On washing raw fish

My local fishmonger scoffs at the idea of washing fish before cooking. My local fearmonger scoffs at his scoff. Who's right?

Fishman is right. The ostensible purpose for washing fish is to remove bacteria. But when you get all splishy-splashy in your sink with raw fish, then you risk spreading the bacteria you’re so intent on removing onto nearby food or clean dishes. In their official guidance warning the public not to wash raw fish, the USDA cites the highly scientific fact that the splash zone around your sink can be up to 3 feet!

Sometimes I bristle at the patronizing undertones of the USDA’s guidance. You telling me I’m too stupid to wash a fishes? Actually, yes.

But before you proceed in defiance, let me offer some reasons not to wash raw fish that are less offensive to your intellect. Here’s one: washing fish is not actually an effective means of eliminating bacteria. Even a sleek-looking cut of fish has enough bacteria-laden crevices that no amount of water is going to make that fish bacteria-free.

The good news is that cooking is highly effective when it comes to slaughtering bacteria—which means that any sort of pre-treatment is pretty much unnecessary.

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On Defrosting Meat

On primitive kitchen tools