Sushi, for all intents and purposes, is the quintessential date night food. Sushi restaurants are usually decorated with exotic Japanese ornaments and dim lighting. You can struggle your way clumsily through picking up the rolls with chopsticks if you’re a beginner while your date shows off his or her pro status from years of experience. But the best part about sushi, without question, is that it’s just plain delicious. (Related Topics: Florida Food Handlers Certificates, Florida Food Handlers Card, Florida Food Handler Certification)
That said, sushi isn’t for everyone. A lot of folks would much prefer to take a pass on the raw meats and stick with a traditional steak dinner. And they’re not wrong to be worried either. Sushi, as exotic and tasty as it may be, is not without its flaws. Most notably, the number one health risk of sushi is that of consuming dangerous parasites. Sounds gross right? But with these X safety tips, you should be right as rain with nothing to worry about.
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Choose Your Fish Wisely:
Your safest bet are rolls with fish that live in saltwater. Saltwater fish are less likely to carry dangerous, infectious bacteria. Rockfish, eel, flounder, albacore and a number of others are usually very low risk. Another fish that virtually never carries parasites is tuna. In fact, it happens so infrequently that the FDA doesn’t even require they be frozen in transit (they still freeze them even though they don’t have to). Freshwater fish, on the other hand, like trout and catfish, however, tend to be a higher risk. Albeit, they’re really good. So indulge at your own peril.
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Take Advantage Of The Wasabi:
If you’re the type who likes to live dangerously than you probably have already been dousing your sushi with wasabi and don’t require any more encouragement. But in case you needed a bit of incentive, wasabi kills parasites. So in the event you end up consuming something that doesn’t agree with you, if you mix it with enough wasabi you’ll vanquish the threat and continue with your day without any serious problems.
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Consider The Source:
This may come as a surprise, but the fish of the Pacific Ocean are actually more likely to carry parasites than those of the Atlantic Ocean, which is ironic considering that Japan is in the Pacific. This is apparently due to the fact that the Pacific is overpopulated, which leads to higher propagation of parasites. If possible, the best source is from farmed, controlled bodies of water, as opposed to wild catches. Farmed fish live in a environments that are closely monitored, meaning the likelihood of them carrying something that could threaten your health is substantially lower.
Want to learn more about not just sushi safety, but food safety in general? Ken Kuscher teaches food handler and food manager courses in Florida. At the end of your training, you’d be awarded your certificate. With this certificate, you’ll never have to worry about eating the right or wrong sushi again. And you’ll also be certified to work in restaurants anywhere in the state. To register for a course, give his office a call at 561-369-2622.
