Raw fish may not be so safe after all. A man in Chicago has sued a prominent seafood restaurant for giving him a nine-foot tapeworm. A tapeworm he says was caused by consuming raw salmon. In response to the incident, Jon Rowley, a seafood expert, reveals that tapeworms are commonly found in salmon. Marinating or curing the fish will not kill the parasites; the only surefire way to kill tapeworm larvae is to cook the fish completely or freeze it at minus-31°F for at least 15 hours. 
This news is frightening to me since I come across salmon sashimi, sushi, tartare, ceviche, and crudo on menus all the time. I'm now convinced that when it comes to raw fish, I need to be more discriminating about when and where I eat it. What about you? Will this change the way you eat your fish?
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Do You Eat Raw Fish?
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I don't really like fish although I've eaten sushi a couple of times for the novelty factor, but that is disgusting!! Nine feet?! Damn.
1Yeah annebreal and they can grow up to 30 feet!
2I'm all about the raw fish. It's delicious and healthful, with no added fats or sodium. I think, honestly, that *undercooked* salmon is a bigger risk than *raw* salmon. When you know you're not going to be cooking something at all, you take proper precautions and safety measures. Japanese restaurants have some of the most stringent standards in the food service industry. However, even when you're only cooking something for a short time, there's a psychological thought that you don't have to be as diligent as long as you're cooking it.
Will this stop me from eating sushi? Not a chance. Will this stop me from eating sketchy poached salmon salads during the lunch rush? Absolutely, though I hadn't been to begin with.
3eww tapeworms. gross!
4I love Sushi. Be certain that you had sushi from a good/clean Japanese restaurant though. Sometimes I will buy raw Salmon/yellowtail/Tuna from supermarket, but I only got it from the Korean/Japanese supermarket, their raw fish has a better quality than those from Costco/Savemart. Don't try to eat raw fish from the Costco, I dont think they are Sushi/Sashimi quality.
5People get so litigious these days! You make a choice to eat what you eat, and where you eat it too. That's certainly not to say its this man's fault for getting a tapeworm, but nature is nature...
6If I got a nine foot tapeworm I think I'd be getting litigious. The article doesn't go into detail about how much weight he lost, how ill he was for how long, etc. but I'd be pissed! I've got the heebie jeebies now.
7Oh my goodness. I love sushi, but I don't think I can eat it now (at least not the salmon). Ick it just makes my stomach turn thinking about it
8oh weight loss - now there is an idea, I think I will start eating more raw salmon!
9geez. this figures. i just ate salmon sushi last night.
10eewwwwwwwwwwww.
i don't eat any kind of seafood at all...ewwwww
11I eat sushi (of lots of different varieties) and still will, but I will definitely be a little more choosy on where we get it from though.
12I am very paranoid about raw meat and fish. No way am I trying sushi with raw fish!
13I just had some rare tuna last night and now I'm a little nervous. About the litigious part, doesn't most have places have a warning about eating undercooked foods having a possibility it could make you sick, so doesn't that protect them?
14nope - i don't eat fish at all so raw's out of the question. my fiance does though - he loves sushi and sashimi - so as long as he's getting decent quality stuff (ok ....GOOD quality stuff) he's ok to eat it.
15I used to, but I recently became a vegetarian, so not anymore.
16Egads! I love raw fish but the thought of getting a tapeworm is totally freaking me out!! I also just ate a bunch of albacore sashimi last night (this and salmon are my all-time faves).
17Dammit I love Salmon
18kelliegonzo LOL
19That sucks, but I'm going to keep eating sushi.
20I've tried to love raw fish since I eat everything else but I can't stomach it. Nasty, nasty, nasty. I'll BBQ my fish, thank you very much.
21Um, I can't believe that people don't know this. It's also possible that you're consuming other tiny parasites, depending on the fish. Nevermind mercury.
22And honestly, don't think that -where- you get it matters all that much.
No, never, can't make me. First off, I tried it once and never will again. Second reason, I find it to be very unsafe and will not risk my health for a silly piece of RAW fish. No way.
23Is smoked salmon safe? Please say yes.
24I think it's more safe than raw Twinkle.
25In Québec restaurants are not allowed to serve raw fish that hasn't been frozen for a certain time. It makes it a lot safer. Of course the taste changes a lot and it's not as good, but I prefer being safe.
26I love sushi and sashimi, and I don't eat it everyday so I'm fine with it.
27I don't eat raw fish, well, unless you count smoked salmon. Is that even raw?
28Anyway, I can't say that I'm surprised by this story, I saw it coming.
But, I am forever freaked out by that a 9 foot tapeworm was happily living inside an average person.
I have had sushi a few times. I really don't like it. I can tolerate salmon or tuna, but the texture really gets to me. I did have a spicy tuna roll once that was excellent, it was home-made. All of my friends LOVE it so when we go to a sushi place I go for the teriyaki.
29I don't eat sushi and I'm afraid to eat raw fish. The disease and contamination that you can get from eatting raw fish just sickens me.
30Smoked salmon is cured then smoked. I don't know if smoking fish/meat kills the parasites though.
31i love sashimi,i think it's one of the best parts of Japanese food...I've never found the charm of classic rolls,they are good but not to die for...i rather raw fish like salmon,tuna,mackerel with a little bit of soy sauce and a bit of wasabi...it's so simple yet so delicious
32don't be afraid to eat it in clean and known restaurants...i think this whole paranoia about worms and parasites is so useful for the producers of over processed garbage food,it's some sort of excuse to sell you more crap with preservants..don't buy everything you see in the media
33Yikes! This is a little scary.
34I have a huge fear of tapeworms! this story grosses me out. I don't eat fish because I'm a vegetarian.
35Legally, I'm interested in seeing how this plays out. How does bits of salmon in a salad give you a 9 ft tapeworm several days after eating that salad according to him? Can they actually grow that long within a couple of days?
36I never had sushi and don't ever plan to. Something about eating raw fish just grosses me out. I just can't do it!
37I might try raw fish if it was from a reputable source and if I had health insurance. Is that funny or sad?
38i love japanese!
39I do, when I have sushi, but I only have sushi from a few places that i trust. i dont just go anywhere to eat that..
40He really can't know where he got the tapeworm from for sure. When it got into his system it had to be tiny, and unnoticable. It would have been inside him for quite a while before it actually grew to be 9feet.
41I'm a sashimi fanatic. Nothing's going to stop me from getting nice big platters of beautifully presented sashimi.
42This just fuels my tapeworm phobia which is why I steer clear of raw fish at restaurants.
43Ha! I just ate sushi. I don't think this would make me stop.
If the worm was 9 ft long, there is no way he got it from the salmon salad. It had to have been from something he ate many months ago.
44I love it way too much to give it up!
45Smoked salmon and marinated salmon (like ceviche) do not count as cooked!
46No one knows where he got the T-worm, 9 feet long in just days? doubtful. wont stop me from eating raw fish.
47ew that is pretty nasty....thank god I prefer only cali rolls.
nice rocky horror pic, CaterpillarGirl
48I eat raw fish pretty much every day whether I cook it or not!
49I don't eat bait.
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