# Where to buy fish & meat to serve raw?



## strumke (Feb 17, 2015)

What is a good place for a home cook to buy fish for raw preparations? Is the supermarket acceptable, or should I be looking elsewhere? Pre cut vs whole? Previously frozen, freeze before using, fresh from the fish market?

Anything to look for specifically?

I'm located in DC, so we have a variety of options from standard grade supermarkets, Whole Foods, uber expensive fishmongers at the farmer's markets, and a waterfront that has a mixture of local and shipped in product.

(similar question for beef for tartare)


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## Adrian (Feb 17, 2015)

All fish that is sold as sushi or sushimi grade, with few exceptions, will have been frozen, normally very fast and to a very low temperature. This is to kill parasites that can be damaging to humans. There are no doubt web articles about this. You must be very careful with this and I would strongly recommend that you go to a reputable fishmonger and tell them that you are making sashimi or sushi. 

If you are using fresh, completely unfrozen, fish for sashimi (mackerel for instance) you need to know how to recognise fish that is unsuitable. Again, there are web resources on this. I am at work so I don't have time right now to search for you. 

There is less of an issue with tartare. If you are using say beef fillet and cutting it yourself (knife minced ideally), then the interior will contain no bacteria. You can, of you wish, trim off the outer areas exposed to air if you are concerned about contamination. Work clean, with a sanitised board, knife and hands. Cut the meat at a temperature of 6 degrees centigrade or below (most domestic fridges will easily be below this) for better results from knife mincing / fine chopping. 

Adrian


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## Adrian (Feb 17, 2015)

Here you go

http://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-sashimi-info/sushi-grade-fish/

http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/default.htm

You can also find industry federation websites that provide specific information for fishermen / boat owner. Basically though, practically all fish is frozen.


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## WildBoar (Feb 17, 2015)

Funny, but I just had a conversation over the weekend with people talking about making sushi/ sashimi with fresh fish from the supermarket. When I indicated sushi-grade fish is normally frozen briefly to kill parasites they indicated they refuse to eat fish that has been frozen and the <ahem> top-notch 'fresh' fish at Whole Foods should be perfectly fine for making sushi. And they also said the news about the fish needing to be frozen first explains why there is no good sushi in the DC-area, as they surely do not freeze fish first in Japan...


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## strumke (Feb 17, 2015)

So, I've seen those websites, but aside from mail order places, any suggestions on where to go for 'sushi grade' fish?

They frequently have "sashimi grade" tuna at Harris Teeter (local supermarket for those not in the area), but I have some serious doubts about that labeling when I see the off-color, poorly cut steaks falling apart in the fish display.

At least it looks like my skepticism about the supermarket seems appropriate. Any recommendations from folks in the DC/NOVA/MD area?


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## WildBoar (Feb 17, 2015)

No personal experience. I googled though, and found the Hana Japanese Market on U Street seems to be a regular recommendation. Also some of the Asian markets in NoVa.


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## James (Feb 17, 2015)

I have seen sushi/sashimi grade fish in whole foods, but it was in its own special freezer and definitely not fresh. Expensive stuff.


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## strumke (Feb 17, 2015)

WildBoar said:


> No personal experience. I googled though, and found the Hana Japanese Market on U Street seems to be a regular recommendation. Also some of the Asian markets in NoVa.



Thanks, I didn't even know that Japanese market was there. I'll take a look next time I'm passing.


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## Chefdog (Feb 18, 2015)

Strumke,
Try one of the MANY Asian markets around the area. Many of them have live fish and also sections of frozen fish specifically for raw applications. Can't recall the name, but there's a large one in the shopping center between 50 & 29 just outside the beltway kinda south of Tyson's. But a Google search should find you a lot of choices.

ETA: Just saw that wildboar already made the same suggestion. Check them out.


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## panda (Feb 18, 2015)

On the side of the road back of a station wagon or el camino!!

Joking aside, whole fish at the waterfront would be your best bet.


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## Chefdog (Feb 18, 2015)

If all else fails, go to BlackSalt Fish Market & restaurant. You won't find better fish around, but you'll pay for it.


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## WildBoar (Feb 18, 2015)

Funny but when I was googling for recommendations yesterday the info on Blacksalt was not all that positive. It indicated the selection was usually very limited; sometimes nothing other than tuna. (no personal experience though -- just mindlessly regurgitating what I read elsewhere)


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## strumke (Feb 18, 2015)

This is where I start to get a little confused...

No to regular supermarkets
Yes to Asian supermarkets (H Mart)
Yes to the little Japanese shop (makes sense)

Yes to the waterfront sellers, but only for whole fish? Should these already have been pre-frozen at -35? (Standard whole fish indicators apply... Clear eyes, red gills,no smell, etc)


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## WildBoar (Feb 18, 2015)

Ask the waterfront vendor(s) is the fish have been frozen. Let them know your intent. There is a good chance some have not been frozen.


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## Vesteroid (Feb 18, 2015)

Going to state something very obvious but haven't seen anyone post it, so here goes.

I asked several sushi restaurants where they got their fish. They both turned me on to the same place. It's a wholesaler, but they will take individual orders at their main location. I'm just go there and ask for their sushi grade. I find the tunas come frozen and graded, the other fish like salmon come fresh....not a chef, so take this as personal experience on,y.


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## jphy (Feb 18, 2015)

Do not buy any sushi grade salmon, frozen or not. Salmon that is used for sushi should be salted for a brief period as to draw out parasites, then "seasoned vinegar" dunked for at least a minute. Fish is laden with parasites, anyone that tells you their (US) sushi place doesn't use frozen fish is in violation of health code. Here on the east coast ( NJ area at least) chefs are offered tuna via phone all the time, however unless the fisherman possesses HAaCP certs. I've been in a few (semi) screaming matches with customers who were telling me that so and so uses fresh tuna ( which is bright pink from CO treatment ) and how they have lower prices. People are so ignorant, go to japan, tuna is flash frozen on the boat. Its easier to cut down while in a slack state and also safer for human consumption.


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## pkjames (Feb 18, 2015)

I am aware of sashimi grade stuff (frozen, blah blah) but I normally eat sashimi using fresh caught / super fresh stuff from the market. Sushi, sashimi is a tradition certainly older than the existence of the fridge. My 2 c.


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## WildBoar (Feb 18, 2015)

Sure. Lots of raw meat, too. Doesn't mean that over time people haven't put 2 and 2 together and figured out there were some issues from some of this.


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## Adrian (Feb 19, 2015)

The longevity of the practice of eating raw fish is surely not the point. Parasitic nemotodes and tapeworms commonly occur in fish and commercial flash freezing, often on the boat, kills them, as does cooking. If you know you are going to serve fish raw, especially to other people, it is surely courteous to avoid giving them parasites that can cause sickness or damage to the human intestines. 

It almost seems like a pointless debate "fresh v frozen". Most fish sold as fresh in supermarkets etc, is fresh in the sense that it was freshly thawed from frozen.


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## clsm1955 (Mar 30, 2015)

I can't help you with DC but if there are any readers in the Chicago area I recommend Sea Ranch in Wilmette. They sell sushi-grade seafood in small quantities, perfect for home preparation. There is a little Japanese grocery next door where you can get your nori, sushi rice, rolling mats, wasabi, etc.


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## Bonertyme (Apr 8, 2015)

Over price whole foods work pretty well


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## aaj423 (Apr 19, 2015)

maybe im picky but from my experience h marts tend to be dirty with questionable fish...some of it looks good though and is cheap....but there is a reason why. i worked and work with some of the guys from blacksalt, and they are a little shoey, but that doesn't mean the fish their for sale isn't good. On the other hand Jeff Black is mainly about making $$, and I wouldn't really trust his products. The waterfront is horrible from most of my experience and you can see that they are dirty. Peirless is for pros but has really good fish, other than that I don't know. I'm gonna try the place on U street.


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## CaremeFraiche (Apr 26, 2015)

Sushi grade is the only safe fish to consume raw fish according to Servsafe standards. That being said people have been doing for thousands of years. Here is a great article from Vanity Fair about sushi and its popular origins http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/06/sushi200706


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