Hot Smoked Salmon (And Worms)...

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stwallace

Fire Starter
Original poster
Apr 26, 2011
73
10
Dublin, CA
I brined some salmon for almost 24 hours and dried it on a rack with a fan for 2 1/2 hrs.  Now I put all the fish in the smoker and brought the temp to around 145-150 Degrees.  Little clear worms are starting to come out of the salmon now.  I pulled about 6 out and there are a few more popping back out as well.  I you tubed it and found out they are tape worms or some other parasite but if cooked to 140 degrees it isn't harmful.  any thought???
 
Parasitic worms in fish is quite common.  Cod and Scrod are famous for it.  Cooked properly under any means they are harmless.  You have eaten them many many times, just never knew it.
 
I saw these parasites on the web a couple years ago, so I did some research & found there are two ways to ensure there are no parasites in fish.

If my memory serves me:

One way is cooking to an IT of 160˚.

The other is freezing to ZERO degrees for at least 30 days (other temps for other lengths of time).

So if I'm going to cold or warm smoke, I do the freezing game, and if I'm going to hot smoke & cook, I'll take it to 160˚.

Bear
 
WOW Bear that just blows my salmon right out of the water.

I never cook it past 140, I hope the worms are done at that temp.
 
I worked at a fish processing plant in Alaska in the eighties and they would slide the cod fish filets over a plate glass table with a brite light shining through to look for these worms, if worms were present they would get rejected. I think I might have a hard time eatin flesh burrowing worms and knowing it.
 
I like my worms on the hook not in the meat. 
icon_eek.gif
 
Don't eat flour.  Insect eggs in there.

LOL

Good luck and good smoking.
Good point Merv!!!

I still remember my mother used to get free boxes of cereal from the companies (1950s & 60s), because of finding bugs in unopened boxes of cereal !!!

They had to be born in the unopened boxes!

LOL---I remember the "Puffed Rice" had little dark spots on each piece, but the ones that moved were not supposed to be there!!!

Bear
 
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So I pulled about ten worms out.  Since I have the MES with the window I was just watching them pop up and squirm around when the temp got to around 145.   I quit opening the door though after a while but I saw more coming up.  I finished cooking it because I was going to eat it seeing that most things I read, said if its cooked to 140 IT its harmless.  I changed my mind after 10 plus worms though but it looked fantastic.  I should have taken pictures of the finished product but I just ended up tossing it away.  What a waste!
 
Just added protein.  Always remember the starving kids in Korea.  Or wherever it was when your mother told you to eat the crust on your bread or toast.

We are very lucky.

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Just added protein.  Always remember the starving kids in Korea.  Or wherever it was when your mother told you to eat the crust on your bread or toast.

We are very lucky.

Good luck and good smoking.
I never got the starving kids story about crust---I got the story from my Dad----"Eat the crust, it'll put hair on your chest!"

The starving people story was about cleaning your plate.  
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Bear
 
Here's some good info:
[h1]Parasites in Marine Fishes[/h1]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]All living organisms, including fish, can have parasites. Parasites are a natural occurrence, not contamination. They are as common in fish as insects are in fruits and vegetables. Parasites do not present a health concern in thoroughly cooked fish.[/font]

Parasites become a concern when consumers eat raw or lightly preserved fish such as sashimi, sushi, ceviche, and gravlax. When preparing these products, use commercially frozen fish. Alternatively, freeze the fish to an internal temperature of -4°F for at least 7 days to kill any parasites that may be present. Home freezers may not be cold enough to kill the parasites.

The health risk from parasites is far less than the risk from "unseen" illness causing bacteria which are present on almost all foods. Here are some commonly asked questions about fish parasites.

[h3]How long should I cook fish to kill parasites?[/h3]Cooking fish to an internal temperature of 140°F will kill all fish nematodes and tapeworms. Normal cooking procedures generally exceed this temperature.

Much More:

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/Pubs/parasite.htm[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bear[/font]
 
Heck in some parts of the world you would keep the worms and toss the fish!
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..... but yeah, I would have a hard time eating that particular piece of fish after watching the worms come out and squirm around.... lol.
 
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