Izumidai of the most common questions we get here at Sushi Modern is whether you can make sushi from Costco fish. For many, this is the best, freshest source of fish available to them, which is what we always recommend when buying fish for sushi.
Costco has everything you’d expect from a quality fish monger: trustworthy labeling, high volume, movement of product, and fresh fish that never sits for too long. But is it safe to eat? The short answer is yes, you can make sushi from some Costco fish. In short, certain species of fish are highly susceptible to parasites that migrate from the fish’s belly into the flesh we eat. When we eat these live parasite larvae, they will try to embed themselves in our stomach or intestine linings before dying, causing our bodies to violently react and make us sick. 60 reported cases in the U. Salmon is one such fish susceptible to these parasites.
Buying Guide Use this buying guide at your local Costco to know what to shop for—and what to avoid—when shopping for sushi. Remember to always buy as fresh as possible and avoid fish labeled as “wild” to reduce risk of parasites. Usually this fish is fresh and high-quality, processed both quickly and cleanly. It’s essential that you only use farmed salmon for sushi, since salmon—especially wild salmon—is a high risk for parasites. Farmed salmon is raised on feed pellets, preventing them from eating parasite-infected prey. Scallops are an excellent choice for sushi, typically served as nigiri, perhaps with a pinch of salt and squeeze of citrus.
Be sure you only buy dry scallops, which are untreated with sodium tripolyphosphate, a phosphate salt which causes them to absorb water. Wet scallops taste like nothing and have an unappetizing mushy texture. Then prepare your rice ball and shape into nigiri just as you would with any other fish. Tuna is typically sold in the form of Ahi tuna steaks, which are difficult to slice for nigiri and sashimi.
The steaks are cut against the grain, meaning your slices are going to be cut with the grain, producing chewy undesirable sushi. Costco typically carries Black Tiger prawns and less expensive varieties like Chinese White shrimp. 5-7 minutes until just tender and make them into nigirizushi. Costco stocks Dungeness crab from the West coast and Atlantic King Crab from the East. Tilapia doesn’t make great sushi, but it is safe to eat raw. Most all tilapia are farmed and raised on feed pellets, eliminating the risk of parasites.