Singapore Expats

This happened to the fish I bought in Costco. It was sitting raw on the dinning table, sliced up and ready to go for the hot pot. And I saw this worm wiggling its way out and wanting to see what is out there in the world, kind of standing up. I thought it was trying to say "hi" to me .

I was so creeped out. Throw away most of the fish. Took me a while before I could eat fish again. I won't fault Costco. We are dealing with nature here.


http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/man ... 44548.html

Most of the fish we caught off the west coast of Australia had some some sort of worm in them. It's pretty off-putting at first, but it's rather common, so what are you going to do. Anyway, once the fish is prepared, it's all protein.

Parasitic worms are common also in Garoupa as well, Especially fish over 15kg or so. And no, it's not wise to eat them, but if well cooked shoudn't post a problem but I wouldn't.

Cough-wuss-cough

The ones in Singapore were round jobbies embedded in the flesh; we'd always see one or two after gutting the fish. As good as all of them, tengiri especially, had them.

Might be why I'm still in good health at 66? I've lived off seafood most of my life. I've been a diver (both SCUBA and Commercial) for over 48 years and certified SCUBA for 38. I've eaten my fair share of questionable seafood, but at the end of the day, prudence will win with me when I have a choice.

Onya eh.

Better worm than roach.

GeorgeL wrote:Better worm than roach.

Depends on where you are from. Where I'm from we smoke our 'roaches' but only eat the worm after the bottle is empty.

So where do we stand with all this and... sushi?

I've experienced this too, and it creeped me out to take some fish fillets from the fridge,and have little worms 'standing up and waving around'. [that was in dream-like fat fresh cod fillets, bought from a very good fishmongers in NYC]

But, in another life I was a parasitologist, and so the pragmatic side accepts that this is quite normal*. There is a tendency to wish for 'clinically pretty' food ingredients. Much, just isn't like that. but it's not til it's stands up and waves hello that we notice


* I once read a study/paper, on the nematode worms that make home in the beer-mats at the Munich beer festival. Parasites are everywhere, just usually we don't notice. So, flip the fish fillet over, have a glass of wine, and let's get on eh...

I am careful about which sushi establishment I eat at. It is supposed to be closely monitored at the micronic (is that a word?????? ) level at the supply side. One needs to have trust that the sushi chef works with a reliable and conscientious supplier. There are times when I cave in due to price point.

Roach does not bother me. Worms, parasite and amoeba can create havoc if they ever enter your system.

earthfriendly wrote:I am careful about which sushi establishment I eat at. It is supposed to be closely monitored at the micronic (is that a word?????? )

No, it's not. It's a bonkers-word


HTH

Does cooking the fish properly render those worms harmless, or can freezing the fish do the job as well? I will gladly buy frozen fillets if that's all it takes to solve the problem.

aster wrote:Does cooking the fish properly render those worms harmless, or can freezing the fish do the job as well? I will gladly buy frozen fillets if that's all it takes to solve the problem.

Yes. A parasite needs a specific host, those 'thread-worms' aren't interested in you. So apart from cosmetically, they're not going to do any harm to you.*

Freezing fish would solve such a problem, but it also (usually) renders the fish not as good/juicy/tasty.

I've only experienced what I described once, so am not going to get too hung up about it. But at times I also ponder how many 'Hello diner' fish steaks I have been served in restaurants, without a second thought....


* we can get more specific and discuss the hazards of Peruvian 'ceviche'... but mebbe later


Edit to add:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVLiDlzlac
'Removing Worms from Fish'

The fish at the supermarket are meant to be cooked, not eaten raw. It is not a problem as long as you cook the fish. No worries as long as you are consuming it the way it is intended to be. It becomes a problem when people mistakenly think they can buy the freshest fish from their local market and consume it raw for sushi or sashimi. Home freezing will not kill parasites.

We have a Peruvian friend who would make cerviche. She uses the fish from the supermarket. I am not sure what to think of it. I just focus on how tasty it is and being grateful for the home-made food.