One of the best things in life is cooking and eating with people you care about, but it’s not always easy to decide what to make. When you have a bunch of go-to recipes, making dinner is less stressful, especially when you have to make something at the last minute.
Below are 12 quick and easy meals that anyone can make at any time that are sure to please.
Prawns are a delicious seafood treat that many of us love to eat However, they are also highly perishable and have a relatively short shelf life So what happens if you discover a pack of prawns lurking in the back of your fridge that’s just one day past its use-by date? Should you toss them or can you safely eat prawns that are a day over?
As a seafood lover and aspiring chef, I was eager to find out the answer. I looked into it, talked to people who work in food safety, and looked at real-life examples to find out if prawns are still safe to eat the next day after their use-by date.
Here’s a comprehensive look at the safety, risks, and best practices around consuming prawns past their prime. Let’s dive right in!
The Short Answer
According to food safety organizations, it is not recommended to eat raw or cooked prawns more than one day after the use-by date printed on the packaging. The use-by date is there for a reason – to indicate the last day the manufacturer can guarantee peak quality and safety.
Prawns are highly perishable, so allowing them to sit too long even refrigerated raises the risk of food poisoning. Safety experts caution that just one day past the use-by date is enough for dangerous bacteria like salmonella to multiply quickly on prawns.
How Long Do Prawns Last When Stored Properly?
To understand why prawns shouldn’t be eaten after their use-by date, it helps to know how quickly they go bad.
Prawns’ shelf life is mostly determined by two things: the temperature at which they are stored and whether they are raw or cooked. Let’s look at how long prawns last under ideal conditions:
Raw Prawns
- Refrigerator: 2 to 3 days from the purchase date
- Freezer: 6 to 12 months
Cooked Prawns
- Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days from cooking date
- Freezer: 1 to 3 months
As you can see, both raw and cooked prawns last just 2 to 4 days in the fridge before significant decline in quality and safety occurs. Freezing buys you more time by stopping bacteria growth.
But once thawed, frozen prawns need to be eaten ASAP – within 1 to 3 days. So freezing is not a good strategy for prawns you’ve already allowed to pass their prime.
Bottom line: prawns start deteriorating quickly, even when carefully stored at cold temperatures. Consuming them just 1 day past the use-by date is inadvisable.
What Are the Risks of Eating Expired Prawns?
Eating prawns that are past their use-by date comes with significant health risks. Here are some of the dangers:
Food Poisoning
Prawns contain naturally high levels of bacteria. Once the use-by date has passed, spoilage bacteria like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli can grow to dangerous levels very quickly in expired prawns or thawed frozen prawns.
Consuming them raw or cooked can lead to severe food poisoning symptoms including:
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Abdominal cramping
- Fever and chills
- Dehydration
In vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems, food poisoning from spoiled prawns could even become life-threatening.
Allergic Reaction
Seafood allergies are common. Eating expired prawns could trigger a sudden, severe allergic reaction in those with a known shellfish allergy.
Out-of-date seafood proteins may be altered by bacteria and more likely to cause an anaphylactic reaction. Allergic symptoms like hives, swelling, and difficulty breathing require emergency treatment.
Chemical Toxins
As prawns decay, chemical changes occur in the breakdown of proteins and fats. This can result in formation of biogenic amines like histamine or putrefactive amines like cadaverine.
These toxic compounds can cause symptoms like:
- Hives or rash
- Headache and dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Hypertension
Consuming expired prawns is simply not worth taking these health risks. Talk about a recipe for disaster!
Tips for Safely Storing Prawns
Since prawns deteriorate so rapidly, proper storage is key to keeping them fresh until ready to eat. Here are some tips:
-
Buy raw frozen prawns whenever possible. Frozen prawns last 6-12 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
-
Purchase fresh prawns from a reputable fish market or grocery store seafood counter. Avoid torn packaging or prawns sitting on ice too long.
-
Check the use-by date and pick packages with the furthest dates for maximum freshness.
-
Keep raw prawns chilled at 32-40°F, ideally on ice or with freezer packs. Don’t let them sit at room temp.
-
Freeze raw prawns within 1-2 days if you won’t use them right away. Portion in airtight bags with as little air as possible.
-
Cooked prawns should be covered and refrigerated within 2 hours. Use leftover cooked prawns within 3-4 days.
Following safe seafood handling practices ensures you have the highest quality prawns to work with. But once that use-by date hits, it’s time to say goodbye.
Real-Life Incidents of Consuming Expired Prawns
What actually happens if someone disregards safety guidelines and eats prawns a day or more past the use-by date? Here are a few real-life incidents that highlight the risky results:
-
A Reddit user ate 2-day old expired prawn ramen and reported getting severe food poisoning. Symptoms included vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and vertigo that lasted several days.
-
One woman ate prawns 5 days past the use-by date after leaving them in the back of the fridge. She came down with vomiting, stomach cramps, and sweats within hours.
-
A man purchased cooked prawns from his grocery store’s hot bar. Though they tasted odd, he ate them anyway. He later experienced diarrhea and other symptoms consistent with foodborne illness.
-
A family grilled frozen prawns that had been lingering in their freezer for 8 months. Most of the family became ill with vomiting and nausea after eating the expired prawns.
While anecdotal, these real-life examples underscore why you should never take risks with expired prawns. Getting food poisoning is simply not worth the chance you might avoid illness.
What to Do With Prawns After the Use-By Date
Let’s say you discovered some prawns shoved behind the milk that are past their prime. What should you do besides tossing them out? Here are a few options:
-
Cook expired prawns thoroughly to kill bacteria. However, the texture and flavor will likely suffer, so only use them in strongly flavored dishes like curries or seafood stews where they won’t stand out.
-
Give them to pets like dogs, cats, or birds that have a higher tolerance for mild spoilage. Avoid if you have pets with shellfish allergies.
-
Use in gardening and composting projects. Like other meat and seafood scraps, expired prawns make excellent fertilizer and compost. Bury them under layers of soil or other compost materials to contain the smell.
-
Dispose of prawns over 1-2 days past the use-by date. At that point, even cooking thoroughly may not make them palatable or fully safe for human or pet consumption.
Ideally, you’ll simply throw away prawns by or past the use-by date. But when in doubt, these alternatives let you avoid waste while staying safe.
The Verdict on Eating Prawns Past Their Prime
To recap, here are my key learnings:
-
Both raw and cooked prawns last just 2-4 days past purchase or cooking when properly refrigerated.
-
Eating expired prawns poses significant health risks, including severe food poisoning. Dangerous bacteria multiply rapidly.
-
Follow safe prawn handling, chilling, and freezing guidelines to prolong freshness and shelf life.
-
If prawns somehow get past their use-by date, throw them out or use them for non-food purposes like compost.
-
Real-life incidents confirm consuming prawns more than 1 day over the limit can cause violent illness. Not worth the gamble!
While you may be tempted to live dangerously and taste test those questionable prawns, please learn from my research and others’ misfortune. Your health and safety are too important. When in doubt, throw it out!
Chicken Caesar Pita Wraps
Caesar salad was invented in California by an Italian chef in 1924, and it’s as popular as ever today. You can make this stress-free recipe from SweetPhi with romaine lettuce, store-bought dressing, pita, chicken and parmesan cheese in 10 minutes, and the outcome is impressive.
Just toast the pita bread, cut the chicken and lettuce into small pieces, and put the wraps together however you like. You can change how much sauce you use and how salty and cheesy they are by adding more Parmesan. Less cheese and dressing makes the wraps lower in fat, while more gives them a restaurant-style taste.
This creamy, indulgent pasta recipe from Erren’s Kitchen is ideal for days when you’re in need of comfort food. It takes just 20 minutes to make and will have everyone asking for seconds, from fussy kids to foodie adults. The secret ingredients are a pinch of nutmeg, fresh garlic and freshly chopped parsley.
Never cook the pasta past al dente. Instead, add the sauce and finish cooking it. A little pasta water should be saved in case it gets too thick. Use a small amount to loosen the pasta. Always use high-fat cream so you don’t need to use a thickener or make a roux.
Chicken Stir Fry
A stir fry is one of the most straightforward healthy meals to make, so if you’re looking for a weeknight staple that has all the food groups in one, look no further than this recipe from Mighty Mrs. You have a choice between rice or noodles, depending on what you like best, and the option to pick any mix of stir fry vegetables. If you prefer fresh veg and have a little extra time on your hands, you could also chop your own.
Putting together the dish only takes five minutes if you use frozen vegetables, and ten minutes if you use chicken that has already been cooked. The recipe calls for a wok, but you can use any large saucepan if you don’t have one. Warm up the oil and cook the vegetables for about seven minutes. Then add the chicken and stir for two more minutes. Finally, add the sauce and toss in the noodles to finish.
A warm bowl of beef stew is perfect for fall or winter, and having this five-ingredient recipe from Food.com in your memory bank can make the idea of coming home on a colder evening much more enjoyable. The secret to this easy recipe is a can of mushroom soup, so you don’t need to worry about making a stock or toiling over the stove to make a sauce.
Is it OK to eat out of date prawns?
FAQ
Can you eat prawns after use-by date?
Can you eat 1 day old prawns?
How quickly do prawns go bad?
What do out of date prawns smell like?
Can you eat prawns a day out of date?
While some people may argue that it’s safe to consume prawns that are a day out of date, there is a risk of bacterial growth on the prawns, which can lead to food poisoning. It’s worth noting that if your prawns were stored properly in the freezer before the use-by date, you can still use them after the date has passed.
Is it safe to eat a whole packet of seaweed?
To know if it is safe to eat a whole package of seaweed, you would have to look at its chemical composition and if it has an excess of any critical nutrient. It is not good to consume any food in excess.
Can you eat prawns past expiry date?
If your fridge is really cold and they smell fine then yes. Yes, as long as they smell/taste ok. No hesitation. No, not worth the worry I’ll eat most things a day or two past the expiry date but I wouldn’t risk seafood or chicken. I wouldnt eat any seafood past its use by date. I’ve known someone get hospitalised from food poisoning from prawns
Should you eat prawns every day?
While it’s advised not to eat prawns every day, prawns have multiple health benefits which you can include in your healthy meal plan. Prawns are typically high in protein and low in fat which also includes B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and calcium.