where to buy sushi grade fish in maine
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!
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buy sushi grade fish detroit Oyster of the Week East Coast Maine, USA $1.50 each Baked Bristol Bay King Crab Oyster Dressing with Wild MushroomsAlthough many people on DelMarVa love to fish and crab, they still find Harbor House's retail store to have as fresh and economical seafood as they catch for themselves. Call 800-492-0444 or 302-629-0444 to place your order.
Go to Online Order form HereRegaled throughout the world as the ultimate sushi fish, the bluefin is among the most sought after fish in the sea. Largest of the Tuna Family (and one of the largest of all fishes), it is a voracious eater that is highly migratory. Bluefin tuna migrate north along the Atlantic Coast into the Gulf of Maine to feed on schools of mackerel, herring, squid and other baitfish that concentrate here in the warm months. For generations, Maine Fishermen have gone to sea to line catch these beautiful fish. This tradition remains a large part of our commercial fishing culture in many of our seaside fishing communities. All bluefin tuna fisheries are regulated by the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and managed domestically by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Although highly migratory, the global bluefin population is recognized by ICCAT as two distinct biological stocks, the Eastern Atlantic (including the Mediterranean Sea) and the Western Atlantic stock (inclusive of our fish in the Gulf of Maine).
The restricted quotas for allowable catch established by ICCAT and regulated in the US by NMFS are designed to reestablish sustainable populations of both the Western and Eastern bluefin tuna populations. Fishing within these guidelines, commercial Maine fisherman most hold permits, abide by a seasonal quota, and can land only three bluefin per boat per day. These are small, day-boats fishing by hook and line. These gigantic fish are fast swimming and found in tropical and temperate waters around the world. While some have been known to reach over 14 feet in length and weigh over 2,000 pounds, most of our commercial landings are 300-400 pounders. Shaped like a bullet, they have a steel blue-black upper body and silver side and bottom, with distinctive yellow flashing on their dorsal finlets. Every Gulf of Maine bluefin tuna we purchase is graded on site to confirm its quality rating. We use a sashibo (a Japanese-made sharp metal probe that removes a thin core from the fish) and evaluate the flesh for color, visible fat content, and texture.