Sushi restaurants and fish markets use what's called a "super freezer," which is exactly what it sounds like: a freezer that maintains super-cold temperatures. This FDA table details the species-specific risks of live parasites in fish. But the information here is a little misleading, and meant to serve more as an agency warning about the perils of mislabeling fish than as a practical guide to which fish must be frozen prior to raw consumption.
Exempted from the FDA's freezing requirements are, as Herron mentions, large species of tuna—deemed safe based on the frequency with which they are eaten in raw form and the infrequency of related, documented parasitic infection—as well as aquacultured fish, like salmon, given verification that the feed it's raised on is parasite-free. To meet FDA guidelines, every other type of fish must be frozen to those temperatures, even if the table does not indicate that it carries a parasite risk, because it "may have a parasite hazard that has not been identified if these fish are not customarily consumed raw or undercooked.
It's a paradox: The FDA will not deem a fish free from parasite hazards, and thus safe to eat raw without freezing, unless that fish is eaten raw, without being frozen, frequently enough to present sufficient evidence of its safety. To Luke Davin, the general manager of Osakana, this standard means that "deviating from [the FDA's] 'freeze it all' approach puts the burden of testing and proof on the processor.
The easiest solution, then, is simply to freeze everything. Despite the FDA's blanket recommendations for the elimination of parasites, which is the main goal of its freezing guidelines, very few infections from eating raw fish have been documented in American medical literature. In the US, eating raw fish that hasn't been frozen is rare enough that the agency's "Bad Bug Book" uses Japan as a reference point, since the practice is far more prevalent there.
But even in Japan, where freezing of fish meant for sashimi is not required, reported infection rates are vanishingly small compared to the total population. Because some infections are asymptomatic, and many are thought to go unreported, the risk of infection may be greater than statistics suggest.
On a less scientific level, worms—particularly parasitic worms—inhabit dark recesses of our collective imagination. The idea that eating a piece of seemingly pristine, delicious fish carries a risk of infestation by alien-like organisms is enough to give anyone—including health authorities equipped with all the relevant, fear-assuaging data—the heebie jeebies.
Both Haraguchi and Herron point out that, in certain cultures, fish has long been served raw despite never having been frozen at all, and neither was bothered by the idea of eating fish under those circumstances though they stress that the fish they sell for raw consumption has been frozen according to FDA guidelines.
Of parasites, Haraguchi says, "It's natural. Parasites are as natural as seeing a ladybug in farmers market vegetables. I'm fine, you're fine. And everybody was doing that before these regulations came out, and everyone was okay. But there are caveats: Freshwater fish and some anadromous fish—fish, like salmon, that divide their life cycles between fresh and salt water—are susceptible to broad fish tapeworms, which are widely considered more harmful than other parasitic worms.
Few experts recommend eating fish in the cod family—particularly Atlantic cod, but also Pacific cod, haddock, and pollack—since they're highly susceptible to infection by a range of parasites. According to Haraguchi, there's another reason fish in the cod family are not eaten raw: "There's so much moisture [in the flesh], it doesn't taste good. The parasites that infect most marine fish are nematodes, or roundworms, from the genus Anisakis.
It's preferable to avoid eating them, of course, but conventional wisdom says that the stray live anisakid in your gut will, at worst, provoke some discomfort—nausea and possible stomach pain, similar in kind to a bout of food poisoning.
Judy Sakanari, a parasitologist in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, believes that this view downplays the risks of ingesting anisakids. Sakanari stresses that understanding the life cycle of the parasite is necessary to a full appreciation of the risks involved. All parasites seek to reach their end-host organisms.
For tapeworms, these are bears and other fish-eating mammals; for anisakids, they're marine mammals, such as whales, seals, and dolphins. If all goes as the parasite gods intend, fish carrying infectious worm larvae will be consumed by an end-host organism. But if those fish are snatched up in a trawler or caught on a line, the ideal parasitic life cycle is interrupted.
As soon as the fish's body temperature begins to rise to that of the end-host mammal, the parasite larvae in its gut will attempt to find a way out, leading them to burrow into the fish's flesh.
This is one reason why it's always best to keep ungutted fish cold: Any parasite larvae in the fish gut will remain immobile as long as the temperature is sufficiently low. That impulse to find a more hospitable environment, Sakanari says, is what makes anisakids particularly worrisome for humans. The human body is sufficiently different from that of whales and elephant seals—typical anisakid end hosts—that it forces the worms to wander around inside of it.
As they do so, they probe along the intestinal wall, trying to penetrate it and sometimes getting stuck in the process, which can necessitate resection. Interestingly, because humans are a natural end host for tapeworms, Sakanari says that tapeworm infection, as disgusting as it might sound, would be preferable to larval anisakid infection.
The pathologies associated with the adult fish tapeworm infection are by and large less severe, and can be treated with a simple anthelmintic. Sakanari notes that preparations like ceviche, in which fish are submerged in an acidic bath, do nothing to kill off anisakids, since they thrive in highly acidic environments.
Candling—in which a strong light is shined through thin fish fillets placed on a glass, in order to spot parasites to be removed—is also not foolproof: Sakanari describes an experiment in which she and her colleagues examined a piece of rockfish using this method and determined that it was free of parasites. After cooking, they then flaked the fish fillet and examined it, and found that they had in fact missed several worms.
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Back to Recipes Vegetarian dinners Quick vegetarian See more. Back to Recipes Vegan storecupboard Vegan baking See more. Fish is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat, but some types of fish contain high levels of mercury. Does it mean you need to avoid all fish? Fish is a very healthy food, but some cooking methods make it healthier than others. This article reviews the best cooking methods for fish. Salmon is incredibly nutritious.
This fatty fish is also tasty, versatile and widely available. Here are 11 nutrition facts and health benefits of…. Food poisoning occurs when you consume foods contaminated with bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
Symptoms are usually uncomfortable but not severe. Tilapia is a popular but controversial fish. This article examines the evidence and reviews the benefits and dangers of eating tilapia.
Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Health risks Safety tips Risk groups Bottom line Salmon has many health benefits, making it a popular choice among seafood eaters. Share on Pinterest.
May pose a health risk. How to reduce your risk of foodborne illness. Serve with tortilla chips. Note: Manning uses mangoes instead of tomatoes in her recipe. Sure, making sushi at home can be a little time consuming, but this is one of our favorite things to do when we have a group over. Buy a few mats, make a bunch of rice, and get rolling! For the sushi roll: Lay a pieces of nori on the sushi mat. Spread the sushi rice over the nori in an even layer. Place the salmon horizontally over the bottom third of the sheet, about 1 inch from the edge.
Top with scallions and any add-ons you choose. Roll up tightly and cut into 1 inch pieces using a very sharp, moist knife this helps cut the nori easily. Garnish with the spicy mayo. Ha Ha, that gave me a good chuckle, and good luck finding that mango!
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