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Monkfish and worms..

kutsu

By kutsu
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kutsu

kutsu

Posted
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So, I just tried monkfish for the first time. One thing to note is I dont really like fish.

So, monkish with tagliateli and asparagus veloute. Yum?

No. The piece of tail I had, had 2 bright red little worms in it. Needless to say, as an official "very rarely eat fish, let alone cook it person" it went straight in the bin.

What the heck were the little worms? Are they dangerous to eat?

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DTBarton

DTBarton

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Over many years of offshore fishing, I've come across parasites in fish several times. There are species that are known for having them (they're common in amberjack and marlin) and the tail sections are where they most often show up. As I've been told, they are not harmful to touch or even ingest after being cooked, but definitely unappealing to look at. The ones I've seen have been more whitish than reddish. I havent seen them in monkfish, but I've never caught monkfish, only purchased it. It's a great fish to put in stews, dense and white with an almost crabmeat like flavor.

We don't keep marlin so it's not an issue there. With amberjack, we usually scrutinize the tail pieces and ditch them if they're worm ridden.

But I'm not an expert, and I haven't seen red worms. Most of my fishing (and parasite) experience has been on the southeast US coast.

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kutsu

kutsu

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Aside from the worms, which could be avoided on purchase, I can see little merit in matching a rich seafood entree with pasta and asparagus.  That would put me off fish, too!

In all fairness, the pasta sauce was very nice, and the fish was nice with it, up until squirmer and his friend made an appearance.

It was a Gordon Ramsay dish by the by.

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

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Never seen them in monkfish, but swordfish are riddled with them. Haven't you ever seen little holes or divits in a swordfish steak? Yup - that's where the worm was...dead.gif

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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rooftop1000

rooftop1000

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Scallops get 'em too. There was a big deal on the news years ago so I asked my fish monger. He picked up a piece of cod or something and showed me some.....

My girl scout leader allways said "extra protien" if a bug fell in our food

tracey

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

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i witnessed swordfish under UV lights to remove the parasites. once you see those things wiggle out, you will NEVER eat swordfish again!!!!

I haven't eaten swordfish in years...

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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HungryChris

HungryChris

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Unfortunately it's just a fact of life. The longer a fish is swiming around, the greater the chances of picking up parasitic worms. It's one of the reasons that I don't like eating pieces of really large fish. Striped bass, unless they are farm raised, have to be so big to be legal that they have just been around too long to suite me. They have also been picking up pcb's for a much longer time as well. You just have to look carefully at what you are buying and be aware.

Cheers,

HC

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eJulia

eJulia

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This thread has me so grossed out - I'm unfortunately one of those people who can't STAND an unexpected bit in my food - even those hard bits in ground meat have been known to stop my meal immediately - and a bug in salad? yikes. But worms in fish? double yikes. Is there a particular fish that is especially not usually infected with parasites? Is there a difference between farm and wild fish? Please tell me my fav, salmon are not suseptable! (Or maybe just lie... :shock: )

This might have me off fish/seafood for awhile... :sad:

"Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”

Francois Minot

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barolo

barolo

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This thread has me so grossed out - I'm unfortunately one of those people who can't STAND an unexpected bit in my food - even those hard bits in ground meat have been known to stop my meal immediately - and a bug in salad? yikes.  But worms in fish? double yikes.  Is there a particular fish that is especially not usually infected with parasites?  Is there a difference between farm and wild fish?  Please tell me my fav, salmon are not suseptable!  (Or maybe just lie...  :shock: )

This might have me off fish/seafood for awhile...  :sad:

Salmon definitely can have worms and other parasites present.

Cheers,

Anne

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docsconz

docsconz

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Some worms can be harmful to humans if eaten raw. This is one reason why fish meant to be eaten raw (e.g. sushi) should be deep frozen for a period prior to consumption.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

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It's not a big deal after all. If you find any worms before you cook the fish, just remove them. Heat the fish in some way or other (grill, simmer, etc.), and the worms will die. Eat only sashimi-grade fish raw.

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scubadoo97

scubadoo97

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Unfortunately it's just a fact of life. The longer a fish is swiming around, the greater the chances of picking up parasitic worms. It's one of the reasons that I don't like eating pieces of really large fish. Striped bass, unless they are farm raised, have to be so big  to be legal that they have just been around too long to suite me. They have also been picking up pcb's for a much longer time as well. You just have to look carefully at what you are buying and be aware.

Cheers,

HC

Forget the worms, ciguatera is the real reason you should avoid large pelagic ocean fish.

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petite tête de chou

petite tête de chou

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I've got to ask..do the worms cause the fish pain, do you think? I mean, if my flesh was riddled with worms I think I might feel *something.*

And the worms you see are nothing compared to the parasites you can't see.

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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Adam Balic

Adam Balic

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In general the worms are actually in the viscera and are not active. When the fish dies they move into the flesh. They do this as their next host is a dolphin/seal/whale etc and this increases their chances of being eaten. But, I sure that parasits can cause irratation. Salmon leaping out of the water is thought to be a response to sea-lice infeastation in some cases.

Unpleasant, but normal. 1/3 of the worlds human population is infected with some type of worm, avout 10% of these have a disease state. The same will be try of most wild animals.

The Art and Mystery of Food

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Pan

Pan

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I've got to ask..do the worms cause the fish pain, do you think? I mean, if my flesh was riddled with worms I think I might feel *something.*[...]

Possibly off-topic, but human beings can have infestations of whipworms in their intestines for years without noticing anything. I happen to know this for a fact.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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petite tête de chou

petite tête de chou

Posted
Posted
I've got to ask..do the worms cause the fish pain, do you think? I mean, if my flesh was riddled with worms I think I might feel *something.*[...]

Possibly off-topic, but human beings can have infestations of whipworms in their intestines for years without noticing anything. I happen to know this for a fact.

Well, sir, I trust what you say to be true and I won't ask *how* you know this. :laugh:

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted
I've got to ask..do the worms cause the fish pain, do you think? I mean, if my flesh was riddled with worms I think I might feel *something.*[...]

Possibly off-topic, but human beings can have infestations of whipworms in their intestines for years without noticing anything. I happen to know this for a fact.

Well, sir, I trust what you say to be true and I won't ask *how* you know this. :laugh:

Good move. Now, carry on, nothing to see here. :laugh:

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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