I often get sushi for takeout but recently, I’ve been searching into various websites and reddit threads and it’s gotten me paranoid
please correct me if I’m wrong about any of this info:
1. I heard that fish, whether farm-raised or wild, will inevitably come with parasites?
I’ve seen reddit threads saying that farm raised salmon is free from parasites, but websites like this [https://time.com/6199237/is-farmed-salmon-healthy-sustainable/](https://time.com/6199237/is-farmed-salmon-healthy-sustainable/) and [https://www.captainjacksalaska.com/seafood/pc/catalog/salmon\_diseases.pdf](https://www.captainjacksalaska.com/seafood/pc/catalog/salmon_diseases.pdf) say otherwise
2. I know that flash freezing fish will kill parasites
3. I understand that chefs will remove visible parasites (these parasites would be dead from the flash freezing process) from any fish before serving them to customers but it seems incredibly difficult to remove all parasites from within the fish cuz there are so many of these parasites
So will flash frozen fish/sushi inevitably contain the dead bodies of parasites/worms in them? Or is there any sushi/fish out there with absolutely no parasites in them at all, dead or alive?
4 comments
1. Not always, not inevitable. There’s decent risk, which is why freezing is recommended, but it’s by no means inevitable. In regards to farm raised salmon, it is very low risk but the chances are still not zero, which is why you see conflicting info.
2. “Flash” freezing is too vague. Simply freezing does not kill necessarily kill parasites. Freezing requirements vary depending on temperature. Basically, it needs to be kept at least 7 days at -4F, or kept at least 15 hours at -31F.
3. Visible parasites will be removed by a good chef. But most fish will not harbor so many parasites that it will be difficult to remove them all. Again it’s not inevitable, there’s just a decent risk.
There are certain species of fish that are less likely to have parasites. Notably tuna is considered relatively parasite free. However, the chance is still not zero.
Sushi chef here
I personally don’t like to use warm water fish for sushi due to its bacteria / parasite or even worm
I only source my fish from my vendor imp and trueworld , they get fish from all over the world , and they have certification on where they harvest or farm or catch so you can trace it lineage ..
That being said all fish have their own style of preparation and each type is unique
Farm fish tend to be more consistent in meat wise but they usually harvest them too young and the flavor is mild compare to wild caught
Fish only good as the water it caught .. yellowtail from japan will be much superior compare to yellowtail from the gulf due to its water
Some restaurant or vendor will have ultra low freezer that goes to -80F .. it’s what we called superfreezer
Bluefin tuna have to be store in this kind of freezer , otherwise it’s color will change and texture would be destroy
Not much restaurant in usa will use this freezer due to its cost and preparation .. hence plenty uses yellowfin/big eye
Where the fish comes from and price will determine if the fish great or not , and if the fish is bad , no matter what kind of freezer they use , it’s still gonna be bad
So In the end it’s up to the establishment to have its standard
The problem with farmed salmon is potentially sea lice (as mentioned in both articles). Salmon are the end host and it’s no risk to humans
I wouldn’t call it inevitable, but I also wouldn’t call it impossible. Like all food, the safety depends almost completely on the skill of the cooks and chefs who make it. Go to places that look clean, and where staff practice good hygiene (frequently washing hands, keeping their station clean, and not working sloppy). The more careful the staff, the less likely you are to get sick. I feel far safer eating at a decent sushi place than I do eating at most fast food chains.