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| Raw Seafood |
Keeping it Safe: from Market to Mealtime
Follow these key tips below when buying, storing and preparing fresh, raw seafood:
At the market:
- Be sure fresh seafood is properly refrigerated below 40°F or well-packed with ice.
- Look for fish with shiny, firm flesh and no overly "fishy" odor.
In your fridge:
- Keep fresh fish well wrapped or in air-tight containers for no more than two days.
- Store fresh, pasteurized or smoked seafood between 32°F and 38°F; store live clams, crabs, crayfish, lobsters, mussels and oysters in well ventilated containers.
During preparation:
- Keep raw and cooked seafood separate, including using separate cutting boards.
- Wash hands, cutting boards, plates and utensils thoroughly between handling raw seafood and any ready-to-eat food.
Dining Out Advice
There are a plethora of well-liked raw and undercooked fish and shellfish items on menus today. For healthy individuals, these foods can generally be consumed safely when they’re from reputable restaurants or markets that use fresh, high-quality ingredients and follow proper food safety practices. But be aware of these menu items, especially if you’re in the “high-risk” category, since they contain raw or undercooked seafood: sushi, sashimi, raw oysters or clams on the half shell, ceviche, crudo, gravlax, poke, tuna tartare and tuna carpaccio.
