I love ceviche. I used to make it with hybrids because I think it's the best way to eat them. Then everyone started saying you shouldn't make ceviche with freshwater fish because of parasites so I quit. But saltwater fish have parasites too. Redfish and trout are loaded with worms, for instance. Can anyone tell me definitively why freshwater parasites are so much more dangerous that saltwater ones. Or is this one of those things that got said, then repeated until everyone thinks it's true. Thanks.

I have never heard of humans eating raw freshwater fish, especially from our local lakes, Pretty nasty....

Maybe somewhere where the water stays super cold may be ok, like around Alaska.

I have eaten a lot of saltwater fish raw fish and I was told it was the salt that kept it safe.

I hear you, but the marinating in citric acid "cooks" it. It's definitely not the same as raw. Plus, I've done a lot of wet wading in salt water, catching trout, flounder, reds, etc. The water isn't any colder than these lakes around here. I am just seriously looking for an answer to why fresh water ceviche is so scary versus salt water. Maybe it is the salt, but like I said, salt water fish have lots of parasites too.

I believe to actually cook something to kill bacteria you need to reach a certain heat point.

I eat a lot of raw tuna and make a similar dish called Kinalaw.

Tuna, onions, radish, ginger and you put vinegar and a dash of salt, The vinegar "cooks" the tuna.

Look at Oysters, they can be hell on some people and not recommended for people in poor health.

If you have eaten raw freshwater fish and your body can tolerate it, and you like it, I see no reason to stop.

I like raw steak from time to time, and I had a cousin who had a thing for raw chicken (back before all the hype about Salmenia).

I think most of the fish used for sushi has been flash frozen to kill any parasites, I have one buddy who uses crappie for ceviche and another buddy uses stripers from the California Delta, they use previously frozen fish and they are both still alive.

nothing wrong with freshwater fish, the idea is to use nice white fish and remove any blood lines and thats just for taste. but you do want to freeze your fish as this kills parasites if it has any, salt or freshwater. I like tilapia for my ceviche from HEB. my white bass, crappie etc.. is for frying. its only takes 4 hrs in lime juice for it to cook. not overnight. some recipes only call for 20 minutes, i make the stuff regularly. almost weekly.

just did some research, the consenses is -4 dg for 4 or 5 days, dont know if your freezer gets that low, however they say parasites in fish are relatively harmless, only 50 cases of illness since the 1950,s. bacteria is a different story but that comes for not properly keeping or transporting fish.


lots of folks add a little V8 juice at the end as i did too, but i found a product thats great, at HEB they have whats called sea food sauce, add this red sauce to the ceviche at the end , and is just superb. just add a little or a lot that up to you.

I have made ceviche from bass, stripers and whites for over 15 years. Never had a single issue with any type of problem. I do always give the process 15 hours before serving, with pure fresh lime juice. I prefer bass over all other because it is firmer flesh, and the least with strong fishy taste. A friend from Oklahoma used both bass and catfish, because he both readily available, the catfish is just not as firm. JB

Black bass are the best ceviche

Absolutely no truth to the belief that reaching a certain cooking temperature is the only way to make our meats "safe"to eat. Prime examples: cured meats, smoked meats, dehydrated meats, pickled meats...Ceviche is not "raw fish". Sashimi is.
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