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Besides a complete cooking like frying, baking, BBQ or smoking is there any other way to prepare freshwater fish that would render it safe to eat in a sushi type application?

samthebrand
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James
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    I'm curious about the answer to this question..everything I've ever heard is that freshwater fish should never be eaten raw because of all of the microbes/parasites. And in the US, at least, there are a lot of places where you're not supposed to eat fish that you catch because the water has so many pollutants. If it were me, I'd stay away from raw freshwater fish, but maybe someone has evidence that it's safe to do so. – Laura Jan 04 '12 at 20:41

3 Answers3

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Other than catching it deep in the ocean, probably not.

The closer to land the fish is caught, the more likely it is to be carrying parasites. You can flash freeze fish to kill the parasites, but it is virtually impossible to achieve temperatures that low with noncommercial equipment.

Sean Hart
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    It's not actually necessary to flash freeze, that just [lowers the required freezing time](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/751/41). You could probably reach the required -20° C with just dry ice, although, frankly, it would be a lot easier to just order sashimi fish from a distributor. – Aaronut Jan 04 '12 at 23:32
  • Your blanket statement on small species and freshwater fish is not globally correct – TFD Jan 05 '12 at 11:49
  • @TFD Thanks for the feedback, but I don't believe I was making a "blanket statement." It's more a matter of likelihood, hence the use of the language "more likely." Freshwater and near-shore saltwater fish *tend* to live in environments that have more parasites living in them than do deep water saltwater fish. – Sean Hart Jan 05 '12 at 14:35
  • Sorry, blanket is probably a too strong a word – TFD Jan 05 '12 at 22:28
  • The FDA recommends freezing at -4F (-20 C) for 7 days, but they note that this does not kill all types of pathogens (http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm094578.htm). – Bruce Alderson Aug 16 '14 at 19:30
  • Freshwater fish are absolutely more prone to parasites. However, freezing to kill those parasites is not at all difficult to accomplish. – PoloHoleSet Sep 30 '16 at 14:36
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In many** parts of the world, fresh water fish, and small species coastal fish are perfectly fine to eat raw without further processing

Check with your local government food standards department on the water and fish quality where you live

** By land area, not by population. In most heavily populated areas you cannot eat fresh fish, or coastal fish raw

TFD
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  • Depends a bit on what you are used to eating also. A lot of locals drink the water - but if I tried that I would most likely get sick., Oh, and there are also variations in the fish. Some types are safer than others (both saltwater and fresh). – Ruz Jan 05 '12 at 17:46
  • @Ruz OP didn't mention travelling, so assuming they are a local! Variations, yes, that's why I posted the "check with local govt. food standards" etc? – TFD Jan 05 '12 at 22:14
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I wouldn't recommend trying, really. It's safest to just cook the fish.

Curing with lots of salt (as in gravlax) or acid (as in ceviche) would take care of most bacteria. Freezing at a very low temperature (0°F) for 24 hours can kill most parasites, but home freezers cannot get cold enough. If the fish was previously (and industrially) frozen, you might be able to use it in a ceviche preparation. Just don't send me the hospital bill.

Bob
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