I wish to add salmon or tuna (packaged pieces, not whole fish) as regular part of my diet, and I am currently experimenting with finding a way to cook them that works best for me from a point of time management.
One thing I am unsure about is how safe it is to thaw the frozen pieces during the night (over a span of 12-15 hours or so) while keeping it at 3-4°C in my fridge.
My understanding is that whatever pathogens are in the fish when I buy it frozen will of course still be there, but won't really start growing significantly at temperatures up to 4°C over half a day, give or take.
Is that assumption correct? Is there any other reason not to thaw it in advance?
Is a "smell test" (i.e., checking that it smells neutral just before cooking) enough to rule out any problems, or can it be more complicated?
The fish will be heated to 55°C internal temperature during cooking in any case.
