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[XiaNaphryz]

www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/nyregion...urants-to-freeze-raw-fish-before-serving.html

For years, many New York sushi restaurants have lured gourmands by boasting of the freshest fish in the city. But soon, those claims may call for an asterisk.

New regulations, published this week by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, require that fish served raw, undercooked or marinated raw in dishes like ceviche must first be frozen, to guard against parasites. In March, the Board of Health approved the regulations, which now align with Food and Drug Administration recommendations and are set to take effect in August.

That means that by the end of summer all fish used in sushi, sashimi, tartare and other popular raw dishes will make a pit stop in the freezer before they end up on diners’ plates.

Though some customers might blanch at the idea that their coveted crudo and sashimi — sometimes costing hundreds of dollars — emerged from a deep freeze, the truth is that many chefs in the city’s top restaurants have long used frozen fish to prevent serving their raw fare with a side of pathogens.

“We purposely deep-freeze at negative 83 degrees, and we use one of those medical cryogenic freezers,” said Yuta Suzuki, vice president of Sushi Zen, a popular Times Square restaurant. “This way, it’s kind of like cooking, but instead of using heat we use freezing to remove parasites or bacteria on the outer surface.”

Even the New York City chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association, which had complained about the regulations at a health department hearing in January, has reversed course. Now that the regulations have been stripped of certain record-keeping requirements that the association considered onerous, establishments serving raw fish should be able to handle the change, James W. Versocki, a legal counselor for the group, said.

“By all indications, everyone will be enjoying the same quality of sushi,” Mr. Versocki said, who noted that the vast majority of fish is already flash frozen at some point in the supply chain.

The websites and menus for some of the city’s most expensive restaurants are often masterpieces of obfuscation when it comes to the word “fresh.” Even at Masa, which touts ingredients “only in their freshest most delicious state” for its $450 meals, chef Masayoshi Takayama has been known to occasionally opt for frozen fish.

Naomichi Yasuda, whose restaurant, Sushi Yasuda, consistently ranks among the city’s best, has been extolling the merits of freezing fish for years. Not only does frozen fish come free of parasites, it is also cheaper, available out of season, and, in some cases, tastier. Plus, most diners are none the wiser.

“I’m pretty sure our customers are not able to tell,” Mr. Suzuki said, who noted that Sushi Zen doesn’t keep any of its fish raw.

The Health Department regulation stipulates that fish will require a minimum freezer storage time of anywhere from 15 hours to one week, depending on the temperatures used in the freezing and storage process. Several types of seafood are exempt from the rule, including shellfish, farm-raised fish and certain types of tuna.

National health agencies do not regularly track the cases of illnesses caused by eating raw fish, said Dr. Susan Montgomery, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adding, “These infections are rare in the United States and generally aren’t fatal.”

Still, the city’s health department believes it cannot be too careful. Though the regulations do not require restaurants to advertise that their raw fish dishes were made from previously frozen ingredients, another new rule aims to make sure that customers know that there can be a downside to their raw fish cravings. Beginning in 2016, restaurants will have to put in print that raw and undercooked foods can be hazardous to one’s health.

For most restaurants, Mr. Versocki said, “the only change might be a new menu.”

 

[ZackieChan]

Of course they're all going to say that. Will the restauranteur say "Our sushi will now taste like shit."?

Sucks. I love me some big government as much as the next guy, but NYC is off its rocker sometimes.

 

[Gallbaro]

www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/nyregion...urants-to-freeze-raw-fish-before-serving.html

But they still let old men with herpes suck blood out of baby penises.

 

[border]

I think the only solution is to assemble a team of the city's best chefs and best food critics, and have a blind taste test to see if any of the critics can actually determine what's fresh and what's frozen.

It seems like plenty of high-end restaurants have been thriving off of frozen fare, but who knows if that's just because they marketed themselves as upscale or trendy.

 

[Stinkles]

Jesus. It's like how to ruin fish 101. Which is why nobu in Vegas is a joke, despite claims of "we fly it in."

 

[border]

"Beginning in 2016, restaurants will have to put in print that raw and undercooked foods can be hazardous to one’s health."

Is this a new thing for New York City? I see this warning at any restaurant that serves raw oysters or rare meat.

 

[Dartastic]

Jesus. It's like how to ruin fish 101. Which is why nobu in Vegas is a joke, despite claims of "we fly it in."

RIP, any good sushi restaurants in NYC.

 

[Battersea Power Station]

Huh. I thought sushi restaurants already did this. Maybe it was only a couple of high end places that didn't? I'm willing to bet any sushi fish I've had in NYC had been frozen though.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

wtf but all fish caught at sea is already flash frozen.

The whole idea of "fresh" sushi is a misnomer.

This will kill the texture of average sushi though because thawing and refreezing proteins will make the food taste like shit especially since it requires very careful defrosting to avoid any sort of obvious quality loss from defrosting.

 

[triplestation]

ITS FUCKING ROAR ROAR ROAR

 

[MrToughPants]

wtf but all fish caught at sea is already flash frozen.

The whole idea of "fresh" sushi is a misnomer.

This will kill the texture of average sushi though because thawing and refreezing proteins will make the food taste like shit especially since it requires very careful defrosting to avoid any sort of obvious quality loss from defrosting.

This.

Unless they're selling fresh harbor fish...

 

[Battersea Power Station]

Aha: http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/07/raw-fish-frozen-nyc.html

This may seem like a bold step to take against freshness, but the truth of the matter is that a lot of fish served at sushi spots is already frozen, and top-tier spots like Sushi Yasada, Sushi Zen, and even occasionally Masa are already committed to the practice. (Not to mention prepackaged sushi you buy in a moment of desperation somewhere like Duane Reade.)

So, this is just a matter of making it official -- the vast majority of sushi you eat has already been through the freezing process.

 

[joe2187]

wtf but all fish caught at sea is already flash frozen.

The whole idea of "fresh" sushi is a misnomer.

This will kill the texture of average sushi though because thawing and refreezing proteins will make the food taste like shit especially since it requires very careful defrosting to avoid any sort of obvious quality loss from defrosting.

Exactly. It's pretty strange.

If they're asking to refreeze it when you store it? well that's some fucked shit.

 

[Fenderputty]

wtf but all fish caught at sea is already flash frozen.

The whole idea of "fresh" sushi is a misnomer.

.

.

 

[massoluk]

I thought it was already a requirement to be honest. I welcomed it.

 

[shadyspace]

Fucking Di Blasio.

 

[way more]

No wonder all the sushi I've had in NYC has been sub-par. This is why when ever you eat sushi you ask for "the freshest" they have and just let the chef decide what to serve.

 

[ZackieChan]

Exactly. It's pretty strange.

If they're asking to refreeze it when you store it? well that's some fucked shit.

AFAIK, that would be an even worse health hazard, right?

Also, once you've had dat Tokyo sushi, hard to go back (especially in rural South Jersey, where I am now...)

 

[KHarvey16]

If this actually had a negative impact on the quality of the end product the industry would be making a bigger deal out of it. The fact that they're not makes me think this isn't an issue at all.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

No wonder all the sushi I've had in NYC has been sub-par. This is why when ever you eat sushi you ask for "the freshest" they have and just let the chef decide what to serve.

Even some of the fish in Tokyo you eat is frozen its not about freshness but about proper preparation such as aging, curing, proper storage of fish, proper handling and the natural quality of the fish. All those factors matter more than how much time it has been since the fish was caught (not that this fact doesn't matter but its not as important as everyone thinks).

 

[Fenderputty]

I've had freshly cut up live fish I've caught and the warmth of the flesh is kinda off putting.

This includes yellow tail and blue/yellow fin tuna

 

[mintylurb]

Aha: http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/07/raw-fish-frozen-nyc.html



So, this is just a matter of making it official -- the vast majority of sushi you eat has already been through the freezing process.

someone tell grub it's yasuda..it even says in the link. btw, yasuda isn't top-tier..

 

[saunderez]

I've had freshly cut up live fish I've caught and the warmth of the flesh is kinda off putting.

This includes yellow tail and blue/yellow fin tuna

Yeah I like at least chilling it in the fridge, firms up the flesh a bit and makes it a bit easier to work with.

 

[maxcriden]

I wonder if the Duane Reade mention in the article is a reference to this:

Midtown Lunch: Trying the Handiwork of Duane Reade's Sushi Chefs

 

[Gordon Shumway]

But they still let old men with herpes suck blood out of baby penises.

Geezuz..and I had forgotten this. Thanks!

 

[Machine]

Just as well. I'd rather not get tapeworms.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374688/

 

[CharlieDigital]

Sucks. I love me some big government as much as the next guy, but NYC is off its rocker sometimes.

Jesus. It's like how to ruin fish 101. Which is why nobu in Vegas is a joke, despite claims of "we fly it in."

Seems like it's pretty standard practice and from what I've seen (market scenes in Jiro Dreams of Sushi), even bluefin is flash frozen to kill off parasites.

It's likely that you've may have never eaten truly fresh raw fish before unless you cut it off of a live fish yourself.

 

[EatinOlives]

wtf but all fish caught at sea is already flash frozen.

The whole idea of "fresh" sushi is a misnomer.

This will kill the texture of average sushi though because thawing and refreezing proteins will make the food taste like shit especially since it requires very careful defrosting to avoid any sort of obvious quality loss from defrosting.

Did you read the article? Many of the top-rated sushi restaurants already do this, with several Japanese chefs singing the praises of deep freezing for years.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Of course they're all going to say that. Will the restauranteur say "Our sushi will now taste like shit."?

Sucks. I love me some big government as much as the next guy, but NYC is off its rocker sometimes.

Flash freezing fish is pretty much the standard. They're not making a big deal about it because they've always used frozen seafood. This law is just to catch the edge cases.

 

[Demon Lizardman]

 

[slit]

I've had freshly cut up live fish I've caught and the warmth of the flesh is kinda off putting.

This includes yellow tail and blue/yellow fin tuna

I've chewed the heads off fish as I plucked them from the river.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Jiro's nightmare.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

To everyone who has ever eaten sushi, I would say 95% of what you ate was frozen due to health concerns. It doesn't kill the quality, it's a normal practice everywhere.

 

[BertramCooper]

Food safety >>>>> Everything else

That's just how it has to be.

 

[Chuckie]

If it is already frozen after it is caught, isn't it dangerous to freeze it in again?
I've always heard that something that has been de-frosted should never be frozen again... or is that some old legend?

 

[maxcriden]

Interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/nyregion/sushi-fresh-from-the-deep-the-deep-freeze.html

Most would be even more surprised to learn that if the sushi has not been frozen, it is illegal to serve it in the United States.

Food and Drug Administration regulations stipulate that fish to be eaten raw -- whether as sushi, sashimi, seviche, or tartare -- must be frozen first, to kill parasites. ''I would desperately hope that all the sushi we eat is frozen,'' said George Hoskin, a director of the agency's Office of Seafood. Tuna, a deep-sea fish with exceptionally clean flesh, is the only exception to the rule.

That's from 2004.

Also:

Naomichi Yasuda, the owner of Sushi Yasuda, the acclaimed sushi restaurant in New York City, said he imported fresh tuna but froze it himself, selling it for $10 a piece.

''American customers don't want to hear that something is out of season'' he said with a shrug. ''People want toro every day.''

At the Elizabeth, N.J., warehouse of True World Foods, a manager, Ken Kawauchi, recently readied a room-size freezer to receive eight more tons of premium tuna frozen with sophisticated technology that chefs say preserves the texture and flavor of the fish.

''This product is better than fresh,'' he said. ''We start freezing it almost before it's dead.''

But Shin Tsujimura, the sushi chef at Nobu, closer to Wall Street, said he froze his own tuna. ''Even I cannot tell the difference between fresh and frozen in a blind test,'' he said.

Even Masa Takayama, whose sushi temple Masa, in the Time Warner Center, charges a minimum of $300 to worship, said he used frozen tuna when fresh is unavailable.

Many sushi bars, in Japan and elsewhere, routinely use frozen fish when fresh is unavailable or more expensive than the market will bear.

''In Japan,'' Mr. Kawauchi said, ''50 percent of the sushi and sashimi is frozen. Only my American customers are so concerned with fresh fish.''

According to wholesalers like Dave Rudie, a pioneering sushi supplier in California who sells both fresh and frozen fish, more and more frozen fish is being served as sushi here.

Mr. Rudie said that worldwide, some sushi products are virtually always frozen. ''Ninety percent of shrimp, of course,'' he said, The salmon roe ''and octopus, 99 percent. And you definitely want all your salmon frozen, because of parasites.''

The Food and Drug Administration does not enforce the frozen-fish rule, leaving that to local health officials. The agency says sushi fish can be frozen either by the wholesaler or in the restaurant, and each party likes to believe that the other is taking care of it.

Ian MacGregor, whose wholesale business, Lobster Place, supplies the sushi hot spot Geisha, in Midtown Manhattan, said he had heard countless euphemisms for frozen fish in restaurants. ''Fresh-frozen, re-freshed, flash-chilled, take your pick,'' he said. ''It's all frozen.''

But ''superfrozen'' fish seems to be in a category by itself. Many top sushi chefs are finding that fish frozen to about 70 degrees below zero, instead of the commercial standard, usually 10 below, can stand up to their rigorous standards.

Tuna, one of the most expensive sushi fish in the world, has been the test market for superfreezing.

Freezing technology that truly preserves the quality of fresh fish is relatively new, said Eric Graham, managing director of ColdWave Systems, a global seafood shipper.

Developed by the Japanese fishing industry in the 1990's to preserve the catch on long trips, superfreezing can reduce the core temperature of a 500-pound tuna to minus 70 degrees in about a day and a half. Packed in artificial snow ground from dry ice and surrounded by liquid nitrogen, that fish can be preserved with no decomposition for as long as two years.

''It's an amazing product,'' said Mr. Lamb, who recently bought a medical freezer, designed to store transplant organs, to keep tuna in his restaurant's basement.

But in places like Los Angeles, where the Japanese Restaurant Association of Southern California has considerable local support, frozen sushi is not a popular notion.

''We try to recognize that sushi has been made with fresh fish in Japan for thousands of years,'' said Terrance Powell, chief environmental health specialist for Los Angeles County.

Mr. Powell and his team of 150 inspectors have held food safety classes for sushi restaurant operators in Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese, but he concedes that most operators, knowingly or not, are probably not serving only frozen fish.

''Frankly,'' he said, ''warm sushi rice that sits out for hours is a bigger public health threat than raw fish.''

Lol I tried not to just quote the whole article but there's a lot of interesting stuff in there.

 

[Coriolanus]

Food safety >>>>> Everything else

That's just how it has to be.

You'll take my medium rare steak from my cold, dead teeth.

 

[maxcriden]

You'll take my medium rare steak from my cold, dead teeth.

Medium rare steak is safe, though. As is rare tuna.

 

[Divvy]

No wonder all the sushi I've had in NYC has been sub-par. This is why when ever you eat sushi you ask for "the freshest" they have and just let the chef decide what to serve.

Fresh sushi is actually less flavorful. For sushi, you want fish that has been properly aged in order to have developed flavor.

 

[Zoe]

Wasn't there a sushi restaurant in New York that has live fish for you to pick out, and and they plate the whole fish so you can see it's still moving a bit?

 

[Vastag]

Jesus. It's like how to ruin fish 101. Which is why nobu in Vegas is a joke, despite claims of "we fly it in."

Are not anisakis a problem in the states? Because there is no way that I'm going to eat raw fish without it being freezed before.

 

[Stet]

That's what "sushi grade" means lol
If you think you're getting fresh fish at any sushi restaurant you're out of your mind.

 

[Eighty Deuce]

I'm surprised they haven't banned serving steaks rare.

 

[Opiate]

This isn't unreasonable if you can show me that pathogens transmitted in this fashion are a serious concern.

How often do people get diseases from raw fish: does it happen to 1 out of every 10 customers? Or 1 out of every 10 million? Probably somewhere in between, and at some point we'd draw the line and say "Your taste preferences are not worth the disease this causes."

 

[andycapps]

I'm surprised they haven't banned serving steaks rare.

All the bacteria is killed off when the surface of the meat is grilled. Now if they wanted to put a raw steak on your table for you to eat, I think the FDA would have a problem with that.

 

[GiJoccin]

All the bacteria is killed off when the surface of the meat is grilled. Now if they wanted to put a raw steak on your table for you to eat, I think the FDA would have a problem with that.

Ever had steak tartare?

 

[ZackieChan]

Flash freezing fish is pretty much the standard. They're not making a big deal about it because they've always used frozen seafood. This law is just to catch the edge cases.

TIL my sushi-eating life is a lie

 

[Faddy]

If it is already frozen after it is caught, isn't it dangerous to freeze it in again?
I've always heard that something that has been de-frosted should never be frozen again... or is that some old legend?

Your home freezer isn't cold enough to kill off the same parasites an industrial freezer can so their are risks in refreezing something at home, though miniscule.

The do not refreeze stuff is basically the same as once open consume within 14 days when you know damn well that salad dressing is going to sit in the fridge for a month and you will give it a shake and use it again.

 

[MarkusRJR]

Makes sense. Makes the fish taste a bit worse but It's way safer. Going to a bad sushi place can seriously get someone sick.

 

[massoluk]

You'll take my medium rare steak from my cold, dead teeth.

Medium rare is safe. But a friend I know working in agriculture research even told me you may as well eat beef raw in the US because of the high standard and regulation. Still recommend cooking it because of contamination during preparation.