With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I know some of you are planning a homemade sushi dinner. Whether this is your first time or you’re a seasoned pro, making sushi at home can be simple, fun, and rewarding. I’ve written before on how to make sushi rolls and Adrianna recently did a post on temaki, but the question I get asked the most is some version of “how do I know if the fish at my store is safe to eat raw?”. The term “sushi-grade” is often tossed around to imply some level of freshness, but in the US, there’s no regulation around the use of the phrase, so it can be used to describe anything. That said, most stores aren’t in the business of getting their customers sick, so they usually reserve the label for their freshest fish. Unfortunately, just because it’s fresh doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat raw. Some fish, such as salmon, contain parasites that will make you sick unless they’ve been destroyed. Another potential problem is cross-contamination.

This happens when “sushi-grade” fish gets cut on the same cutting board or using the same knife or handled with the same gloves as non-sushi-grade fish. If your fishmonger is storing unwrapped sushi-grade fish in the same refrigerated case as non-sushi-grade fish, this should be a big red flag. For fish that contain parasites, the FDA provides guidance under their Parasite Destruction Guarantee. This states in part that fish intended to be consumed raw must be “frozen and stored at a temperature of -20°C (-4°F) or below for a minimum of 168 hours (7 days)”. Cross contamination is a bigger issue. Because most stores don’t sell a high enough volume of fish intended to be eaten raw, they don’t maintain a separate space for handling their “sushi-grade” fish. What’s worse, because tuna is such a large fish, most stores don’t deal with whole tuna, they buy them pre-filleted, which means you have to take into consideration not only the stores handling of the fish, but their supplier’s handling of the fish as well.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is how much you trust your fishmonger to understand the best practices for handling fish meant to be consumed raw, and how much they trust their suppliers to hold the same standards. Here are a few things to remember when buying fish to ensure you have a safe and delicious sushi-dinner: Observe and see for yourself whether they’re cutting their sushi-grade fish on the same cutting board as their other fish, without changing gloves or disinfecting their knife and board first. Ask whether they fillet the fish you’re looking to buy themselves, or if they’re getting them pre-filleted. If you are buying salmon, ask if they can produce logs that show the times and temperatures that the fish was frozen. If you can’t find a local place you can trust with raw fish, why not try filling your sushi with vegetables, cooked fish, or even meat. California Rolls and Caterpillar Rolls may not be traditional, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious!

For Marc, food is a life long journey of exploration, discovery and experimentation and he shares his escapades through his blog in the hopes that he inspires others to find their own culinary adventures. sushi grade fish in phoenixMarc’s been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has made multiple appearances on NPR and the Food Network.buy sushi grade fish online ukThere’s Nothing Wrong With Raw Fish That Has Been Frozenjiro dreams of sushi cleveland I am assuming the ahi tuna at Costco is not sushi grade. sushi tei menu dan hargaI am wanting to make ahi poke, and most of the recipes call for sushi grade tuna.

Any problems with using the Costco Ahi in it? Want to stay up to date with this post? Sign Up Now › Log In or Sign Up to comment Log In or Sign Up to Comment › The Easiest, Tastiest Homemade Hummus You Will Ever Make The 16 “Must Include” Superfoods for Weight Loss Missy Chase Lapine | ArticleWhen Whole Wheat Flour Goes Bad ArticleCan You Cook with Sprouted Garlic? ArticleIs It Safe to Leave Butter Out at Room Temperature? Updated 3 months ago  |   Bouncing around the big box!! Updated 6 months ago  |   Bon Appetit writes a love letter to Costco Updated 4 months ago  |   Costco Food Finds - 4th Quarter 2016 Updated 10 days ago  |   See All Latest Discussions › Can someone give me a short primer on how fish is "graded"? For example, what is the difference between sushi grade fish and non-sushi grade fish? How hazardous is it to use high quality, non-sushi grade fish for sushi?I am often in Spain for an extended stay and sometimes I go to the fish market, which has incredibly fresh, to buy fish to prepare sushi at home.

Things are never labeled as "sushi grade" and I don't think most would know what that was if I ask. So are there some basic questions that I can ask to determine whether the fish I get can be used for sushi/sashimi? ArticleGrade-A Rice Bowl from a Banh Mi Hero ArticleChowhound Find: Spiny Lobster at Manhattan's 15 East Updated 1 year ago  |   How do I know if salmon is sushi grade? Updated 29 days ago  |   What Is Your Opinion Of Pangasius? Updated 5 months ago  |   Fishy names: "doré" from VietnamDoes sushi-grade fish need to be frozen? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that sushi-grade fish be stored for at least one week at a temperature of -4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a PBS report. The reason for freezing fish is to destroy naturally occurring parasites in order to make the fish safe for raw consumption. Can bologna be frozen? What is an optimal freezer temperature? Can pregnant women eat crab legs?

Sushi-grade fish should not be stored with non-sushi-grade fish or handled with the same knife, as this can cause cross-contamination. Good fish mongers should follow this freezing process prior to selling sushi to consumers because the freezing process is part of what makes it sushi grade. Unfortunately, however, there are no regulations in the United States that mandate special treatment of sushi-grade fish by fish mongers, the PBS report said. Learn more about Freezing Food What is the temperature on Mount Everest? According to CNN Travel, the temperature range on Mount Everest is between -31 degrees Fahrenheit and -4 degrees Fahrenheit. May is the most common time fo... What is "body temperature 97"? When written in a medical report or stated verbally by a health care provider, "body temperature 97" means that a thermometer shows that a patient's temper... Medical Ranges & Levels Can you refreeze defrosted food? According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, foods cannot be safely refrozen after defrosting when held above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two...