Sweet Spot vs. Safe SPot for Fish

The sweet spot for cooked fish is 122'F but the safe zone is 145'F. Do you freeze your seafood first to "sushi" levels so that there is limited risk of parasites? Do you simply use lowest risk fish? Looking at this for the professional setting in consulting with Chefs. (I'm willing to risk at home :-) )

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brian_martin2001

122°F being the sweet spot for cooked fish is really dependant upon the type of fish. Various types of fish have a greater or lesser association with parasites. As far as the safe zone goes, many foods are cooked below the safe zone medium rare pork or beef, lamb, goat, eggs, duck, etc. That doesn't automatically mean it's unsafe to eat. I'm not really sure what the point of your first sentence was, but That's my 2 cents on it. I rarely eat sea food raw that i buy in a store, however, when i do, i give a good deep freeze for at least 48 hours, prior to consuming it.

fisher23

Douglas Baldwin, PhD has good information on his website. As health departments regulations vary, you would need check with them for local requirements in a professional setting.

TL;DR Only sushi grade fish should be consumed unpasteurized, that is not cooked at 130°F or higher for a long enough time to fully pasturize it. A 24 hour freeze will kill the most (but not all) common parasites. If not sushi grade, fish should be cooked as referenced in the Baldwin charts to fully pasturize.

brian_martin2001

Can you provide a source foe the definition of sushi grade fish? Everything I've been able to find on the subject says there is no real definition, and that it usually just refers to fish had has been frozen to -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours’ which is sufficient to kill parasites. According to the FDA this will kill all parasitic organisms commonly associated with particular types of fish (sources).

fisher23

Hi brian, I have found the same as you. I have gone by this and it is exactly what you have stated. Douglas Baldwin states in his book that most parasites, but not all will be killed off in 24 hours of freezing but doesn't state at what temperature.

brian_martin2001

That's surprises me a little. I would have expected him to include the necessary temperatures. I'm still going to continue to follow the guidelines i listed above. Hadn't killed me yet.

John_Paul_Khoury_17236

Many farmed fish are not considered a parasite hazard because of the feed- I believe much depends on type of fish. Much also as far as quality depends on the deep nature of the freeze to minimize tissue compromizing and moisture purge.