FFS, just found worms in my beautifully cooked fish! What to do?

[DorotheaPlenticlew]

Well OK, - one worm. But one is enough, y'know? I just spent 1.5 hours of precious "mummy on her own" time cooking fecking Annabel Karmel fish pie recipe, using every pan in kitchen etc in attempt to provide home-cooked meal for DS (15 months). The final step (mixing cooked flaked cod with other components of recipe) revealed a whitish-coloured worm poking out of the fish. Recoiled in horror. Have ceased operations to take advice from MNers -- pie not yet assembled.

I know that worms are not uncommon in fish and we have probably all eaten them without realizing. And I have spent near on ten quid on stuff for this recipe, and the fish was half of that. Bought yesterday from Tesco fish counter, use by today. What should I do? Are there safe worms and unsafe worms? Is it safe to eat? Would it be safe for DS? My instinct is to chuck it but it is SUCH a waste of a lot of lovely ingredients!

Not to mention the money -- receipt gone in bin of course, and do not have clubcard, but feel that by rights Tesco ought to reimburse. Unlikely though.

It will be fine! It's normal for fish to have worms in.

I would hot tail it to tesco with everything you have and make them give you money to cover it all.

Bogging but harmless

Cod worms

Not really Tesco's fault! I see what you mean but it isn't anything they have done wrong, its just one of those things. Gross though

What Environmental Health have to say

fair enough, cannot really be bothered gathering it all up to go to Tesco in a "furious customer" style. But what should I do about the recipe? Cook and eat, try not to think? Would the worms (if there are others) be bad for DS to eat, or just, er, unconventional protein?

ah thanks, have followed link now -- harmless, good.

Still horrible though, takes the shine off my domestic goddess glow and brief delusion of being the perfect fish-pie-cooking mum.

I found one in some chip shop fish when I was about 10 - it put me off for years! hd forgotten it until I saw this thread though.

Sorry AnarchyAunt, hope you won't be haunted by it now.

I am going to make the pie and cook it while I decide whether to eat it or feed it to DS.

Please, MNers, tell me if you would serve worm-ridden fish to your family (after checking to get rid of any visible worms, obv)?

yes but I wouldn't tell them.

bleurgh! bleurgh!

Fish can be a truly horrible thang

I would feed it to him...chances are by next summer he'll be digging his own up from the garden anyway

this is probably way too late, you could all have food poisoning by now (hope not) but throw it away!!!! eugh....

I would bin it. It would put me right off.

It is fine.
I bet he/ and you have eaten worms before, not knowing.
If it is cooked well, tis all fine.

i'd feed it to mine but then mine regularly eat things they find lurking behind the couch or in the flowerbeds so i think a fish worm is probably nutritious in comparison

Rockcake, I suggest you read the rest of the thread. You will see that it is actually harmelss, and has no evidence of causing sickness. We aren't talking maggots in rotten flesh, but a naturally occuring parasiti worm that lives in the intestines of fish.

Gaaaah! bin it. Sory but any amount of worm, safe or no, is too much worm to be in my kids food!! yeuch.

my head would say, it's fine, pick out worm and eat th epie. We have probably all fed our children minced up worms in fish fingers and fish cakes.

Howver, my stomach would revolt and not allow any of it to pass my lips.

So completely your choice really

I couldn't eat it, it would put me right off!

I'm sure it is harmless and we all eat without knowing it and all that, and the fish is expensive, but I still think I would prefer baked beans if I saw a worm in the fish.

eww this is why im veggie.chuck it.

sarnie, I'm sure you've eaten a bit of wormy or insect matter in vegetables before

ewwwwwww.im going to wash my mouth out.ewww didnt think of that.