What makes fish sushi grade?

Question

I've been looking around for this answer and I really can't find anything clear cut. I'm a sailor-in-training and I love fishing. I also REALLY love sashimi and sushi. So, I was wondering what makes sushi grade fish, sushi grade? I've heard that they: flash freeze fresh fish (try saying that 3 times fast) to kill the parasites, OR they fish during a certain season when the parasites are not rampant. Are those correct answers? I'd love to just make my own sashimi but I'm afraid to try.

Answer 1

Don't be afraid, just be educated about what you're looking for and who your sources are.

Unless you catch the salmon or other fish/seafood from the ocean yourself and serve it up on the table for dinner same day (I've done this living on the ocean-quite spoiled- me, not the fish lol), you need to look for salmon etc. that was flash frozen (there are freezers and there are freezers- in a regular freezer, the time for freezing takes too long, in flash freezers, or quick chill, it goes a LOT faster, and they are a lot colder.

While I absolutely adore sushi and have for years, I am careful in what I buy to make at home and where I eat out. I've never been sick in over 16 years of frequent sushi   consumption. However, not all kinds of organisms are killed in  the freezing process. If one is not sure of the source of one's fin/shell-fish then one should cook iit completely, as that will be the  only guarantee that all organisms are dead.

The stomach acids of a normal healthy individual, in addition to the wasabi and ginger  and  green  tea,  are sufficient to guards against getting anything, if you got your fish from a  good source.

Edit/add: I've never heard anything about this stay away from wild salmon business. For the past 7 years, all I've ever  eaten is wild salmon.For one thing, the  tastes and quality doesnt even remotely compare. And since I live right on the ocean for the past 7 years, I have been known to eat /make sushi/sashimi several times a week. The fish we catch out here is not caught in fresh water, there is no problem with  wildd, in other words salt water fish, as long as it's fresh and /or flash frozen and  thawed properly. Anyone  who gets sick has not had fresh fish from whatever sourcee, or it wasn't prepared/handled/processed  following proper food safe procedures. And if you shop  carefully this  won't happen.

Answer 2

top grade ahi (tuna) is determened by the fat content in the muscle it all comes down to fat! the more fat the better the quality

Answer 3

Yes.  In the US sashimi grade fish is flash frozen to kill the parasites.

I found this info online:

"The question of what is sushi grade fish comes up a lot and no one seems to accurately answer that question. After some research I am now able to provide an answer. As for micro standards for sushi or sashimi grade seafood, I have spoken with many in the seafood industry who supply ‘sushi grade’ fish for sushi and sashimi served at restaurants and they all give me the same answer… they do not know of any regulations from either the FDA or any other agencies regarding 'sushi grade' seafood, which is why suppliers set up their own micro and chemical parameters for their products. A personal search of FDA documents turns up the same results, no clear standards as to what makes fish 'sushi grade' or 'sashimi grade' and no definition of the term. The only concern any inspectors have is referred to as  the parasite destruction guarantee, which is accomplished by 'freezing and storing seafood at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours' which is sufficient to kill parasites. The FDA's Food Code recommends these freezing conditions to retailers who provide fish intended for raw consumption (for further information, please visit the FDA website). I know that is a mouthful, but it's the facts.  Other than a few specific organisms of concern for some seafood, sashimi standards are set as any other ready-to-eat item.

As for those on the serving side, their main concern seems to be with the seafood vendors.  Many of them will declare that the products they provide are "sashimi" grade but with no standards to back up those claims.  In the U.S. parasite destruction is required for those species where that hazard is identified but you'll find that most chefs will claim that they use "fresh" salmon and other products.  This may be because they do not know, perhaps it is delivered thawed by the local supplier (who may or may not have frozen it according to the requirements), or they may even use fresh, never frozen, salmon.  The term "fresh" has been linked to higher quality in the minds of many consumers and therefore the restaurants use this as a selling point even though the product may have been previously frozen and serving certain species with proper freezing is against regulations".

Answer 4

Excellent question.  I am not interested in making my own sashimi, so the thought never crossed my mind.  I love sashimi, too.  The favorite sushi restaurant I dine at orders their fish supply and even their wasabi (actually comes in a root from which they scrape out the wasabi) directly from Japan.....they have designated employees to run out to pick up fish from the airport every few days.  Their prices gives me a sense of reassurance of freshness.  But my stepfather, a professional sushi chef, said that all the other local places get their supply from the Fresh Fish Company on a daily basis.  So that's their stamp of freshness.  Regardless of where the fish is from, the above descriptions of FDA's criteria and how they freeze fish is correct.  But, as much as I would love to make my own sashimi, too, I am afraid to eat wild fish (vs. farm raised) because I saw some pictures of this guy whose brain was half "eaten out" (sooo many holes) by parasites from habitually eating the wild fish he caught.

Answer 5

It's not the flash freezing that kills parasites... It's the temperature and hold time that kills the parasites.

However, thinking of tuna, the fishing ships do have freezers and freeze the tuna immediately.  The freezing insures the quality is still there.

For salmon, I would not eat raw freshly caught wild salmon unless it has been frozen and held at temperature.

  

Freezing will kill parasites.

From the FDA website:

"Freezing and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or

freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or

freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours

is sufficient to kill parasites. FDA's Food Code recommends these freezing conditions to retailers who provide fish intended for raw consumption."

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/haccp4e.h...

Finally, to answer your question...

There is not true definition of sushi grade... However, sushi grade implies the fish is parasite free due to the freezing process.

Answer 6

Sushi/sashimi grade fish are very fresh & have been checked and treated for parasites.

Traditionally, fish that live some or part of their lives in brackish or fresh water were considered unsuitable for sashimi due to the possibility of parasites. An example, salmon, an anadromous fish, is not traditionally eaten as sashimi straight out of the river. A study in Seattle, Washington showed that 100% of wild salmon had roundworm larvae capable of infecting people, whereas the same study showed that farm-raised salmon did not have any roundworm larvae.

FDA documents turns up no clear standards as to what makes fish 'sushi grade' or 'sashimi grade' and no definition of the term. The only concern any inspectors have is referred to as  the parasite destruction guarantee, which is accomplished by 'freezing and storing seafood at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours' which is sufficient to kill parasites. The FDA's Food Code recommends these freezing conditions to retailers who provide fish intended for raw consumption (for further information, please visit the FDA website). Other than a few specific organisms of concern for some seafood, sashimi standards are set as any other ready-to-eat item.

Answer 7

check out the website below. It basically says that there is no real standard for "sushi grade" fish. Only the FDA guidelines for "parasite destruction guarantee". However, there are a few guidelines that can help you enjoy your sashimi.

If you want to eat what you catch

1. Know your fish. All fish do not have harmful parasites. Some species are more susceptible. Do not eat just any fish raw. Stick to tuna or yellowtail or what you are served in the sushi bars. But know your fish and where it came from.  

For example, sushi bars serve halibut but it is Pacific halibut that comes from Alaska. There is local to Southern California, a species known as California halibut. It is never eaten raw because its known to have parasites. I know fisherman who  wont eat it cooked. Mackerel that is served in sushi bars is from usually from Japan or Norway. Never local from Santa Monica bay.

The following won't make your fish parasite free but it will make it taste a whole lot better.

2. Clean and ice down your catch immediately. Make sure you get all the blood and guts out. Do not let it sit in the sun or water logged it dead in the water.

3. Eat the fish within 24 to 48 hours after catching provided you have kept it in under 40 degrees F. If you freeze it. follow the FDA guidelines. Be advised that consumer freezers cannot freeze to minus 40 degrees.      

If you want to buy sashimi

Buy from a Japanese market, a Japanese owned fish market or at the very least an Asian market. Do not buy from a regular supermarket. Their fish is not fresh enough to enjoy as sashimi.

http://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-grade-fish...