Lee:
Obviously a nice salmon or tuna makes good sushi, but I'm wondering if any of the white fish can be safely consumed raw? Rockfish aren't exactly bottom fish, would they be safe to eat nigiri style?
Flyin Portagee:
--- Quote from: Lee on March 23, 2012, 01:31:34 PM ---Obviously a nice salmon or tuna makes good sushi, but I'm wondering if any of the white fish can be safely consumed raw? Rockfish aren't exactly bottom fish, would they be safe to eat nigiri style?
--- End quote --- I wouldn't, I've seen worms in them before...
jstonick:
--- Quote from: Lee on March 23, 2012, 01:31:34 PM ---Obviously a nice salmon or tuna makes good sushi, but I'm wondering if any of the white fish can be safely consumed raw? Rockfish aren't exactly bottom fish, would they be safe to eat nigiri style?
--- End quote ---
FYI, salmon have a lot of parasites that need to be killed by a hard freezing before it can be consumed raw. You can get seriously ill eating fresh raw salmon. The one rule of thumb is freezing fish at −20°C (−4°F) for 24 hours kills parasites. I believe that you want the meat at that temp, thus the time for the center of the fish to get that temp depends on the size of the fish. I think that there is a continuum of temperature/time combinations. I believe that tuna can be safely consumed fresh. With proper precaution (freezing to kill parasites) almost any fish can be consumed raw.
kardinal_84:
--- Quote from: Lee on March 23, 2012, 01:31:34 PM ---Obviously a nice salmon or tuna makes good sushi, but I'm wondering if any of the white fish can be safely consumed raw? Rockfish aren't exactly bottom fish, would they be safe to eat nigiri style?
--- End quote ---
Rockfish is a staple of sashimi. Different species seem to have different qualities. Almost every fish is ok to eat raw. Its just a matter of risk. Wild salmon is iffy if not frozen. The stuff you see in the sushi shops is farmed Atlantic Salmon for the most part. Never been exposed to freshwater parasites. Most freshwater species aren't good due to parasites. Last year I had raw herring it was amazingly good.
Certain species of flounder and sole are prized for sashimi. Halibut it ok if they are the small one..smaller the better. Japanese pay a premium for the "frilly" meat around the edges of a halibut or even arrowtooth flounder. It's called Engawa and is considered the best part of the flatfish.
Its amazing what you can eat raw. Just as an example, in Japan one of my favorite "sashimi" is beef liver. FDA would have a cow (pun intended) if a US restaurant served that. It has to be super fresh but I have NEVER gotten sick on it.
When in doubt, freeze it. It loses texture but its a lot safer.
Fungunnin:
There are a pile of different things to worry about when eating raw fish. The most common food poisoning you can get from raw fish is from bacteria that grows after the fish is killed and filleted. If you want to eat your fish raw be very conscious of the the temperature at which it is being stored. Anything over 38 degrees will increase bacteria growth. There is bacteria on most fish before you cook it. Heat kills that bacteria.
The second issue is parasites. I am not an expert on what fish parasites can be carried by humans. Bottom fish carry more parasites than pelagics. If you really want to eat bottom fish raw freezing fish to -20 and holding for 24 hours will kill most parasites. Most residential freezes will not get fish that cold.
The only fish I would eat raw, that I catch myself in the northwest, would be ocean caught salmon, Tuna, sardines and mackerel.
But feel free to try others I know plenty of people that think it is ok.