Eating fish several times a week has many advantages, as experts never tire of reminding us. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein, as well as essential omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. The Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESAN) recommends consuming three or more servings per week, giving priority to oily fish and species with less environmental impact.
Despite the fact that its benefits are more numerous than its dangers, it is important to know the latter to avoid putting your health at risk. One of its drawbacks is anisakis, a parasite that develops in certain fishery products and whose larvae can infect the human digestive tract when raw or undercooked fish are consumed.
If the parasite manages to enter the body, it can cause anisakiasis, a disease that manifests with digestive and allergic symptoms of varying severity. In recent years, the increase in infected fish and the popularization of the consumption of raw fish in preparations such as sushi, ceviche, tartare or sashimi has caused more people to contract this disease.
According to the Catalan Food Safety Agency, hake is the species with the highest presence of anisakis, since the parasite is found in 95% of the specimens. They are followed by mackerel with 87%, horse mackerel with 67% and blue whiting with 62%.
But all fish, as well as other marine animals and cephalopods, can be infected with anisakis, including freshwater and saltwater fish and eels. There is no fishing area that can be considered free of larvae.
To avoid risks, experts recommend freezing fish for at least five days before preparing raw or undercooked dishes. If buying fresh fish, it’s key to make sure the fridge has at least three stars and it hasn’t been too long since it was caught.
Molluscs such as mussels, clams and cockles, as well as salted and dried fish such as cod, do not present anisakis risk. If the fish is well cooked, with a temperature of more than 60 degrees, the parasite dies and does not represent any danger to health.
