AIBU to think you can’t eat raw fish from Tesco as sashimi?

[Juicy2020]

DH thinks it will be fine to eat it straight off the shelf.

I think that supermarket fish won’t be ‘sashimi grade’ and should be cooked.

Who is right?

God, no. Tesco fish always look dull and not quite fresh. I wouldn't buy any fish from them. Morrisons/Waitrose are better - but I'd be inclined to visit a proper fish market were I planning on eating it raw. (Thinking of wonderful Newcastle market, best I've ever visited in UK.)

I eat fish all the time and the worm thing has horrified me

What do you think would be different about non-Tesco fish that would make it 'sashimi grade' ?

If fish is destined for a raw fish use then it's frozen for longer, at much colder temperatures than fish going to the supermarket (often in a super-freezer).

There are also other factors like filleting it immediately, air drying it before freezing, and generally having very high standards for cleanliness.

I eat fish all the time and the worm thing has horrified me shock

I bought some fish and it had worms it it, put me off fish for a while, then I started eating it again but now this thread has reminded me and now feeling sick at the thought of fish again. I never ever went back to that particular fishmonger or brought that particular fish.

And no, Op he shouldn’t buy fish from Tesco and try his hand and sashimi, lol

In my day, we used to make do with a cup of tea and a pot of Shippam’s sardine and tomato...

Oh dear, my partner and I have made sushi using Tesco fish several times... Neither of us ever thought it might be a bad idea.

Never did get sick though... Phew.

I eat fish all the time and the worm thing has horrified me

Oh Christ, me too. I didn't even know that was a thing! Imagine finding a WORM in your fish!

Does the word "nematode" mean nothing to the man?

There's no such thing as "sashimi grade fish." Stores can sell fish labeled that, but it's a meaningless label, there's no standard that makes fish "sashimi grade."

There's just fresh fish and less-fresh fish (including less-fresh previously frozen fish).

I've had grocery stores I trusted, and have made sashimi from their fish. Other stores, I wouldn't eat theirs if you paid me, raw or cooked. So it all comes down to trust. Most of the time, fishmongers selling "sashimi grade" fish are the more trustworthy kind, but when you see that labeling, you're usually paying double for very little difference if any. One store I know literally fileted the same fish and called some pieces sashimi-grade salmon and other pieces not -- not based on quality, just some to this pile, some to that.

Unless you're quite severely overcooking your fish like salmon and tuna, you're not cooking out the parasites, I'm afraid, so again, it's all about trusting your fishmonger.

@WombOfOnesOwn I’m afraid you’re incorrect; ‘sashimi grade’ and ‘sushi grade’ fish really does exist.

What's the body of standards, then, giving it the designation? The truth is, if you look into it, it's just the store itself. You can call anything "sushi grade," there's no standard or enforcement body that regulates it.

But the terms ‘sushi grade’ and ‘sashimi grade’ give the impression that these are official designations with specific criteria, and this isn’t the case. Under EU law any fish that is sold to be consumed raw must be previously frozen to kill parasites but there is no other regulation of the term ‘sushi / sashimi grade’.

not all fish is suitable to be eaten raw. I think that's why they use smoked salmon in supermarket sushi, because it sits around for quite a long time.

Um ... but smoked salmon is raw, right?

It's smoked, but it is still raw fish. It has not been cooked. The smoking preserves it a bit, that's all.

I would just judge on how fresh it was. If you know how to judge fresh fish and Tesco happens to have some in (it might happen?), then crack on. Otherwise, maybe not.

I've eaten supermarket fish (salmon and tuna) raw as sashimi once, in my early twenties. I'm not sure I would now, just because I'm more aware of the potential risks; however, none of us got food poisoning and I'd imagine the risk is pretty low.

Smoked salmon has to be frozen to kill the parasites unless it’s smoked by a process which heats it to a sufficiently high temperature and long enough to kill them otherwise.

To all of the posters grossed out by worms in fish, unfortunately all types of fish will have some type of parasites in them. Fresh water fishes I think more commonly have a type of tape worm where as salmon etc. have anisakis. I imagine most of us who have eaten fish at some point in our lives have also eaten worms at the same time which is not harmful if either cooked properly or frozen before eaten raw.

But to answer the OP's question. No I would not eat Tescos fish raw even if I froze it at home first.

Omg, putting me off fish.

Well I'm glad I'm vegetarian

Well, generally you just move the worms to the edge of the plate, no?

It's not really rocket science.

If the worms are too small for me to notice, I'm sure they're all good protein.

I think the worm issue is (excuse me) a red herring.

In theory, raw fish from Tesco could be ok. I personally wouldn't fancy it, but if you can smell when fish is fresh and you know to err on the side of caution, you're really not going to go far wrong.

Sashimi Grade means it's been frozen extremely (-1 for 7 days after capture or at the very least flash froze for a day) so I don't know why people say that doesn't exist.

I know this thread is really old but hopefully is still useful.

I want to buy fish to use as sashimi at home. Has anyone bought plain frozen fish fillets eg salmon, tuna
and just used this? From the descriptions above I’m assuming frozen fish is frozen soon after being caught so the same as the more expensive sashimi!

I’ve been eating supermarket (including Tesco) raw fish for thirty years. I find it’s very good for arthritis, like all oily fish.

I don’t know what the Mums net for Tesco hatred is all about.Tesco turns over more fresh fish than any other supermarkets, so your chances of it being fresh are rather higher than small supermarkets.

Thanks 😊. This website backs up a lot of comments that sashimi grade is a marketing trick and good quality fish is the same thing:

www.seriouseats.com/how-to-prepare-raw-fish-at-home-sushi-sashimi-food-safety

It won't do you any harm as long as you follow food safety guidelines for thawing fish.

However you will likely notice a difference in texture compared to fresh or flash-frozen fish. Flash-freezing inhibits the formation of ice crystals and therefore preserves the texture of the fish. Long-term freezing in retail or residential freezers will be at higher temperatures and is less consistent so you are likely to get the formation of ice crystals, which will start to break down the fish. You might find that the texture is therefore a bit mushy or slimy.

I wouldn’t eat it @roses2 due to the texture. It won’t be as good as the freshest fish.