Is it ok to eat sushi at Yo! Sushi and Feng Sushi (other similar chains) whilst preggo?

[DangerMousey]

The NHS guidance says sushi is ok if the raw fish it's made from has been frozen. Whilst this seems likely in the crappy packets you can buy from M&S and the like, I am not sure whether chains like Yo! Sushi use fish that's been frozen.

Basically, DH is taking me out to dinner tonight and I am massively craving salmon sashimi! And really want to go to Yo!

Anyone asked aboutt his before? Or am I best of ringing ahead to the branch to check?

I don't know about Yo! Sushi and Feng Sushi. I know that Itsu does not use frozen fish (found this out after I'd eaten some ).

You may be able to find out on their website, Itsu's site said they never use frozen fish.

Tuna sushi/sashimi is fine btw because the parasites don't live in tuna. But that doesn't help if you want salmon...

Thanks mini - i had a look on their website but it's not really clear. Although it does say their tuna comes from South America so I am guessing that probably would have to be frozen to travel that distance?!

Hmm, will maybe give the branch a call and see what they say.

I am not an expert, but I think that for logistical purposes, most(/all?) fish that comes into the UK will have to have been frozen on the boat at the time it is caught. I've tried to enquire in sushi places before but the staff seem to be clueless.

Used to work for yo! There tuna has been deep frozen but the salmon not.

I asked one of the chefs at Yo Sushi and they said the salmon wasn't frozen and that he didn't let his pregnant wife eat it. Bummer. Pop it on the list for after the birth with a nice cold glass bottle of champagne.

Boooooooo! Thanks guys - think I will give it a miss then. Don't think I'd be able to stick to tuna with all that lovely looking salmon on the menu.

Will add it to my post-birth wish list. Maybe will aim a bit higher than Yo! in that case....might try to get DH to take me upto one of those swanky places in Mayfair several months post birth :)

I am just a couple of weeks away from birth and planning a sushi visit already. Someone told me there's a rather posh one in Canary Wharf that is reassuringly expensive for a celebratory pile of post-birth sashimi.

Why not phone them up and ask?

Sigh.
Never got around to having good sushi after DS was born, now I have to wait again until March!
I didn't realise it was ok if had been frozen. I would certainly 'settle' for some tuna sashimi!

Sushi that is sold in shops or restaurants, whether ready made or made in the shop, should be safe to eat. Food safety regulations require shops and restaurants to freeze raw fish used to make sushi at -20C for at least 24 hours.

The only reason raw fish can be dodgy is that if it is not cooked parasites/parasita larvae/eggs can survive and then live in you. Tapeworm is worse if you are pregnant as you need nutrients for two. Freezing kills the parasites too.

ItsAll I read that somewhere too, hence why I ate Itsu sushi thinking it was legally required to be frozen.

Then I found out that Itsu's fish is definitely not frozen.

Either there is no such food safey requirement or a lot of places are ignoring it.

I wonder how they get away with that? I know UK farmed salmon is exempt from the legislation, but I am pretty sure they are breaking the law. But then its says in their faqs that its not frozen so is a bit blatant if they are ((confused))

Not just the seafood but sushi by its pre-prepared, chilled nature is vulnerable to listeria which you definitely want to avoid. Save it for afters.

Well, I think it's a risk and whether you are willing to take it. I ate a lot of sushi while in travelling in Japan when pregnant. But then I can't bear the thought of not tasting Japanese sushi when I'm most unlikely to visit Japan again!

In the UK, I wouldn't risk it. There are a lot of other things to eat, and the sushi will still be there when your LO is born.

I drank red wine (one glass a week), ate blue cheese and had liver whilst pregnant but did not want to eat sushi or anything raw (like eggs or meat). It was not because of anything I read, but just because it did not feel right.

Ask in there, it's the only way you'll know. Generally tuna has been frozen, and yellowtail but salmon not as it is obtainable close to home. Shellfish etc will be cooked. I still find there is plenty to eat in a sushi place even though I have to avoid salmon and perhaps 1-2 other fish too.

There used to be such a food safety requirement but it has been relaxed because such fish is considered safe enough without (for the non immunocompromised person that is).