Why You Should Never Eat Undercooked or Raw Supermarket Salmon (2024)

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Eating salmon medium rare is often safe if it's sushi-grade, but supermarket salmon poses risks of parasites and bacteria unless labeled for raw consumption. Wild salmon should be cooked thoroughly unless properly frozen for raw eating. Always prioritize safety by choosing sushi-grade or fully cooking salmon.

Why You Should Never Eat Undercooked or Raw Supermarket Salmon (1)

The culinary world offers a vast array of dishes featuring salmon, a fish celebrated for its taste, versatility, and health benefits. However, the preparation of salmon warrants caution, particularly concerning its cooking level. While sushi and sashimi lovers might advocate for its raw consumption, understanding the risks associated with undercooked salmon is crucial for health and safety.

Is Medium Rare or Pink Salmon Safe?

Eating salmon medium rare or with a pink center is often considered safe when the fish has been handled correctly, and it's of sushi grade. Cooking salmon to an internal temperature of 125-130°F (about 52-54°C) is generally accepted for achieving a medium-rare doneness, which can keep its center slightly translucent and moist. However, this level of cooking does leave room for potential health risks if the salmon is not fresh or properly processed to eliminate parasites and bacteria.

Why You Should Never Eat Undercooked or Raw Supermarket Salmon (2)

The Dangers of Consuming Raw or Undercooked Salmon from the Supermarket

Eating raw salmon straight from the supermarket poses significant health risks. Supermarket salmon, unless specifically labeled as sushi or sashimi grade, has not undergone the rigorous processing necessary to make it safe for raw consumption. This includes freezing at temperatures that kill parasites. Consuming non-sushi-grade salmon raw can expose individuals to harmful parasites like Anisakis, which can cause digestive distress, and bacteria including Listeria, which poses severe health risks, especially to pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.

Types of Salmon Safe to Consume Rare

Salmon that is safe to consume rare or cooked like a steak must be labeled as sushi or sashimi grade. This indicates that the fish has been frozen at a temperature and duration sufficient to kill any parasites. Farmed salmon in countries with strict regulations around feed and health management may also be safer for consumption at lower levels of doneness, as the risk of parasite infection is lower than in wild salmon. Nonetheless, even with these precautions, individuals should consider their personal health risks when choosing to consume salmon less than fully cooked. Wild salmon, while rich in flavor and nutrients, inherently carries a higher risk of parasite contamination than farmed salmon. Therefore, it is generally recommended to cook wild salmon thoroughly unless it has been properly frozen or treated for raw consumption.

Why You Should Never Eat Undercooked or Raw Supermarket Salmon (2024)

FAQs

Why You Should Never Eat Undercooked or Raw Supermarket Salmon? ›

When you eat raw salmon, you're susceptible to bacterial food poisoning like listeriosis. The Listeria monocytogenes bacteria isn't a common cause of infection, but if you have a weakened immune system or you're pregnant, it can make you very ill.

Is it safe to eat raw salmon from a supermarket? ›

Is farmed salmon safe to eat raw? Farm-raised salmon is relatively safer than wild caught. But it still has a risk of parasites. The best choice is buying "Sashimi grade" or "Sushi grade." If you can't buy it, freeze it for more than seven days at minus 20℃ (minus 4°F) to kill parasites.

Why can't you eat undercooked salmon? ›

Eating raw or undercooked salmon can put you at risk of contracting foodborne illnesses, such as salmonellosis, norovirus, and Vibrio infections. Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can be found in raw or undercooked salmon, and it can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

What is the #1 reason why you shouldn't eat salmon according to science? ›

Multiple studies have demonstrated the microplastic contamination of salmon in particular; a 2019 study published in Environmental Pollution discovered microplastics in juvenile Chinook salmon off Vancouver Island in British Columbia, while salmon, sardine, and kilka fishmeal from Iran was discovered to contain between ...

What are the risks of eating raw salmon? ›

Bacteria. Another of the risks of eating raw salmon is bacteria. Two common kinds of food poisoning that people can experience from eating raw fish are salmonella and Vibrio vulnificus. While salmonella is more common, Vibrio vulnificus is a type of bacteria that lives in warm saltwater.

Can you just eat raw salmon from the grocery store? ›

For this reason, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recommends cooking all seafood until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. If you plan to eat raw salmon, it's best to eat fish that has been frozen or flash-frozen.

How do you make store bought salmon safe to eat raw? ›

you gotta freeze for at least seven days to a month. this method helps kill the parasites. after waiting a long long time (at least 7 days). defrost in the refrigerator the night before eating.

When should you not eat salmon? ›

If it's past the date, toss it. Smell: Fresh salmon should have a neutral or mild smell. If the salmon smells fishy, sour or ammonia-like, then it's gone bad. Appearance: Fresh salmon fillets should be bright pink or orange with no discoloration, darkening or drying around the edges.

Why not eat farmed salmon? ›

Contamination. Today, most of the salmon available for us to eat is farmed. Early studies reported high levels of PCBs and other contaminants in farmed salmon – higher than in some species of wild salmon, such as pink salmon.

What are the side effects of eating too much salmon? ›

Symptoms include things like pain in extremities, tachycardia, weakness, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and nephritic syndrome. You'd need to consume around 200 mg of mercury for it to be lethal, meaning you likely won't die unless you're hoovering up sockeye like Joey Chestnut downs hot dogs.

How to tell if raw salmon is bad? ›

A strong fishy smell or an ammonia-like smell is a dead giveaway that the salmon is bad. This fishy odor is caused by bacterial growth and the breakdown of fatty acids, indicating food spoilage.

Can you eat farmed salmon raw? ›

It is safe to eat farmed Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout from Norway without freezing. Studies confirms that it is unlikely to find the parasite Anisakis in those species. Current regulations imply that fishery products intended to be consumed raw or almost raw, must undergo freezing before consumption.

What fish can't you eat raw? ›

Pufferfish. Pufferfish, also known as fugu, contain potent toxins, specifically tetrodotoxin, which can cause severe poisoning and even lead to paralysis or death if consumed.

Is packaged salmon safe to eat raw? ›

As long as it's stored properly, most salmon can be eaten raw without fear of contamination — that's because pretty much anything you buy at the grocery store or order in a restaurant will have been flash-frozen (ideally to at least -31°F, or all the way down to -20°F) to kill off any parasites and prevent any ...

How can you tell if raw salmon is safe? ›

If it's past the date, toss it. Smell: Fresh salmon should have a neutral or mild smell. If the salmon smells fishy, sour or ammonia-like, then it's gone bad. Appearance: Fresh salmon fillets should be bright pink or orange with no discoloration, darkening or drying around the edges.

What fish is safe to eat raw from grocery store? ›

Here are a few common types of fish eaten raw: seabass, swordfish, salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna and salmon. Other types of seafood, like shrimp, crab, scallops, eel and octopus are also widely and safely eaten raw. But — and we cannot stress this enough — the safety depends hugely on the type you buy.

Is supermarket salmon good for sashimi? ›

Farm-raised salmon is relatively safer than wild caught. But it still has a risk of parasites. The best choice is buying "Sashimi grade" or "Sushi grade." If you can't buy it, freeze it for more than seven days at minus 20℃ (minus 4°F) to kill parasites.

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