Worms; and Can you eat rockcod sashimi?

I've heard that those worms will eat their way right through you if you let one in.  That's why rockfish and lingcod are no-no's for sushi.

Nice ling.   

Can someone direct me to some more detailed info on worms and/or sashimi warnings?  So far, I've had sashimi with halibut and rockcod I've caught.  No worms in the fish so far.  Obviously, if I see worms, I'm not going to sashimi it.  I read on the threads here that if you fillet it and put it in the fridge, that if there are worms, it will come up out of the fillet due to the temperature change.  Is this true?
If no worms are visible, isn't is safe to freeze it for 2 days, and then it it raw?  I've also read that home freezers don't freeze it at a sufficient temperature to kill off the worms...

I like sashimi, and would like some definitive info on what I should/should not eat raw.  thx!!

Just make sure you chew it real good!

I've heard that those worms will eat their way right through you if you let one in.  That's why rockfish and lingcod are no-no's for sushi.

Nice ling.   

  I've also read that home freezers don't freeze it at a sufficient temperature to kill off the worms...

I like sashimi, and would like some definitive info on what I should/should not eat raw.  thx!!

I  have read the same. Most sushi restaurants freeze the fish to kill off any hidden bugs using a commercial freezer. There's a time/temperature procedure that's relatively standard but i can't remember it off the top of my head.

My opinion-I've cleaned too many rockfish/lings to ever even think of eating one raw. As for the halibut, why would I eat it raw when there's panko on the shelf?

Just make sure you chew it real good!

Nice one Andy  

Haven't seen a lot of worms in my fish recently.  2yrs ago I caught one brown in SC that was CRAWLING with them.  Thought of putting him out of his misery (wasn't going to eat him) but released him anyway.

I heard you must freeze for at least 24-48 hours, but don't recall where I heard it.  If you slice the fish thin enough you should be able to spot any abnormalities. 

Jon, do you really want to risk these babies growing in your gut?



Some years back, Mooch posted a thread of how he took a beautiful vermillion into his fav HMB sushi joint, where they promptly filleted and sashimi'd that thing.  It looked indescribably delicious.  BUT follow up to that post went on and on about how dangerous it was to eat undercooked fish of any kind.  These worms are very tough critters - they'll live for days in soy sauce! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisakis

Yakuza's picture did it for me- I'll leave sashimi filleting to the pros.  To think I was even going to go out and invest a few hundred dollars on a knife just for sashimi- i'll now go buy a rod/reel instead.

thx everyone for the input.

Andy, my mom never got me to chew 40 times per mouthful, so I think I'd be a miserable failure at chewing my way out of a worm infection.   

So what about all the ceviche everyone loves to eat, same thing..

 Zero to minus 10 degree Fahrenheit for 3-4 days in your freezer will do it.  All fish have worms.  I've been doing this for ceviche and sushi for 20 years.  There's some information on the internet about it.  I'm sure someone will post it up.

I have discussed this subject at length with the chef at the Sushi bar I frequent in Danville.  All of the fish they serve is farm raised in a very controlled environment.  Much of it is flown in from Japan.  I have seen them refuse and return fillets that don't meet their standards.  This is especially true with Toro and other high priced cuts.  I choose not to eat my catch as sashimi  with one exception being clams.  Most sushi bars don't even have them available.  I have been told this is because they are very expensive and there just isn't enough demand to support keeping them.  With freshness being such an important element of the sushi and sashimi business this makes sense to me.  I'll continue to cook my catch before consuming it and leave the sushi and sashimi to the pros.  Horse neck clams from Tomales Bay will be the exception for me.

Martin

So what about all the ceviche everyone loves to eat, same thing..

Even for ceviche, I try and freeze my fillets per standard DaveW anti-worming protocol.  Also makes em easier to slice into neat cubes.  Kills two worms with one stone, if you know what I mean.  No raw rockfish for me, thx.

Wouldnt the acid in the lime or limon kill off the worms?.... Damn John.. why did you have to start this thread?

Wouldnt the acid in the lime or limon kill off the worms?.... Damn John.. why did you have to start this thread?

Hey, this is better than starting another GWS thread !!
I could live with worms, but I can't live without my legs 

Good question on the lime acid killing off the worms, I would think so but then again if they can live in soy sauce for days I won't be taking any chances.  Kill it and grill it!

Wouldnt the acid in the lime or limon kill off the worms?

No.  The citric acid denatures the fish.  But these bad ass worms make it past the HCl in your gut, they'll be laughing at a bath in mere fruit juice! 

Wouldnt the acid in the lime or limon kill off the worms?....

I REALLY think it would kill the parasites, as long as the fish is cut small/thin enough for the acids to cure all the way through the meat.

On the other hand: The areas of highest prevalence are Scandinavia (from cod livers), Japan (after eating sushi and sashimi), the Netherlands (by eating infected fermented herrings (Maatjes)), and along the Pacific coast of South America (from eating ceviche). [/u] (from the Wikipedia article) I still think if it's cut thin enough and allowed to cure thoroughly, you're OK with ceviche. The Wiki article goes on to say: Fewer than ten cases occur annually in the United States.

Also, humans are equipped to kill the worms: For the worm, humans are a dead-end host. Anisakis and Pseudoterranova larvae cannot survive in humans and eventually die. In some cases, the infection will resolve with only symptomatic treatment.[11] However, in some cases infection can lead to small bowel obstruction, which may require surgery,[12] although there are case reports of treatment with albendazole alone (avoiding surgery) being successful. Intestinal perforation (an emergency) is also possible.[13]

Regardless, they're foul little bastards & I wouldn't want them in me even for a minute.