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[RalphH]

From the Centre for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/anisakiasis/faqs.html

How can I prevent anisakiasis?

Do not eat raw or undercooked fish or squid.

The FDA recommends the following for seafood preparation or storage to kill parasites.

    Cooking (Seafood in General)
        Cook seafood adequately (to an internal temperature of at least 145° F [~63° C]).
    Freezing (Fish)
        At -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or
        At -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid, and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or
        At -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours.

hot smoking should be adequate to kill the parasite. Cold smoking may be inadequate.

[fisharoo]

RalphH, those guidelines are good. Same as used to prepare commercial grade sashimi. My wife is Japanese and we eat sashimi all the time. I can get -23c in my home freezer. Just set it to max and make sure you've got good air circulation. I also put my fish on a baking sheet to help conduct the freezing for a fast freezer, which gives you better meat.

[fisharoo]

FYI The baking sheet it pre-chilled.

[Dave]

What??  wild salmon have parasites??  Chris, please pass this on to Almo 

Sorry, couldn't resist and I'm nearly sorry

[RalphH]

I hot smoked some salmon this week using a dumb tech "Big Chief" smoker. I put an oven thermometer in and checked the temp. It got over 170F just from the burner and the smoking chips. Like some folks I put a cover to increase the heat in the last few hours and it hit 210. Nine hours in the smoker - after the same time in the brine so I don't think there is any kind of parasite left alive.

[jazzhead]

Watched that video...Gonna be sick.  Why didn't I know about this before.  Going to check my freezer temperature now.

[Bcdrock]

I have been checking all my sockeye since reading this post. The parasites have been in every sockeye! They look like clear worms, and move when I take them out of the meat. Is this normal in all salmon? Never noticed it before. Just freeze it and make sure it's cooked? Then its fine for consumption?

[SkagitDreamer]

Bcdrock - yes it's common in all salmon, trout and especially bottom fish like halibut and ling (last I was aware, anyhoo). I consulted with a popular restaurant chain years ago and their cooks thought it nouveau cuisine to serve seafood skewers (complete with fresh salmon and halibut) medium-ish... At this point you could see the parasites dancing out of the fish while under the heat lamp. Sometimes people mean well but are simply ignorant, which is one thing to do to yourself but quite another to do for others. I had the staff educated and the chef working with suppliers to use frozen product if they weren't going to fully cook their fish. After my tenure, who knows what happened with procedure for the chain, but we must inquire when dining out, regardless of the restaurant calibre.

[robj]

The worm in my Sockeye did not like the flavour of seasoning salt so it crawled out. The ones that did not mind seasoning salt are getting bbq'd.

[CohoJake]

Bcdrock - yes it's common in all salmon, trout and especially bottom fish like halibut and ling (last I was aware, anyhoo). I consulted with a popular restaurant chain years ago and their cooks thought it nouveau cuisine to serve seafood skewers (complete with fresh salmon and halibut) medium-ish... At this point you could see the parasites dancing out of the fish while under the heat lamp. Sometimes people mean well but are simply ignorant, which is one thing to do to yourself but quite another to do for others. I had the staff educated and the chef working with suppliers to use frozen product if they weren't going to fully cook their fish. After my tenure, who knows what happened with procedure for the chain, but we must inquire when dining out, regardless of the restaurant calibre.

This reminds me of an episode of Top Chef that I saw a few years ago.  The finalists were in Alaska and were given a selection of fresh caught salmon to choose from to butcher and prepare.  The judges complained that one contestant had "overcooked" the salmon because it was cooked through!  I just laughed. 

[SkagitDreamer]

WAfishboy, sounds right lol

Back in '93 I had the pleasure to cook with John Bixxxx and Pierre Dexxxxxx to host the Presidential Summit of Clinton and Yeltsin, I believe, (just gave my presidential smarties to my young chef cousin). Guess what we cooked him? Sockeye salmon with buerre blanc Clinton had his own chefs check everything, sometimes switching complete courses. The salmon was medium well, FYI, and fresh. I'd rather be safe than hip, though. He did ok after, so guess all is well.

[Knnn]

I really wish I had not read this post, ignorance is bliss (sometimes).

However saying that my dad was an animal virologist and there are worms cysts and other horrible parasites in most meats.

[kosanin kosher salt]

Skagitdreamer , that was a great read from 1st gen renfrew and grandview

I also remember seeing that plaque at queen Elizabeth park , must have been a pleasure .

Btw I cooked some sockeye the other day on the bbq , had it the next day for lunch and pulled out them worms in the cooked flesh , they don't disappear or disintegrate once cooked unfortunately , so cook them well enough ppl

[SkagitDreamer]

Thanks, kosanin kosher salt. Good friends and memories between there and 22nd. Changed a lot over the years. I was around a few areas - 1st and commercial, 36th and main, Joyce loop, etc. After JO high school the parents dragged me to poco then clearbrook, but I kept all my friends so it really didn't help hehe.

As a kid we'd play in little mountain area and Riley park. The restaurant was the Quarry house then and never thought I'd be cooking at seasons in the park one day lol yes it's a good memory and I didn't know they had a plaque.