Would you eat this? UPDATE in post 47

[Eagle]

I've always said I would never start one of these topics, but dh requested it because he wanted to know what the hive would do.

 

A few days ago I was making my seafood chowder. The entire soup was made and all I needed to do was add the fish in the last 5 minutes of cooking time. I opened up the package of fresh pacific cod that I had bought that day at the pier. One of the pieces of cod had a little stringy thing sticking out a bit, so I pulled on it ... and it was a worm. A live (wiggling!) worm, just over an inch long. In case anyone likes details, it was very thin, white, and had red tips on both ends. I checked the other piece of cod and found another worm just like the first one.

 

dh headed to google to find out what to do. I phoned my Dad, who used to do a lot of fishing.

 

What would you do?

[zoobie]

Nope. No idea if it's "safe," but there's no way I could choke that down without gagging.

[Miss Peregrine]

NO WAY!

[kitten18]

I've heard that it's very, very common and that if you're fish doesn't have worms it's because they've been removed.

 

But, there is NO WAY I would eat it after seeing a worm. Shudder.

[OhanaBee]

After seeing it?  Nope.  I couldn't do it.

[Love My Life x4]

Definitely NO! 

[El...]

No.  Nonononononono.

 

[kiana]

Uh. This is the second time out of ALL these threads I have seen that I have said "NOPE NOPE NOPE", if that tells you something.

 

Stew on the counter? I'll eat that. Meat past the use-by date? I'll eat that. Moldy cheese/bread? I'll cut off the mold and eat that.

 

This? NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. I just couldn't. Nope.

[SpecialClassical]

No way, it could have laid eggs even if the worm itself didn't gag me.

[Annie G]

I've heard that it's very, very common and that if you're fish doesn't have worms it's because they've been removed.

 

But, there is NO WAY I would eat it after seeing a worm. Shudder.

 

Well, I guess I'm done eating fish. 

[Amira]

I'd get rid of the worms and eat it. I'd probably cook it longer than five minutes though, just because. :) And I wouldn't enjoy it quite as much. But I'd still eat it.

 

You probably wouldn't want to hear about some of the things I've eaten after cooking them.

[Cindy in FL.]

Eww! No way.

[Mergath]

I've heard that it's very, very common and that if you're fish doesn't have worms it's because they've been removed.

 

But, there is NO WAY I would eat it after seeing a worm. Shudder.

 

Is this a saltwater fish thing? Because I catch and eat my own fish from the lakes around here all the time, and I've never once seen a worm. Well, a parasitic worm. I use earthworms to catch the fish in the first place. ;)

[tm919]

Probably not, cod is almost always riddled with worms but I am not good at catching them all myself. This is why I usually buy thin fillets rather than thick, it reduces the chance that a worm will be missed imo because the light shines through better. I used to tell myself haddock was less wormy, but basically most big ocean fish tends to have a lot of worms. And they are so delicious I can't give them up, the fish not the worms that is.

 

Edit: My dad was served a piece of cod with a worm in it at a restaurant. It got up and waved at him from the plate. The manager offered a gift card as a sorry. Apparently he was under the mistaken impression that anyone would accept a second meal there, after that.

[Ethel Mertz]

Oh ick. Just ick. We get fresh fish right off the boat too. I just couldn't eat it after seeing a worm. Ugh. Guess what we're having for our fashionably late dinner tonight?

[Mergath]

Probably not, cod is almost always riddled with worms but I am not good at catching them all myself. This is why I usually buy thin fillets rather than thick, it reduces the chance that a worm will be missed imo because the light shines through better. I used to tell myself haddock was less wormy, but basically most big ocean fish tends to have a lot of worms. And they are so delicious I can't give them up, the fish not the worms that is.

 

Edit: My dad was served a piece of cod with a worm in it at a restaurant. It got up and waved at him from the plate. The manager offered a gift card as a sorry. Apparently he was under the mistaken impression that anyone would accept a second meal there, after that.

 

*hork* I am never eating cod again.

[bibiche]

If you've eaten fish and chips, you've likely eaten worms. Disgusting but true. Cod very, very often has worms. Usually they're removed in the kitchen, but not always. Sorry. 

[Mimm]

Oh HELL no!

[Word Nerd]

I would not eat it here or there. I would not eat it anywhere.

[lmrich]

No!

I am better off not knowing a lot when it comes to gross stuff. I am sure I would starve if I knew much. 

[kitten18]

Is this a saltwater fish thing? Because I catch and eat my own fish from the lakes around here all the time, and I've never once seen a worm. Well, a parasitic worm. I use earthworms to catch the fish in the first place. ;)

Maybe it is a cod thing like others have mentioned.

 

I did a lot of fishing with my dad and never saw a worm worm either.

[momto10blessings]

No. Vomit.

[momto10blessings]

So what did you do?

[BlessedMom]

Absolutely NOT!!!!!!!!!

Never ever!!!

No Way!!

[trulycrabby]

I need to save this thread and read it whenever I have food cravings. :ack2: :ack2: :ack2:

[catz]

I'm sure it's a mental health thing but UGH NO WAY!  :ack2:

[Miss Peregrine]

Cod? Are you serious? I don't really like fish and just started trying to eat more of it. So far I've liked cod the most.

barf.

[MooCow]

Ahhhh! We just came back from a steakhouse and I had fish......bleach

 

No.

[fraidycat]

Uh. This is the second time out of ALL these threads I have seen that I have said "NOPE NOPE NOPE", if that tells you something.

 

Stew on the counter? I'll eat that. Meat past the use-by date? I'll eat that. Moldy cheese/bread? I'll cut off the mold and eat that.

 

This? NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. I just couldn't. Nope.

This!!

[J-rap]

Probably if you cooked everything long enough and hot enough, any "extras" would be killed.  But I could not eat it.  I would throw it all out.

 

That said, when we lived in Jordan we got used to seeing little worms in our food at even nice restaurants.  We would just make sure that they were dead, push them aside, and keep eating.

[Annie G]

Probably if you cooked everything long enough and hot enough, any "extras" would be killed.  But I could not eat it.  I would throw it all out.

 

That said, when we lived in Jordan we got used to seeing little worms in our food at even nice restaurants.  We would just make sure that they were dead, push them aside, and keep eating.

 

And now I need to take Jordan off my list of places to visit. 

 

I am a baby. If I eat something awful but didn't know it, I'm cool with it. But once I know, the game is over. So the meals you describe- no way could I take a bite.  Wish I could be less weird about that kind of thing. DO you just get used to it or have you always been pretty easygoing about things like that?

[ChristusG]

Ewwww!!!!

[goldberry]

GAHHHHH!!! No way in a million years...  I am ASTOUNDED that there are people who would even consider it. I don't care if I was 100% guaranteed it was perfectly "safe", makes no difference...

[goldberry]

And now I need to take Jordan off my list of places to visit. 

 

I second that!

[LucyStoner]

Yes, I would. Yes, I have.

 

Round worms are in pretty much all cod at some point.

 

I would not consume it raw or kippered or as ceviche. But cooked well done? Sure.

 

I assure you that most fish and chips made with cod had worms in it at some point before you ate it.

 

Freezing kills both the worms and the eggs. Cooking to well done or frying it kills them as well.

[goldberry]

Oh dear god I'm never eating cod again...

 

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/05/11/learning-about-cod-worm-the-hard-way/

 

[Spryte]

No.

 

Just. No.

 

 

ETA: I'm sure it's fine if cooked well. But, having had a tapeworm (yes, I really did)... I am squeamish.

[Catwoman]

NONONONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!!!

 

Just NO.

 

:ack2:

[ThisIsTheDay]

I think I just used up most of my likes here.

 

No. Way. Ever.

 

I'm going to try to pretend I never saw this thread.

[Tsuga]

Yes. Like others have said, it's very common. Cook as usual. Meat and fish are just full of worms, bacteria, etc. Usually we can't see them.

 

I would not, however, eat it as sushi. For that, I want a professional preparing it.

[Okra]

Well……Eagle…….tell us Did you eat it?  

 

 

[Cinder]

:ohmy:  I did not want to know about worms in fish. Or in anything else.

 

 

But I am curious to know what happened to the OP's fish. :lurk5:

[Spryte]

This thread gave me nightmares. For real. :(

[UmMusa]

Probably if you cooked everything long enough and hot enough, any "extras" would be killed.  But I could not eat it.  I would throw it all out.

 

That said, when we lived in Jordan we got used to seeing little worms in our food at even nice restaurants.  We would just make sure that they were dead, push them aside, and keep eating.

Seriously!?!?  Where??? I have never seen a worm in my food there, and I've spent many years there.  That is just not ok.

 

For the OP: no way eat that fish!!!

[J-rap]

Seriously!?!?  Where??? I have never seen a worm in my food there, and I've spent many years there.  That is just not ok.

 

For the OP: no way eat that fish!!!

 

Sorry, hope I didn't offend!  We lived in Irbid.   And it definitely didn't happn all the time!  But it happened enough that it didn't bother me anymore.

[Eagle]

Thank you everyone for your replies. Sorry for grossing you out. I chose not to include the photo because I figured some people may never eat fish again.

 

Dh wanted us to pick out the worms and cook the fish. Blech!! He also figured the hive would have a lot of people agree with him because "according to google it will be safe" and to him it was the logical choice. I figured my Dad would say not to eat it, which he did. Although he said to eat it if the worms were just along the backbone. Since they were in the flesh he said no (thankfully).

 

That night, I added two cans of salmon to the soup and discovered that when we don't have fresh fish that still makes a very nice chowder. I froze the fish (and worms) and returned them to where I bought them. The vendor told me they are "quite common", especially in cod, and they see them fairly often. He had no problem refunding my money, and I bought a lovely fillet of halibut for last night. It was delicious (and worm free).

 

I will continue to eat fish, but will go on a cod hiatus for awhile. I will probably not eat sushi for a bit either. I usually cook my fish to just barely done so it is nice and moist, but I may reconsider that.

[LucyStoner]

Yes. Like others have said, it's very common. Cook as usual. Meat and fish are just full of worms, bacteria, etc. Usually we can't see them.

 

I would not, however, eat it as sushi. For that, I want a professional preparing it.

It's my understanding that cod sushi generally is made from previously frozen cod.

 

Why anyone would want cod sushi, as it can't really taste like much, I have no earthly idea. There are way more flavorful fish out there for sushi.

[ktgrok]

Yup. My dad was a commercial fisherman when I was growing up. I've seen a lot of fish cleaned. And yup, a lot of fish has worms. You just cut those out when filleting the fish. Although, my dad does now prefer species that don't have many worms, and younger fish for that reason. The great big fish have too many worms :)

[Alessandra]

Thank you everyone for your replies. Sorry for grossing you out. I chose not to include the photo because I figured some people may never eat fish again.

Dh wanted us to pick out the worms and cook the fish. Blech!! He also figured the hive would have a lot of people agree with him because "according to google it will be safe" and to him it was the logical choice. I figured my Dad would say not to eat it, which he did. Although he said to eat it if the worms were just along the backbone. Since they were in the flesh he said no (thankfully).

That night, I added two cans of salmon to the soup and discovered that when we don't have fresh fish that still makes a very nice chowder. I froze the fish (and worms) and returned them to where I bought them. The vendor told me they are "quite common", especially in cod, and they see them fairly often. He had no problem refunding my money, and I bought a lovely fillet of halibut for last night. It was delicious (and worm free).

I will continue to eat fish, but will go on a cod hiatus for awhile. I will probably not eat sushi for a bit either. I usually cook my fish to just barely done so it is nice and moist, but I may reconsider that.

  

Yup. My dad was a commercial fisherman when I was growing up. I've seen a lot of fish cleaned. And yup, a lot of fish has worms. You just cut those out when filleting the fish. Although, my dad does now prefer species that don't have many worms, and younger fish for that reason. The great big fish have too many worms :)

I had been thinking I should eat more fish, but now...

 

I don't need a photo, but are these worms in fillets or just whole fish. What should I look for? Will I need a magnifying glass, or will I need to poke into the fish? Or do the worms just pop out (sorry for that)?

 

Btw, I was not brave enough to read all the posts.

[AndyJoy]

Yes, I would. Yes, I have.

 

Round worms are in pretty much all cod at some point.

 

I would not consume it raw or kippered or as ceviche. But cooked well done? Sure.

 

I assure you that most fish and chips made with cod had worms in it at some point before you ate it.

 

Freezing kills both the worms and the eggs. Cooking to well done or frying it kills them as well.

My Alaska-born, commercial fishing DH educated me about cod early in our relationship. He claims the flavor of cod *is* the worms ;). He doesn't eat fish and chips, though I still do.