KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
It’s not often we bite off a chunk of salmon fresh out of the water and eat it, but some methods of presentation do not involve cooking, such as sushi and cold-smoked lox.
Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center biologist Brian Himelbloom said he recently fielded a question from someone in Petersburg asking about turning a fresh caught king salmon into lox. He said the fish must be frozen solid all the way through before being thawed and then processed. At 4-degrees Fahrenheit, he says it would take a week to adequately do the job.
— (Raw Fish 1 33 sec "Most people’s home freezers … inactivate those particular parasites.")
Cooking will kill parasites in salmon, but for a cold smoke or sushi, cooking is, of course, counterproductive. Himelbloom says commercial processors and restaurants will freeze the salmon, usually down to minus 20, before proceeding. At minus 40, the fish should be solid in 24 hours.
— (Raw Fish 2 49 sec "It’s not something you want to hurry … and other types of things.")
He says to have a worry-free meal when buying uncooked salmon commercially, just follow some common sense guidelines:
— (Raw Fish 4 31 sec "You’ve got to be careful with a raw … sanitation, processing, handling.")
Himelbloom says more guidelines on handling and consuming raw salmon can be had on the Food and Drug Administration’s web site.
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