Date: November 15, 2001
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Surfan
Subject: Does anyone here eat raw fish? I love it!
Just had sushi for dinner and it was great! Probably my favorite food. There is so much seafood that actually tastes better raw! I love ceviche too (raw seafood lightly marinated, European style). Tuna, yellowtail, halibut, salmon and especially scallops are so sweet and good raw. I know a lot of divers eat their scallops right out of the shell! I know raw fish turns off a lot of people. Anyone else like raw fish? So what are your favorites? Mine are a toss up between tuna and yellowtail, MMM MMM GOOD!
Name: castlebravo
Tuna, white sea bass, bream, octopus
Name: castlebravo
I prefer it to have been frozen for at least two weeks to kill parasites.
Name: Ed
That’s the ONLY way I’ll eat it! People think I'm nuts, but I can't stand the taste and texture of cooked fish. I love sushi and all shellfish though, even squid. Ed
Name: castlebravo
I prefer shellfish in soups, and squid is nasty.
Name: chum buddy
Ed, I agree! Especially yellowtail!! Although I have to disagree about the squid. Forever squid will be tainted in my mind because all of the times I have used it for bait... yuck! Although, I still will eat fried calamari.
Name: salty nick
I like maguro (tuna), salmon and hamachi. I also like raw geoduck clam sashimi-style. I've never tried any of the fish I’ve eaten raw though, too scared. I also love unagi (cooked eel). Raw and Salty.
Name: salty nick
Doh! I meant fish that I've CAUGHT.
Name: BankShot
I love it, but have mixed feeling about the industry. In the 90’s all these new wave trendy sushi joints started popping up everywhere you look. The demand for tuna and other species skyrocketed. Next thing you know the some tuna species are slowly becoming endangered because of these sushi restaurants. I try to stay away from it as much as I can, but I still have some every now and then, just call me a hypocrite.
There’s a cool recipe I came across for fresh ocean caught stripers that’ s basically fresh uncooked marinated, similar to ceviche called killowin (god if I could only spell: kill-o-wen was the pronunciation anyway.. I think it’s a Vietnamese dish originally for tuna.
Fresh striper diced up in 1/3” cubes.
chopped red onions
fresh lime
rice vinegar
soy sauce
salt
marinate for a few hours refrigerated... It’s pretty much ceviche, but only to be used for stripers caught in the open ocean.-bs
Name: monkfish
I’m sure the demand for raw tuna has contributed to the depletion of tuna as of late, but I think the good ole mayonnaise-tuna sandwich in kid’s lunchboxes have had a greater effect on tuna stocks dwindling not to mention pollution. From what I understand it used to be pretty common for bluefin to be caught off of Catalina and I even had an old neighbor who passed away, tell me about catching tuna occasionally from the Belmont Pier a long, long time ago.
Name: monkfish
My favorites are raw albacore, bluefin, and yellowtail (I don't like it cooked). Although I like sushi style salmon, halibut, seabass, etc, I won't touch it anymore because I’ve heard you can get nasty parasites from these fish, more so then the pelagics. Speaking of raw squid, I once stayed with some people for a couple of weeks in northern Japan, and they served me sashimi squid or cuttlefish the first day. They asked me if I liked it and I said “yes” out of courtesy. Damn, for the next two weeks that’s all we ate for lunch. Every day for 2 weeks is a little much.
Name: BankShot
Monkfish, you’re definitely right about the parasites. I would not encourage anyone to eat raw striper. Personally, I’ve had this dish several times w/out any symptoms that I know of, anyway. Caution: use at your own risk.
Name: Surfan
Yep, got to watch out for parasites in certain species. I don’t worry about that at a REAL sushi bar. Real sushi chefs go through many, many years of apprenticeship and training. Virtually no risk of parasites at the real sushi bars, just at those all you can eat buffets and sushi places that don’t have professionally trained sushi chefs (and I’m not talking about the guys that go to a quicky sushi school and try to call themselves chefs). Just like anything, the professionals know what they're doing. Yes, I do like tuna fish sandwiches, but raw fish rules in my opinion.
Name: monkfish
I've had sashimi carp and trout at little inns while traveling in Japan in mountainous areas, and it was darn good. I guess it also depends on the source of the fish. A Korean guy I met on a boat swore that sashimi rockfish and sculpin is probably one of the best sashimi there is period... it may well be so, but I'm not much of a gambler anymore and to me eating anything from the bottom like that raw or even raw carp (I can't believe I ate it), is a crapshoot.
Name: BankShot
That brings up a good point, have you ever gotten sick from it, with so many of us out there eating raw fish, can anyone out there share a bad experience with getting ill? You hear what the biologist and doctors say. What was your experience? The only case I know of was someone that got salmon poisoning, and that was cooked. -bs
Name: ruffrider
Yea that’s what I am talking about. I love raw halibut, tuna, salmon, and I’m not sure if this is sashimi but raw oysters. I don’t really like albacore but the other kinds are the Really good. I don’t eat the fish I catch raw. I only eat it at sushi bars.
Name: josh
I like most kinds of Sushi, but my all time favorite is dried and salted squid. It's never cooked, so I guess it counts. It has a nice sweet crab-like taste. I have a hard time finding it, since it is all labeled in Japanese, but when I know that’s what it is I eat it like jerky! good stuff.
Name: monkfish
I don’t think I'd classify it as raw, to me it's more of a cured thing like jerky. There’s so much sugar and salt in it, plus it’s dehydrated, it might as well be cooked. Reminds me of that book Pidgeon to da Max. It’s not recommended eating when out on a date!
Name: Ed
Josh, Where do you live? Here in the Bay Area you can get the stuff in Asian markets all over the place. Ed
Name: Montgomery Burns
Raw fish is awesome stuff, sushi and sashimi is one of my favorite foods. So far I’ve had tuna, white sea bass, salmon, octopus, shrimp, squid, eel, snapper, and octopus, plus some raw fish eggs. I've also had ceviche made from quite a number of fish. My dad learned how to make it from his aunt in Mexico and is always trying out different fish. I've had ceviche made from smoothhound, red snapper, clam, abalone (canned), sierra mackerel, and tuna.
The raw fish I want to eat- abalone and FUGU!! I’ve heard it gives u a light tingling sensation in the mouth.
Name: Ed
Rock scallops. Was doing my advanced SCUBA checkout in deep water off Pebble Beach and on the way back to the surface my instructor plucked a couple of big rock scallops out of a crevice. At the boat, he opened and sliced them. I didn't think I’d like them, but they were actually very good. Ed
Name: mobilesuit
Anyone live in Oxnard?? Goto Sushi Hanada! This place is fffrrreeeaaakkkiinnnn GOOD!!! I’m serious.. I’ve never ate sushi like they make it. Scallops, sea bass, tuna, sea urchin... you name it, they got it, and it tastes really really good. I may sound like I’m exaggerating but I can’t help it. uhhhhggg... droooolll... I recommend it very, very highly.
Name: lucy
Parasites in raw fish. According to Milton Love’s book, the only parasites you need to worry about are larval roundworms, and he says “carefully examine the flesh before consuming. These worms are quite obvious and can be easily seen.” They are one-half to three-quarters inch long and curled up to resemble either a watch spring or a ball of yarn.
You notice that sashimi (raw fish) is cut into thin slices, and that’s why: raw fish is translucent, and if you slice it thin, you can easily see any parasites in it, especially if you hold it up against a light. (If you have a light table, even better.) The extensive training sushi chefs receive is not so that they can spot parasites, but to master all the other skills of their craft, and you don't need to know all that to spot parasites.
Another parasite common in fish is protozoa, which form small cysts in the flesh about the size of grains of rice, these are yellow or white in color and especially common in rockfish, flatfish, herring, and salmon. They’re harmless, and Love says he’s heard deckhands on fishing boats refer to them as “flavor buds.” Raw fish, including fish you catch yourself, is quite safe to eat so long as you slice it thin (one-quarter inch or so) and examine it carefully. There”s a pamphlet put out by the DFG called “Common Parasites of California Marine Fish.” I don't know if it’s still available (it was printed in 1978), but you might look on DFG's website for it.
Name: gyozadude
In rare cases raw fish can be a carrier for other nasty things that can give you hepatitis or worse. I lived in Japan for 2 years and as I’ve stated before on this board, I ate lots of sashimi and sushi and came back with a mild form of hepatitis. I stopped eating sashimi and luckily, it went away. But anything that can inflame your liver is nothing to chance with. I don’t eat sashimi often here anymore. They also don't recommend it to pregnant women... ever wonder why? – Gyozadude “Yes - I can roll my own potsticker skins”
Name: lucy
However, that's not a parasite that’s IN the fish to start with, but gets there after the fish is caught and killed, probably through improper handling, right?
Name: chum buddy
Lucy, I believe you are right about the hepatitis. However, hepatitis is a viral disease, which affects the liver. The only type you can get from sushi is type A, which is fairly easily dealt with using immune globulin - although the virus itself is very serious! The FDA guidelines are fairly vigorous and the preventions if bacteria is rare because they are supposed to partially freeze the fish sold for sushi\sashimi. (or to lower to a temperature where the bacteria will be killed) Hepatitis can only come from an infected person, but the virus can be harbored effectively on fish, hands or whatever for many hours in certain conditions making easting sushi particularly risky.
Name: caffeinehigh
I’ve been to Todai many times and just love their sashimi, raw oysters and their king crab legs. However, when I was in Honolulu, the seafood was way more fresh than here in Los Angeles (especifically Arcadia). The fish just melts in your mouth... yum yum...
Name: baitfish
Best Sushi Places I have ever been to... Tokyo Delve’s in North Hollywood, but it is mostly for the atmosphere, what a great place! But Hands down, the best deal and sushi is Kabuki Sushi in Woodland Hills or Pasadena. Their sushi is half price and the quality does not suffer. I have eaten at places like Todai, but this place is way cheaper and is not a buffet. The fish is very fresh and tasty! My favorite there isn't actually sushi, it is the BSCR Baked Scallops on a California Roll...do I even need to say yum on that one????? Mmmm I'm hungry Adam, Will work for fish!
Name: tokyo72
There is a sushi bar about 10 minutes from my home and I eat there several times a week. If I eat any sushi that has a blue/silver skin I get an allergy reaction. My face turns bright red, the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands itch like crazy, and my lungs start to freeze up. No fun.
Name: snookie
I do like raw fish (some of them), but after being at the morgue, raw fish is off my diet from now on. In an autopsy it is easy to see if that person has been eating a lot of raw fish “here.” The people did not die from eating the raw fish, but the thought of those 6-inch long, 1/4 inch wide worms in the stomach/intestines is something to think about when you see them. Yuck! There is not just one worm. There are many of them in one person. Psychologically that is a big turnoff for me. Japan does not have the same problem by the way. Snookie
Name: Ed
There’s a pleasant image.
Name: lucy
At the morgue? I have to ask, Snookie — what on earth were you doing in the morgue? I suspect that the big difference between here and Japan is that people there have been eating raw fish for centuries and most people are taught from birth up to inspect fish properly. Here, most people don’t know what to look for, and a lot of people don’t even realize that fish can have parasites.
Name: snookie
Hi Lucy, As to what I was doing in the morgue, my husband was Assistant Sheriff/Coroner for Orange County. His position was the only Assistant Sheriff in charge of the morgue and crime lab among other responsibilities. He is retired after 38 years with them. Because of being with him a lot of the time I got shown some of the more interesting things. Since I fished or was around fish most of the time, the guys felt I should be introduced to a product of eating raw fish. Perhaps not so pleasant, but it was very interesting. You're right about the Japanese knowing what to look for. One of my daughters lived in Japan for 2 years and learned about eating raw seafood. She is very careful here, however. Snookie
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Surfan
Subject: Does anyone here eat raw fish? I love it!
Just had sushi for dinner and it was great! Probably my favorite food. There is so much seafood that actually tastes better raw! I love ceviche too (raw seafood lightly marinated, European style). Tuna, yellowtail, halibut, salmon and especially scallops are so sweet and good raw. I know a lot of divers eat their scallops right out of the shell! I know raw fish turns off a lot of people. Anyone else like raw fish? So what are your favorites? Mine are a toss up between tuna and yellowtail, MMM MMM GOOD!
Name: castlebravo
Tuna, white sea bass, bream, octopus
Name: castlebravo
I prefer it to have been frozen for at least two weeks to kill parasites.
Name: Ed
That’s the ONLY way I’ll eat it! People think I'm nuts, but I can't stand the taste and texture of cooked fish. I love sushi and all shellfish though, even squid. Ed
Name: castlebravo
I prefer shellfish in soups, and squid is nasty.
Name: chum buddy
Ed, I agree! Especially yellowtail!! Although I have to disagree about the squid. Forever squid will be tainted in my mind because all of the times I have used it for bait... yuck! Although, I still will eat fried calamari.
Name: salty nick
I like maguro (tuna), salmon and hamachi. I also like raw geoduck clam sashimi-style. I've never tried any of the fish I’ve eaten raw though, too scared. I also love unagi (cooked eel). Raw and Salty.
Name: salty nick
Doh! I meant fish that I've CAUGHT.
Name: BankShot
I love it, but have mixed feeling about the industry. In the 90’s all these new wave trendy sushi joints started popping up everywhere you look. The demand for tuna and other species skyrocketed. Next thing you know the some tuna species are slowly becoming endangered because of these sushi restaurants. I try to stay away from it as much as I can, but I still have some every now and then, just call me a hypocrite.
There’s a cool recipe I came across for fresh ocean caught stripers that’ s basically fresh uncooked marinated, similar to ceviche called killowin (god if I could only spell: kill-o-wen was the pronunciation anyway.. I think it’s a Vietnamese dish originally for tuna.
Fresh striper diced up in 1/3” cubes.
chopped red onions
fresh lime
rice vinegar
soy sauce
salt
marinate for a few hours refrigerated... It’s pretty much ceviche, but only to be used for stripers caught in the open ocean.-bs
Name: monkfish
I’m sure the demand for raw tuna has contributed to the depletion of tuna as of late, but I think the good ole mayonnaise-tuna sandwich in kid’s lunchboxes have had a greater effect on tuna stocks dwindling not to mention pollution. From what I understand it used to be pretty common for bluefin to be caught off of Catalina and I even had an old neighbor who passed away, tell me about catching tuna occasionally from the Belmont Pier a long, long time ago.
Name: monkfish
My favorites are raw albacore, bluefin, and yellowtail (I don't like it cooked). Although I like sushi style salmon, halibut, seabass, etc, I won't touch it anymore because I’ve heard you can get nasty parasites from these fish, more so then the pelagics. Speaking of raw squid, I once stayed with some people for a couple of weeks in northern Japan, and they served me sashimi squid or cuttlefish the first day. They asked me if I liked it and I said “yes” out of courtesy. Damn, for the next two weeks that’s all we ate for lunch. Every day for 2 weeks is a little much.
Name: BankShot
Monkfish, you’re definitely right about the parasites. I would not encourage anyone to eat raw striper. Personally, I’ve had this dish several times w/out any symptoms that I know of, anyway. Caution: use at your own risk.
Name: Surfan
Yep, got to watch out for parasites in certain species. I don’t worry about that at a REAL sushi bar. Real sushi chefs go through many, many years of apprenticeship and training. Virtually no risk of parasites at the real sushi bars, just at those all you can eat buffets and sushi places that don’t have professionally trained sushi chefs (and I’m not talking about the guys that go to a quicky sushi school and try to call themselves chefs). Just like anything, the professionals know what they're doing. Yes, I do like tuna fish sandwiches, but raw fish rules in my opinion.
Name: monkfish
I've had sashimi carp and trout at little inns while traveling in Japan in mountainous areas, and it was darn good. I guess it also depends on the source of the fish. A Korean guy I met on a boat swore that sashimi rockfish and sculpin is probably one of the best sashimi there is period... it may well be so, but I'm not much of a gambler anymore and to me eating anything from the bottom like that raw or even raw carp (I can't believe I ate it), is a crapshoot.
Name: BankShot
That brings up a good point, have you ever gotten sick from it, with so many of us out there eating raw fish, can anyone out there share a bad experience with getting ill? You hear what the biologist and doctors say. What was your experience? The only case I know of was someone that got salmon poisoning, and that was cooked. -bs
Name: ruffrider
Yea that’s what I am talking about. I love raw halibut, tuna, salmon, and I’m not sure if this is sashimi but raw oysters. I don’t really like albacore but the other kinds are the Really good. I don’t eat the fish I catch raw. I only eat it at sushi bars.
Name: josh
I like most kinds of Sushi, but my all time favorite is dried and salted squid. It's never cooked, so I guess it counts. It has a nice sweet crab-like taste. I have a hard time finding it, since it is all labeled in Japanese, but when I know that’s what it is I eat it like jerky! good stuff.
Name: monkfish
I don’t think I'd classify it as raw, to me it's more of a cured thing like jerky. There’s so much sugar and salt in it, plus it’s dehydrated, it might as well be cooked. Reminds me of that book Pidgeon to da Max. It’s not recommended eating when out on a date!
Name: Ed
Josh, Where do you live? Here in the Bay Area you can get the stuff in Asian markets all over the place. Ed
Name: Montgomery Burns
Raw fish is awesome stuff, sushi and sashimi is one of my favorite foods. So far I’ve had tuna, white sea bass, salmon, octopus, shrimp, squid, eel, snapper, and octopus, plus some raw fish eggs. I've also had ceviche made from quite a number of fish. My dad learned how to make it from his aunt in Mexico and is always trying out different fish. I've had ceviche made from smoothhound, red snapper, clam, abalone (canned), sierra mackerel, and tuna.
The raw fish I want to eat- abalone and FUGU!! I’ve heard it gives u a light tingling sensation in the mouth.
Name: Ed
Rock scallops. Was doing my advanced SCUBA checkout in deep water off Pebble Beach and on the way back to the surface my instructor plucked a couple of big rock scallops out of a crevice. At the boat, he opened and sliced them. I didn't think I’d like them, but they were actually very good. Ed
Name: mobilesuit
Anyone live in Oxnard?? Goto Sushi Hanada! This place is fffrrreeeaaakkkiinnnn GOOD!!! I’m serious.. I’ve never ate sushi like they make it. Scallops, sea bass, tuna, sea urchin... you name it, they got it, and it tastes really really good. I may sound like I’m exaggerating but I can’t help it. uhhhhggg... droooolll... I recommend it very, very highly.
Name: lucy
Parasites in raw fish. According to Milton Love’s book, the only parasites you need to worry about are larval roundworms, and he says “carefully examine the flesh before consuming. These worms are quite obvious and can be easily seen.” They are one-half to three-quarters inch long and curled up to resemble either a watch spring or a ball of yarn.
You notice that sashimi (raw fish) is cut into thin slices, and that’s why: raw fish is translucent, and if you slice it thin, you can easily see any parasites in it, especially if you hold it up against a light. (If you have a light table, even better.) The extensive training sushi chefs receive is not so that they can spot parasites, but to master all the other skills of their craft, and you don't need to know all that to spot parasites.
Another parasite common in fish is protozoa, which form small cysts in the flesh about the size of grains of rice, these are yellow or white in color and especially common in rockfish, flatfish, herring, and salmon. They’re harmless, and Love says he’s heard deckhands on fishing boats refer to them as “flavor buds.” Raw fish, including fish you catch yourself, is quite safe to eat so long as you slice it thin (one-quarter inch or so) and examine it carefully. There”s a pamphlet put out by the DFG called “Common Parasites of California Marine Fish.” I don't know if it’s still available (it was printed in 1978), but you might look on DFG's website for it.
Name: gyozadude
In rare cases raw fish can be a carrier for other nasty things that can give you hepatitis or worse. I lived in Japan for 2 years and as I’ve stated before on this board, I ate lots of sashimi and sushi and came back with a mild form of hepatitis. I stopped eating sashimi and luckily, it went away. But anything that can inflame your liver is nothing to chance with. I don’t eat sashimi often here anymore. They also don't recommend it to pregnant women... ever wonder why? – Gyozadude “Yes - I can roll my own potsticker skins”
Name: lucy
However, that's not a parasite that’s IN the fish to start with, but gets there after the fish is caught and killed, probably through improper handling, right?
Name: chum buddy
Lucy, I believe you are right about the hepatitis. However, hepatitis is a viral disease, which affects the liver. The only type you can get from sushi is type A, which is fairly easily dealt with using immune globulin - although the virus itself is very serious! The FDA guidelines are fairly vigorous and the preventions if bacteria is rare because they are supposed to partially freeze the fish sold for sushi\sashimi. (or to lower to a temperature where the bacteria will be killed) Hepatitis can only come from an infected person, but the virus can be harbored effectively on fish, hands or whatever for many hours in certain conditions making easting sushi particularly risky.
Name: caffeinehigh
I’ve been to Todai many times and just love their sashimi, raw oysters and their king crab legs. However, when I was in Honolulu, the seafood was way more fresh than here in Los Angeles (especifically Arcadia). The fish just melts in your mouth... yum yum...
Name: baitfish
Best Sushi Places I have ever been to... Tokyo Delve’s in North Hollywood, but it is mostly for the atmosphere, what a great place! But Hands down, the best deal and sushi is Kabuki Sushi in Woodland Hills or Pasadena. Their sushi is half price and the quality does not suffer. I have eaten at places like Todai, but this place is way cheaper and is not a buffet. The fish is very fresh and tasty! My favorite there isn't actually sushi, it is the BSCR Baked Scallops on a California Roll...do I even need to say yum on that one????? Mmmm I'm hungry
Adam, Will work for fish!Name: tokyo72
There is a sushi bar about 10 minutes from my home and I eat there several times a week. If I eat any sushi that has a blue/silver skin I get an allergy reaction. My face turns bright red, the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands itch like crazy, and my lungs start to freeze up. No fun.
Name: snookie
I do like raw fish (some of them), but after being at the morgue, raw fish is off my diet from now on. In an autopsy it is easy to see if that person has been eating a lot of raw fish “here.” The people did not die from eating the raw fish, but the thought of those 6-inch long, 1/4 inch wide worms in the stomach/intestines is something to think about when you see them. Yuck! There is not just one worm. There are many of them in one person. Psychologically that is a big turnoff for me. Japan does not have the same problem by the way. Snookie
Name: Ed
There’s a pleasant image.
Name: lucy
At the morgue? I have to ask, Snookie — what on earth were you doing in the morgue? I suspect that the big difference between here and Japan is that people there have been eating raw fish for centuries and most people are taught from birth up to inspect fish properly. Here, most people don’t know what to look for, and a lot of people don’t even realize that fish can have parasites.
Name: snookie
Hi Lucy, As to what I was doing in the morgue, my husband was Assistant Sheriff/Coroner for Orange County. His position was the only Assistant Sheriff in charge of the morgue and crime lab among other responsibilities. He is retired after 38 years with them. Because of being with him a lot of the time I got shown some of the more interesting things. Since I fished or was around fish most of the time, the guys felt I should be introduced to a product of eating raw fish. Perhaps not so pleasant, but it was very interesting. You're right about the Japanese knowing what to look for. One of my daughters lived in Japan for 2 years and learned about eating raw seafood. She is very careful here, however. Snookie