Worms in fish?

cojomo2

Picked up some Monkfish fillet and when cutting it up I saw what I thought was just a small threadlike red vein or something..decided to remove it only to se it wriggle and curl up! Gross...

Is it ok to eat this piece of fish, will be cooking it of course..

CJhaughey

Worms in fish are common, and cooked they are harmless maybe just a bit more protein:)
They are unappetising though and I would always remove them from fish as I cut the fillet.

Chewabacca

Known in industry as cod worms. No taste and harmless.

whistlingtitan

Nearly all white fish have once cooked it's fine

jaydoxx

I've worked in a restaurant serving fish and let me tell you, its perfectly fine for there to be parasites as they are rendered harmless in the cooking process anyway. I would like to point out that cod is one of the most parasite infected fish i've ever come across, and even though its completely safe to consume, it's just one more reason for me to choose a different fish while doing the shopping or in a restaurant.

superluck

What about frozen cod? Is the worm just cryo preserved awaiting implantation into it's human host? If you take Tuna and the that gulf of Mexico oil disaster, fish is hardly safe to eat at all really.

CJhaughey

superluck wrote: »

What about frozen cod? Is the worm just cryo preserved awaiting implantation into it's human host? If you take Tuna and the that gulf of Mexico oil disaster, fish is hardly safe to eat at all really.

Rubbish.
Freezing below -20c for more than 60hrs will kill all parasites.
So aside from Tuna and the Gulf of Mexico there is no other fish to eat?
We have plenty of fish here that is fantastic and safe to eat.

niallam

jaydoxx wrote: »

I've worked in a restaurant serving fish and let me tell you, its perfectly fine for there to be parasites as they are rendered harmless in the cooking process anyway. I would like to point out that cod is one of the most parasite infected fish i've ever come across, and even though its completely safe to consume, it's just one more reason for me to choose a different fish while doing the shopping or in a restaurant.

Red Gurnard is usually the worst for worms. Time of the year and where the fish are caught usually play the biggest part in worms. In monk they can infest the flesh but in most fish they only get to the belly flap, usually it's easiest to just cut the belly off during processing.
If a live cod worm was eaten it may cause severe stomach pain requiring medical treatment. But this only really happens with sushi or lightly smoked fish.

nikegame

It is terrible for me to eat some fish like that especially the situation i know!But i think it's harmless!

teflonchest

I won't be eating that fish for sure. The thought of getting a worm in my fish terrifies me....

CJhaughey

teflonchest wrote: »

I won't be eating that fish for sure. The thought of getting a worm in my fish terrifies me....

Yeah, it can be off putting but parasites affect more than just fish...
When you think about it, how many truly wild foods do you still eat?
Sheep, beef and pork are all farmed and have chemical treatments to prevent them getting worms.

mickoneill30

I saw this on Discovery a while ago.
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/worlds-dirtiest-man-videos
There's a bit where they talk about the worms in fish. Probably not for the squeamish.

lounakin

All I can say is ewwwwww!

Lisha

This gets my award for thread I wish I had not read:(


As i overcook everything anyway I should be fine

But there is no way I will ever, ever, try sushi

lounakin

Lisha wrote: »

But there is no way I will ever, ever, try sushi

You should! Sushi fish is raw but it's carefully cut and there's no way they'd leave a worm if they wound one! I've has sushi a million times and never had an unpleasant surprise. The thing about raw fish that most non-raw fish eaters don't know is that the taste is actually much less strong and much more delicate than cooked.

CJhaughey

Sushi is actually rice with other bits and pieces not necessarily fish, Sashimi is raw fish.
Even if you don't eat fish you can still get vegetarian sushi.

niallam

There is very little white fish used in sushi really, king/tiger/vanamei prawns, tuna and salmon are what you get most in Ireland. Sashimi grade tuna has been frozen once to kill parasites that may be present, salmon is farmed as are the prawns.
Traditionally Sashimi meant the process of sticking a spike through the fish's head once aboard the boat to preserve the flesh better.

CJhaughey

niallam wrote: »

Traditionally Sashimi meant the process of sticking a spike through the fish's head once aboard the boat to preserve the flesh better.

Ikijime is the process of killing the fish by crushing the brain, usually with a spike
The way the Japanese kill tuna is they cut the head off and insert a length of monofilament into the spine to kill the nerve activity, that can cause the body of the fish to heat from twitching.

niallam

CJhaughey wrote: »

Ikijime is the process of killing the fish by crushing the brain, usually with a spike

Very true. The word sashimi means "pierced body", sashimi is what i'd use to describe raw fish suitable for eating because some sushi has no fish in it...
Killing the fish quickly stops lactic acid building up and preserves the fish better.