//Sushi Fresh and Frozen//
I’m a big fan of Japan cuisine and an evening of sushi and tempura washed down with some Asahi is a great way to kick back after a long week. Sushi rolls and sashimi servings have always been on my order when going Japanese. Fresh and raw fish fit for consumption is something that is particularly important. It’s fairly easy to figure out when fish past its serving time has been plated, it smells a little off and may even look discolored. Sadly I know from firs hand experience, biting into this spoilt fish will be different in texture, the same is true for restaurants serving frozen stock. Frozen stock tastes squishy but some establishments will put cases forwards that frozen fish is served for their customer’s own safety.
//Parasites Hidden//
Consuming raw fish, fresh from the ocean is a great treat from time to time but it also opens risks to live parasites that are present. I want to point out that there is a big difference between serving rotten fish and frozen fish. I used to think that fish used in sushi came from fresh sauces, but from both a practical and safety perspective, this isn’t quite the case. Parasites within fish are harmful to humans. It’s not something we can actively control within a population of wild marine life but there are ways to eliminate parasites before eating raw. Research points towards freezing before consumption, temperatures below -4 °C are sufficient to put the parasites on ice and eradicate their presence.
//Greater Risks//
I read a piece (linked below) about the increased presence of Anisakis in fish. This is a parasite that has is magnitudes higher in our current population of wild marine life and scientists are hypothesizing as to why this is the case. Climate change with warmer waters, whale population bouncing and several other theories have emerged to explain why the parasite is starting to rapidly appear in fish population. An interesting notion of the ocean recovering again, naturally reverting to its pre-human state made me think if the earth is slowly seeking to reestablish balance in one way or another.
//Frozen is Okay//
While the effects of the parasite on the marine population remains to be understood, it does mean if your local sushi eatery is serving raw fish, they are most likely to freeze it. That’s perfectly okay and perhaps techniques such as flash freezing and thawing will retain the texture of fish fibers as freezing technology advances. For restaurants that source from farmed fish, these fish are raised in clean environments and checked regularly for parasitic presence. I am happy with great tasting raw fish, frozen or not. With an increasing population of parasites I may even say, I prefer it right now.
Sources
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/parasitic-worm-populations-are-skyrocketing-sushi-fish-species
https://www.livescience.com/32163-is-sushi-safe-to-eat.html