# Fresh Water Sushi? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 15, 2022, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547 "2022-12-15T02:45:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![19USMC69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ac91a4/32.png) [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/1 "2022-12-15T02:45:51Z")
Is there such a thing as using fresh water fish for Sushi? If not, why not? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/2 "2022-12-15T02:55:09Z")
[https://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-sashimi-info/detailed-sushi-information/#:~:text=Is%20fresh%20water%20fish%20OK,dangerous%20than%20salt-water%20fish](https://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-sashimi-info/detailed-sushi-information/#:~:text=Is%20fresh%20water%20fish%20OK,dangerous%20than%20salt%2Dwater%20fish). ##### Is fresh water fish OK to use? _Another issue that comes up occasionally is the use of fresh-water fish for making sushi. I offer a resounding “NO.” Fresh-water fish can contain bacteria and parasites that are more prolific or possibly dangerous than salt-water fish. Species such as salmon that spend a large portion of their lives in the ocean are generally considered safe, as well as its permanent denizens, but it is recommended that people not eat fresh-water fish raw due to the increased potential for parasites, some of which can be extremely dangerous._ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/3 "2022-12-15T02:59:50Z")
Your cite links to a shop which sells sushi-grade tilapia. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/4 "2022-12-15T03:00:47Z")
Freshwater fish tend to have strong and somewhat rank flavor, and are more likely to carry parasites and pathogenic bacteria. Imagine eating catfish or crappie raw; that would take a strong stomach. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/5 "2022-12-15T03:05:09Z")
It does? I just see a pop up ad. Not the actual site ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/6 "2022-12-15T05:36:30Z")
_Unagi_ is _fresh_-water eel. It’s definitely used in sushi. Always cooked, though. There’s also [nijimasu](http://www.oksfood.com/sashimi/nijimasu_sashimi.html)(rainbow trout), _dojo_ (pond loach) and _[funa](http://kyoudo-ryouri.com/en/food/2687.html)_ (carp) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/7 "2022-12-15T05:47:09Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Imagine eating catfish or crappie raw… Entree and a tossed salad. I don’t see the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/8 "2022-12-15T06:41:15Z")
**ARGGGHHH…SUSHI IS NOT ONLY RAW FISH/SEAFOOD!.** There are numerous types of sushi, including some that have cooked meat.and no meat at all. Heck, we have Spam sushi in Hawaii! And no, I’m not confusing it with Spam musubi, which is usually made with plain rice. _Sashimi_ is raw seafood and meat, Including carp (koi), chicken, beef and pork. [https://clubtaro.com/stories/1530](https://clubtaro.com/stories/1530) _You can’t visit Ryusuitei without trying "koi-no-arai” (鯉のあらい), it’s raw fish but a little different to traditional sashimi. The name ‘koi no arai’ translates to ‘washed carp.’ The dish is prepared by washing the pieces of fish in warm water at a ratio of 1:10 (one part fish, 10 parts water). As the temperature of the warm water drops, more warm water is added. After, the flesh will have tightened and become firm, after the fish is then washed with cold running water and drained. It’s served cold, making it an ideal hot weather dish, and it is incredibly popular in summer._ [https://modernfarmer.com/2015/01/7-kinds-sashimi-not-made-fish/#:~:text=While%20raw%20pork%20is%20now,and%20a%20salty%20caramel%20sauce.](https://modernfarmer.com/2015/01/7-kinds-sashimi-not-made-fish/#:~:text=While%20raw%20pork%20is%20now,and%20a%20salty%20caramel%20sauce.) ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/9 "2022-12-15T07:03:25Z")
The author of the article is overly cautious, saying any raw fish at the marker is unsafe. Ummm…in Hawaii fish is sold specifically to be eaten raw as sashimi or as sushi. There are also trays of precut sashimi and fresh poke (po-kay) is advertised as never frozen. _##### Is it safe to eat raw fish that I buy at the market?_ _This is not recommended, it is that it is risky to eat store bought fish as sushi due to the higher potential for parasitic or bacterial contaminants. Restaurants have sources that are different from the market, and specifically buy food items that are intended to be eaten raw (commonly referred to as ‘sushi grade’). Fish that you buy at the market is intended to be cooked, and is therefore not treated with the same care as what you eat in a restaurant._ While #1 grade tuna is considered best for sushi/sashmi, I’ll usually buy #2 grade when I want sashimi because it’s cheaper. I’ve had some meh #2 grade sashimi and really good #2 sashimi because it’s subjective like prime vs choice for beef. It’s subjective on the part of the inspector or in the case of tuna, the seller. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/10 "2022-12-15T07:12:53Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > _Sashimi_ is raw seafood and meat, Including carp (koi), chicken, beef and pork. I’ll pass on the pork nigiri, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/11 "2022-12-15T07:19:34Z")
But you’ll have the frog, right? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/12 "2022-12-15T07:21:34Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > ARGGGHHH…SUSHI IS NOT ONLY RAW FISH/SEAFOOD!. Calm down. No one said it was _only_ that. In fact, I specifically mentioned _unagi_, which is _always_ cooked. And the boat has sailed on the _sushi_/_sashimi_ distinction. At least to Western consumers, _sashimi_ is “a kind of sushi” right along with _nigiri_ and _maki_ and _uramaki_. . ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/13 "2022-12-15T17:09:50Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > Heck, we have Spam sushi in Hawaii! You have Zero Credibility with me after this comment. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/14 "2022-12-15T17:13:24Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > You have Zero Credibility with me after this comment. It’s not that bad, actually. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/15 "2022-12-15T18:04:08Z")
I’ve never had pork sushi (whether cooked or uncooked), but German _mett_ is pretty good, and the equivalent of beefsteak tartare: > **[Mett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mett)** > > Mett is a preparation of minced raw pork seasoned with salt and black pepper that is popular in Germany and Poland. It is frequently spread on halves of a bread roll, with raw onion optionally on top. Since the 1950s Mett has also been offered as a buffet dish decoratively formed into the shape of a hedgehog, with raw onion "spines". German law forbids mett being sold with a fat content exceeding 35%. > The name is derived from Low German mett for "chopped pork meat without bacon", or Old Saxon me... Trichinosis is rather rare these days in the US, at least. Raw pork is fine by me. Chicken I’d draw the line at, though I know there is Japanese chicken sashimi. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/16 "2022-12-15T18:36:04Z")
To be fair, there is an impression that “sushi” just refers to raw fish stuff. Which, if anyone who has actually been to a sushi place, would eventually note is not true, given the popularity of _unagi_, as you mentioned, and _tomago_ (egg/omelet) sushis as well as various _maki_ which don’t contain fish at all, or contain cooked fish/seafood. With the popularity and mainstream nature of sushi and the accessibility and globalization of Japanese culture these days, it’s becoming more and more understood versus twenty-five or so years ago when I first discovered sushi and myself thought it was all just raw fish on some rice. So while the ship may have sailed, it feels like it’s slowly starting to come back to port. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/17 "2022-12-15T19:11:16Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > (commonly referred to as ‘sushi grade’) Sushi grade is marketing BS. If you don’t want a tape worm coming out your ass freeze your fish. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/18 "2022-12-15T19:24:05Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > **ARGGGHHH…SUSHI IS NOT ONLY RAW FISH/SEAFOOD!.** And so? The question was not “what is sushi” but rather whether or not you can use Fresh Water fish in it. Sure you can use cucumber for example, but that isn’t the question. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Trichinosis is rather rare these days in the US, at least. Yes, the FDA sez the only cases where you need to watch for it is wild boar and bear. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/19 "2022-12-15T19:29:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And so? The question was not “what is sushi” but rather whether or not you can use Fresh Water fish in it. Sure you can use cucumber for example, but that isn’t the question. My read was that there was an underlying assumption that it sushi referred to raw fish in this case. I could be wrong about that, but it’s – I don’t think – an unreasonable assumption that the OP was thinking this, given the question. On the other hand, maybe the question more is that are freshwater fishes used – whether cooked or not – on traditional sushi? So, certainly unagi, cooked, in that case. But in the general definition of “sushi” – this is a question from me – can you put some pulled pork and put it atop sushi vinegared rice and call it “sushi”, if quite non-traditional. I actually don’t know. I mean, to me it seems like it should count, but I don’t actually know where the boundaries of “sushi” lie outside of something with rice prepared in a certain way. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547/20 "2022-12-15T19:59:16Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > Heck, we have Spam sushi in Hawaii! Is it related to Phishing surimi? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-water-sushi/976547.md?page=2)