Sashimi from freshly caught fish

[Tenedos]

Ok, we are split on this topic. We love sashimi and ceviche, and have managed to catch enough fish from the boat or dinghy (mostly salmon but also rockfish). While sailing back in California coast, also caught spanish mackerels. As we catch more, we are looking into different ways of consuming them.

Reading a bit, it looks like it is really important to freeze the fish to kill the bacteria and worms before consuming it raw as sashimi or ceviche. And temperatures mentioned are very low (around -20 celsius), much lower than what we can achieve on our boat. Yet, I see photos of people consuming their catches raw.

What is your take on this?

[Jim Cate]

We've eaten freshly caught sashimi, mostly tuna, for years. So far, so good...

These were all open ocean fish, far from shore, but I dunno if that is a factor.

Jim

[SailingHarmonie]

It really depends on the kind of fish.

There are some fish I consider "safe". Tuna, and other pelagics. I eat them fresh and raw all the time.

There are some fish I would NEVER eat fresh and raw. Pacific salmon and Atlantic cod. Salmon can harbor a tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) that is happy to infect humans and Cod can have "seal worms" that cause Anisakiasis.

Our freezers can get to -20 and if we are at all concerned, we just freeze them for a week or two before eating.

[wholybee]

Tuna also have worms/parasites as any other fish. But, if you look carefully you can usually see them. And while they are gross, you won't die or suffer like with ciguatera.

I have indulged a few times, but generally avoid eating it raw.

[DanielI]

Expert sushi chefs are trained to recognize parasites in fish. You aren’t. How high a risk are you willing to tolerate?

FWIW, I believe even most sushi restaurants, at least in the US, only use frozen fish.

[Srpulpo]

Originally Posted by Tenedos

Ok, we are split on this topic. We love sashimi and ceviche, and have managed to catch enough fish from the boat or dinghy (mostly salmon but also rockfish). While sailing back in California coast, also caught spanish mackerels. As we catch more, we are looking into different ways of consuming them.

Reading a bit, it looks like it is really important to freeze the fish to kill the bacteria and worms before consuming it raw as sashimi or ceviche. And temperatures mentioned are very low (around -20 celsius), much lower than what we can achieve on our boat. Yet, I see photos of people consuming their catches raw.

What is your take on this?

hi, retired pro chef here and my take is that eating raw you could be taking a chance but the kind of fish matters, a fast moving fish like a tuna is considered cleaner because less chance of of parasite. ceviche uses a acid like citrus juice to chemically "cook" the fish and the acid can kill off anything bad, think about the whole pickling process of preserving. In the restaurant foods are in the danger zone between 41-140F it will have a higher bacteria growing rate. keep it cold or keep it hot. sailing to Hawaii we caught mahi and ate it raw within 30 minutes after that it was cooked.

[Srpulpo]

Originally Posted by DanielI

Expert sushi chefs are trained to recognize parasites in fish. You aren’t. How high a risk are you willing to tolerate?

FWIW, I believe even most sushi restaurants, at least in the US, only use frozen fish.

true all sushi fish in the US is frozen to kill parasites.

[George_SD]

You just need to know which fish are OK and pay attention when cleaning/filleting them.

Most fast moving fish like tuna, bonito and others can be eaten raw in vast majority of cases. It's typically not recommended to eat large fish that doesn't move much, since they are more likely to have parasites - bottom fish, some rock fish, etc.

When you clean it - just pay attention to the health of the fish - color of meat, wounds, scrapes and scratches on the skin, vein like lines that are not connected to the blood system, etc. Look at the meat, can also look "through" it at the sun or flashlight.

Mackerel is typically fine, but it's tastes better when lightly cured in acid. In general, you can cure raw fish in vinegar, lime/lemon juice, other acids, which is a way of "cooking" it. This is your typical ceviche.

We eat fresh raw fish regularly. You should visit fishing forums as those guys know way more and you can see them eat raw fish all the time.

[Paramotorgreg]

We’re in the Pacific on passage from Panama to New Zealand, currently in French Polynesia. We have been catching fish en route - blue marlin; tuna; mahi-mahi; wahoo.

All have been good to eat but we only eat tuna as sashimi, all the other fish we have either cured in lime juice or cooked before eating. I have to say that is more because that’s the way we like it rather than because of any health concerns - we haven’t noticed any parasites in any of the fish we have caught.

[ysignal]

Many Japanese households routinely prepare sashimi from fresh fish. I used to live there. They also still eat raw eggs. Here in the uk people stopped eating raw eggs due to cases of selmonella in the 80s i think. I think we've got a bit paranoid. The risks are overhyped.

[ysignal]

First fish I ever caught was this catfish in Japan. They're an invasive species there, originally from North America I think. It went in nabe (hotpot) rather than sashimi though. That would be a cool thing to prepare on a boat. They typically use portable gas hobs placed on the table. Very easy to make. Just gut and slice up the fish and boil with the other ingredients. No good for passage making as you'd need fresh veg though.

[JPA Cate]

I'd say if you're worried about it, turn it into poisson cru or ceviche. I tend to agree with ysignal, that we are erring more and more on the unnecessary side of safety. That said, I know what healthy fish meat looks like, and wouldn't want to eat it if there were worms in it. ....Because I'm finicky that way.

Ann

[j314erre]

We've found worms within freshly caught salmon on the California coast...I would avoid eating raw fish.

[gtpinhei]

We eat sashimi aboard, last was this Bar Jacks (Xaréu in Portuguese) caught at Glover's Reef in Belize and many other fishes. I wouldn't if the fish had any signs of parasites, even if frozen, case in which I would discard.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Paramotorgreg

We’re in the Pacific on passage from Panama to New Zealand, currently in French Polynesia. We have been catching fish en route - blue marlin; tuna; mahi-mahi; wahoo.

All have been good to eat but we only eat tuna as sashimi, all the other fish we have either cured in lime juice or cooked before eating. I have to say that is more because that’s the way we like it rather than because of any health concerns - we haven’t noticed any parasites in any of the fish we have caught.

There are some caveats that apply to the Pacific (other areas probably). Wahoo (Barracuda) in particular is a know carrier of Ciguatera and it is illegal to land it in some places (Solomon Islands). If caught in deep ocean it is probably safe but not necessarily so when caught near islands with coral reefs. Because Ciguatera is cumulative the bigger the specimen the more likely it is to be diseased.



Poisson Cru is a common and very tasty delicacy, typically made using tuna but can also made from parrot fish, truly delicious. Since parrot fish are territorial, diseased fish are usually limited to one part of a reef typically near populated areas. So an atol can have perfectly healthy fish at one end and diseased fish at the other. I personal know of two people who died quite suddenly after many years of long term consumption of diseased reef fish.