Viv Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I bought some Monkfish yesterday that was headless,gutted and cleaned but when I came to cut the fish up I found a number of 1" thin worms embedded in the flesh.Now I realise that worms live in animals and fish but expected that they would be confined to the gut.It really made me a bit queasy to have to pick out these still live parasites out of the actual meat of the fish.Had I not have found them, could they have been transferred and live in humans?Do they cause any health problems ? (other than my almost vomiting at the sight of them [+o(] )Is there any fish that has less/none of these things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 How awful! I have a thing about worms. Come help us Chris pp. What is monksfish in French so that I never buy any?If you had bought it on Friday 13th Viva I might have thought it was bad luck, but you bought it yesterday [8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 A french delicacy CA, it is lotte.When cooked the worms surely would die. One poor bloke I saw on TV years ago loved smoked salmon and had caught some sort of worm that whales normally catch which cannot be got rid of........ now that is revolting n'est pas [+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 I would dread to think how long a worm in whale would be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 [quote user="viva"]I bought some Monkfish yesterday that washeadless,gutted and cleaned but when I came to cut the fish up I founda number of 1" thin worms embedded in the flesh.Now I realise that worms live in animals and fish but expected thatthey would be confined to the gut.It really made me a bit queasy tohave to pick out these still live parasites out of the actual meat ofthe fish.Had I not have found them, could they have been transferred and live in humans?Do they cause any health problems ? (other than my almost vomiting at the sight of them [+o(] )Is there any fish that has less/none of these things? [/quote]This sounds horrible. I assume that the fish was fresh?Worms in the flesh itself (only the tail of monkfish is eaten - therest is head) is unusual. What colour were they? If you managed to geta sample, it might be worth submitting some to your local public healthdept (your mairie or sous-prefecture should be able to help you). Whilecooking SHOULD kill the live worms, their eggs may be more hardy.Though I would think it unlikely that a piscine parasite could take upresidence in a human (we have plenty of our own, after all), I thinkthat I would like to make sure. I'm not a fan of monkfish, so I rarely buy it. I've not seen anything like this in any other fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Thanks TU, yes I know lotte, but didn't know monkfish. Now lotte is off the list what can we buy, salmon I'm told is full of antibiotics, so is perche du nil, etc. etc.Is it all right if I stick to a lovely thick chunk of julienne, or raie for raie au beurre noir with capers? I don't fancy eating worms even if they are dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 The worms were very thin and were curled up tight,dark reddish brown in colour. I could just see them buried in the flesh just below the surface but when I hooked them out with the end of my knife not knowing what they were they gradually started to move. I couldn't afford to throw it out but I won't be getting it again. I didn't think to keep them, as I thought that the supermarket would not be as sensitive to foreign bodies as I am.I cannot find a picture of them but this may be of use. I think I'm going vegetarian!http://www.zetatalk.com/health/theal18l.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 ...no, they probably wouldn't be. Years back in Paris one of the girls in the office was trying to convince us how good vegetarian food was and that she knew a little restaurant in the quartier. So off we all went one lunchtime and, just my luck, I had a great big earthworm in my cabbage, gone all rubbery as it was cooked. I went about as green as the cabbage, but the others made no fuss at all and thought it was quite funny with the typical jokes of "you've got some meat in a vegetarian restaurant!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Lots of sea fish have parasitic worms. I knew about them as I had a friend who had a fish round and have met people that went worm picking in Iceland (It is well payed but hard work you were payed per worm.) - after gutting the fish especially cod they shine UV light to show up the worms as they have so many worms.I was once in Waitrose and an very worried old couple came to the check out and whispered to the girl while tentatively holding a white plastic bag containing a glutinous substance. The girl on the checkout went white and rushed off for her superviser - I guessed it was fish and said to the man "You have found worms in your fish"."How did you know?'" he replied. I told him that they nearly all had living worms in them.My friend gave up his fish round after many of his customers died... no kidding. If you think parasitic worms in fish are worrying you should see what can be found in abbatoirs and meat packing plants... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPJ Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 UK Agriculture & Fisheries note about Round Worms in Fish......http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/tan/x5951e/x5951e00.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 Some years ago we bought Rockfish (I think it was anyway) and when Di was stir frying it out popped a couple of thin white worms. On our next visit to the fishmonger we told the tale and he said "that proves it is fresh". He then explained that when his cod was in the smoking room there were sometimes so many worms that it seemed that the cod were growing beards.When ignorance is bliss etcJohnnot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 Ok folks, you are not reassuring me here!I think it was the fact that these things were in the flesh of the fish that disturbed me and the fact that they could have been so easily missed. I am also one of these people who cannot forget stuff like this very easily and from now on when I think monkfish I will also think worms. I buy a lot of organic veggies and often find little white grubs in my carrots and slugs in my cabbage but for reasons that I haven't figured out yet, that doesn't bother me in the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 viva - don't worry about the cooties that you find, just them others that you don't.Johnnot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 [quote user="Iceni"]viva - don't worry about the cooties that you find, just them others that you don't.Johnnot[/quote]Good point. The facts that:A) they are seemly very common;B) many are not found as many of us have not seen any;C) we're not dead yetprobably mean that there is nothing to worry about. Besides, I like fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggimeggi Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 Anyone for sushi??Anne[+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 [quote user="Miggimeggi"]Anyone for sushi??Anne[+o(][/quote]Funny you should mention that. Yesterday whilst perusing a Rick Steinbook in serach of something to do with a lump of fresh tuna I foundthat he recommends monkfish as a contender for sushi. I rather thinknot. I had a good peer at and a bit of a poke of the monkfish tails onthe slab at market yesterday in the hope of seeing some signs of lifebut they all appeared to be well killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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