How to Tell When Fish is Truly Cooked

This helpful article from Fine Cooking gives some excellent insight into properly cooking fish. Not only will it help prevent you from serving undercooked fish but it will also show you how to avoid overcooking your fish as well. With fish, there is often a fine line between undercooked, done just right and overcooked. Knowing how to tell the difference is crucial to creating a meal that is both safe and delicious.

There can be some dangers involved in eating undercooked fish such as parasites like tapeworms. Tapeworm infestation can be difficult to diagnose. If the tapeworm gets into the intestine, it can lodge in the lining and be mistaken for a tumor on medical scans. The common symptoms are cause nausea, diarrhea, cramps and inflammation. The good news is that in most cases this will only last for about a week until the tapeworm passes. In the most serious cases, surgery may be required to remove the tapeworm from the intestinal wall.

If you are a sushi lover and decide to indulge in sashimi or sushi containing raw fish you will decrease your chances of having any issues by using only the freshest fish available. Fish that has been gutted immediately after being caught will be less likely to carry any parasites. Responsible sushi chefs will know this and will make sure that they only serve raw fish that is safe for consumption. They will also know that certain fish hold a higher risk and should not be served raw, such as mackerel and squid. If they are served raw, these fish will be processed in other ways like freezing or salting in order to remove the risk of parasites. Do not be afraid to ask the chef a few questions to put your mind at ease before you dig into your plate of sushi.

For more details and information, please visit the link below to the Fine Cooking website.