Wormy Fish

[=Mark]

You know, this is why I went vegetarian for three years after I took my physiology and zoology courses.  GACK. 

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Veggies never have worms?

[=Mark]

Pork can and many times does have a parasite called trichinosis.  It can be killed by cooking the pork well.  You never want to eat rare pork.  The trichinosis parasite lodges itself in the muscle of the meat.  If you eat raw pork the parasite then can get into your bloodstream and muscle.  I'm not sure what happens to you but you don't want to try it.

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Commercial pork has not had a problem with trichinosis infestation for at least the past 50 years. The only source of domestic trichinosis in the US is the consumption of wild carnivores/omnivores such as bear, walrus and boar. I cook my pork to medium rare as the industries effort at 100% lean pork results in shoe leather if cooked anything past that.

[NVNVGirl]

I've always wondered about the rare salmon that's served in fine restaurants. Is it frozen, is it safe? It appears that farmed salmon is less prone to worms than wild salmon, but that isn't a guarantee and it isn't enough reason to favor it or think it healthier for me or the environment. All of this is fascinating, but I can enroll in a brainwashing after I've learned all I can, so I can go back to enjoying fish?

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Actually, I just read something recentlyabout the farmed salmon not being good for you....apparently, farmed salmon are fed fish meal that's made from smaller fish and contains large amounts of fish oil. Both ingredients may be contaminated with industrial pollutants, including PCB's and dioxin. Farmed salmon contains 16 times as much PCB as wild salmon (according to the Environmental Working Group in Washington, DC, a consumer organization).

They say that if you're going to eat farmed salmon, do so no more than once a month! That was news to me...I was eating it like once a week at least

[lovebenton0]

This makes those "fish previously frozen" signs a welcome sight!

[Daddy-A]

Well first off we have a little saying here in Seattle "FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS EAT FARMED FISH".

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Foodie, we have the same saying in Vancouver ... unfortunately our Premier doesn't seem to be listening.

I put myself through school working at a seafood market on Granville Island. Worms on cod, snapper, rockfish & others were not uncommon. While I never saw them in wild salmon, I was told they were there. I always kinda knew flash freezing was a good idea despite protests to the contrary.

A.

[rickster]

Interesting, if slightly disgusting article on the dangers of tasting raw fish in yesterday's NY Times

Tale of the Tapeworm

[maui420]

great...i just bought one of those frozen bags of individually wrapped salmon fillets from sams club....im afraid next time i cook some salmon, i may be tempted to poke around to see if there is any thread like thingys...

this might freak out my wife forever.

[tamiam]

I just saw this topic for the first time, though it has been on the board for some time.

Worms--yuck. But, cooking should do them in, so I may be able to maintain my own personal bubble of denial. But the original poster said that the fish had been cured.

Over in the Charcuterie thread over here some of us have been curing fish and meat by salting, flavoring and pressing the flesh. The end result may or may not end up being smoked, depending upon the recipe.

Does anybody have a theory about why a week in heavily salted cure did not kill off the worms? The original poster did not discuss the cure, but from what I've seen and done, this isn't saltwater like the sea where those little wormy buggers came from. This is really really salty stuff.

[Muskoka kid]

The idea of worms in fish just gives me the creeps. I was unwittingly eating worms for years until I met my husband who after 20 years in the restaurant industry would only eat certain types of fish. Thank god he shared the 'worm' secret with me! The one fish I am truly frightened of is farmed tilipia, the fastest growing fish that feeds on the excrement of other fish. I always feel sick when people order it around me in restaurants (for some funny reason it is always the special).

[Kayakado]

Does anyone know what ill-effects one might experience after eating fish with worms?

Whether rare pork is safe or not has been discussed here.

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Most parasites in raw fish, used for sushi or sashimi, have no effect on humans. But there is the possibility of tapeworm, and it has been a small problem in Japan.

The worm can grow to great lengths in the human digestive system, and steal enough nutrient to make the body thin. It can be treated easily by a doctor, and you won't get it from a cooked fish.

I thought trichinosis was and old problem, not often seen in current generations of swine. My father, a vet, always claimed it was potentially present in beef, at lower incidences.

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My days of eating any raw fish ended when I read article published in the NYT (I think ) sometime in the mid-80's, that discussed the parasites in sushi and sashimi. It went into great detail about their activities in the human body and the treatments for them. I remember one bit that said something about these worms boring through the stomach lining and through the abdominal cavity walls to lodge in the epidermal layers of the skin and that these lumps were common among eaters of raw seafood. It then went on to describe the use of an endoscope and tweezers to find and remove parasites lodged in the stomach. Ugh!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Sayonara Sushi!

[lapasterie]

Fish has always been a favorite of mine but the thought of the added protein from worms really bothers me. Nobody has said anything about fresh tuna or flounder.

What are the thoughts on these or any other types? I always knew that eating raw fish was not the best idea so have stayed away from that, but never gave much thought to the dead worms in cooked fish. The more you know the worse it is!!!!!!!

[jayt90]

Fish has always been a favorite of mine but the thought of the added protein from worms really bothers me. Nobody has said anything about fresh tuna or flounder.

What are the thoughts on these or any other types? I always knew that eating raw fish was not the best idea so have stayed away from that, but never gave much thought to the dead worms in cooked fish. The more you know the worse it is!!!!!!!

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On another page, I recall one of our respondents who worked in the fresh fish industry saying that large sushi grade tuna usually had visible parasites near the spine. These areas were hacked off and the rest sold. I suppose those parts would end up as cat food.

I don't know about flounder, but you can get it from northern waters, tho' it is a bottom feeder..

I have always mistrusted tilapia, but it amazingly popular and widespread. I grew suspicicious on learning that it originated in muddy lakes in central Africa. Since Muskoka mentions that it grows very fast and will eat (almost) anything, it is easy to see why it is farmed all over the planet.

[Kayakado]

OK, I don't know how accurate this info is but I remember something about, if the fish is gutted as soon as it is caught and before it dies the flesh should be worm-free. The worms live in the digestive tracks and only burrow into the fish's flesh when it dies. So if it is gutted right away or is iced quickly and sufficiently, the worms should be minimal or none at all. Based on this premise, I could see large commerical fisherman using ice too sparingly or letting fish die on deck before icing that make the presence of worms more likely.

Does this sound plausible or accurate?

[Gruzia]

my microbiology teacher back in college said that it's fine to eat sushi and not to worry too much about worms as long as you chew thoroughly, thus masticating the worms into little dead bits

[jayt90]

I just saw this topic for the first time, though it has been on the board for some time. 

Worms--yuck.  But, cooking should do them in, so I may be able to maintain my own personal bubble of denial.  But the original poster said that the fish had been cured.

Over in the Charcuterie thread over here some of us have been curing fish and meat by salting, flavoring and pressing the flesh.  The end result may or may not end up being smoked, depending upon the recipe. 

Does anybody have a theory about why a week in heavily salted cure did not kill off the worms?  The original poster did not discuss the cure, but from what I've seen and done, this isn't saltwater like the sea where those little wormy buggers came from.  This is really really salty stuff.

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There is a history of worm infections in heavy users of pickled herring. Now that's a hostile environment for a worm to live in!

[mrbigjas]

so.... considering that the fish tapeworm is nonfatal and treatable, i'm thinking, could this be the next celebrity weightloss trend? i mean, sure it's a parasite living inside you, but unlike pregnancy, you get thinner!

[foodie_mike]

so.... considering that the fish tapeworm is nonfatal and treatable, i'm thinking, could this be the next celebrity weightloss trend?  i mean, sure it's a parasite living inside you, but unlike pregnancy, you get thinner!

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Back in the day live tapeworms were sold for consumption for this very purpose.

[yunnermeier]

I am absolutely disgusted . I eat sushi and sashimi all the time. I also eat taliapia (cooked thankfully). Of course I knew parasites and worms are quite normal but I just hate the thought of visible worms into my mouth. Someone earlier said swordfish worms look like smooth caterpillars.. 'nuf said. Ugh!

No more fish.

p/s: I also read somewhere that if you pour cola on pork, worms will appear?

[Milagai]

Hello!

Is the the same eg where previously people

very enthusiastically discussed the wonders

of cheese made with mite droppings

or with the mites themselves?

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=85530&hl=

Maybe the problem here is the fishmongers

should charge extra for the worms and market

it as a special process. Highprotein after all

and it's not the dreaded tofu.

Or, as suggested upthread, the latest in weight control

(though as also pointed out, that's hardly a new idea).

Or market it in an upscale restaurant, as in this

discussion: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=90000&hl=

Worms and fish seem to have been previously

discussed here too:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=85934&hl=

Milagai

[davidkeay]

Does anyone have experiences actually eating fish + worms? I just cooked some salmon sous vide at a pretty low temperature, and right after eating the last bite of fish found a work on my fork. Closer inspection of my plate revealed another worm there. They are short, maybe half an inch, thinner than a strand of angel hair pasta, and clear-ish.

Now, I'm trying to figure out what I should do!

[Borgstrom]

Does anyone have experiences actually eating fish + worms? I just cooked some salmon sous vide at a pretty low temperature, and right after eating the last bite of fish found a work on my fork. Closer inspection of my plate revealed another worm there. They are short, maybe half an inch, thinner than a strand of angel hair pasta, and clear-ish.

Now, I'm trying to figure out what I should do!

No firsthand experience with worms, but I have eaten 41C sous vide salmon several times with no problems. Probably the safest thing would be to call your doctor/nurse to get a recommendation.

However, here are some points extracted from Modernist Cuisine [1-122, 1-123]:

- Freezing kills the worms

- Cooking fish to internal temperature of 60C or more for one minute kills the worms

- Worms [anisakid] generally die after a week or so in the human body

- Infection [anisakiasis] can generate quite a stomach-ache in meantime

- Strong allergic reactions, although less common, could culminate in anaphylactic shock

- 10% of raw salmon samples from 32 sushi bars in Seattle area had anisakids

- The US reports fewer than 10 cases of anisakiasis per year

[davidkeay]

That's all great stuff, thanks for the info! If there's one thing I'll take away from this, it's that I should remember to crack open Modernist Cuisine no matter what I want to know. Wikipedia is so 2009.