe than sorry.

See Also: Nigiri vs Sashimi: What’s the Difference?

What Happens if You Eat Expired Sushi?

Bad things, our friends. Very bad things. 

Seafood, fish, and rice are some of the leading causes of food poisoning. You can’t take any chances. When food goes bad, it accumulates some really nasty bacteria on its surface. This bacterium is really nasty and can make you feel really unwell. Here are some examples of ‘food poisoning bugs’: –

• Norovirus
• Salmonella.
• Clostridium perfringens.
• Campylobacter.
• Staphylococcus aureus (Staph)

Not to mention E-Coli!

All of the above will induce severe vomiting, stomach cramps, and horrendous diarrhea. 

Disgusting, right? 

While cooking can sometimes kill bacteria, when food goes bad, there are compounds and other germs that are heat resistant, so cooking won’t help.

When it comes to sushi, if there is any doubt at all, there is no doubt. Throw it in the trash and think about eating something else that will make you really sick.

Conclusion

While sushi is delicious, it is also worth noting that you have to be really careful with storage and how long you leave it before eating it. How long is sushi good for? Raw, only three days, cooked, five days at most. The solution? Eat prepared sushi immediately, and then order some more! What’s your favorite sushi dish? Let us know in the comments.