Eating rare or raw meat (or fish)

Just saw this here, I grew up with a neighbour who lives with a Tongan guy. He did the pig on the spit for my 40th. Hand turned for about 5 hrs over coals. The Tongan way. Anywho he also did raw fish in coconut cream. It was terakihi (terror key) in lemon juice overnight from memory then mixed with onions tomatoes and cream. It was so yummy.

Russ
I regularly make a Fijian version of this called kokoda (pronounced Ko con dah). Is best if you make your own fresh coconut cream, and the fish has to be super fresh too of course.
 
I have had great ceviche at well-vetted-out restaurants, and I've made my own at home (at least when I lived back down in Connecticut and could obtain seriously fresh seafood). BTW yes Massachusetts has great and fresh seafood, but that's on the eastern side of this state - I'm not there. Although at the moment living in a (reportedly) COVID-free town, I'll deal....
 
Wife is a specialty nurse near Little Tokyo. Lots of Sushi Places there. Lots is an under statement. Probably more per capita than anyplace. She showed me some petri dishes,,. Never mind.
 
There is nothing like walking up to a stand in Bimini, having the stand owner clean a live conch right in front of you and make a fresh conch salad. Tomatoes, onions, habaneros, cilantro or culantro, salt, pepper and lime juice. A nice cold Kalik (or two) to wash it down
 
Not so fond of rare beef unless it is steak, I consider it a preference though and not so much a health hazard. It would make no sense to consider a steak OK but a medium burger a risk.

I do love raw fish, I am very fond of sushi and love me some raw tuna or salmon. Also willing to try other raw fish. I don't like our Dutch traditional raw herring, but that has to do with the brine.
 
Not so fond of rare beef unless it is steak, I consider it a preference though and not so much a health hazard. It would make no sense to consider a steak OK but a medium burger a risk.

Bacteria forms on the outside of a steak, and other beef cuts. It gets killed during cooking, so rare inside is fine.

Ground beef mixes the outside meat with the inside meat, so bacteria from the outside mixes into all the ground beef. If you cook that rare, there could easily be bacteria inside the burger. Medium and better should be okay, because the whole burger is cooked enough to kill bacteria.

I don't like the texture of rare or medium rare burgers. It feels mushy in my mouth. And, from a high-volume kitchen, I won't eat a burger less than medium well. Same with grocery store bought ground beef that I cook at home. I don't know how "clean" that ground beef is.

CD
 
Someone gave me some poke salmon. Can that be eaten raw? I searched online but wanted to check with the group.

To me, 'poke' is the name of a dish not a type of salmon. A poke bowl is based upon raw marinated fish layered with rice and pickled veg and rice. The 'Poke' salmon you have been given is most likely salmon that has been marinaded so that you can use it in a poke recipe or indeed eat it as is.
 
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To me, 'poke' is the name of a dish not a type of salmon. A poke bowl is based upon raw marinated fish layered with rice and pickled veg and rice. The 'Poke' salmon you have been given is most likely salmon that has been marinaded so that you can use it in a poke recipe or indeed eat it as is.

Thank you!
 
Someone gave me some poke salmon. Can that be eaten raw? I searched online but wanted to check with the group.

It probably means something like "sushi grade" salmon. Yes, you want high quality raw fish for poke, a Hawaiian dish. You could use it raw for other things, like a sashimi, or a ceviche.

CD
 
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I'm usually underwhelmed by raw fish or meat, I'm left feeling as though something was missing after eating it. I suppose I'm addicted to the taste of the Maillard effect, and my palate is probably not sophisticated enough to appreciate it. Having said that, I do have a bavette steak in the freezer that is just dying to be turned into carpaccio, if I can find a recipe that motivates me.
 
one is extremely well advised to be super ultra picky about where one orders raw beef/fish - or 'acid cooked' type stuff (mostly in the fish dishes...)
anywhere beef tartare is not ground to order is a no-no. caseydog outlines the reasons, above.
recently had a beef tartare prep in a Lancaster/PA/USA place that was absolutely spectacular. most place just grind with perhaps some salt/pepper but jjjeffries has an absolutely stunning seasoning for their tartare.

that could be what is missing in your experiences . . . ?
 
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