Mend Your Diet

What are the health risks in eating raw tuna for ahi?

I'm in southern alabama, I want to make some spicy ahi like back home in Hawaii. I'm gonna go to the store, find some yellowfin tuna, and cut it up and eat it raw. But I don't know what the heck I'm doing. Are there any health risks? If I can't find yellowfin tuna are there any similar fish I can use for ahi poke?

Public Comments

1. Not sure I'd trust the local supermarket, especially in alabama, unless they cater to this sort of thing. You'd probably be fine, but go to an upscale supermarket and tell them you plan on eating it raw and ask their advice.
2. I eat raw tuna in sushi all the time. find a GOOD fish market that has sushi stuff on hand and buy it there. All tuna can't safely be eaten raw, just certain ones.
3. raw tunas are eaten all the time, it is part of Japanese culture, in their sushis. You would probably be fine eating raw tuna. just make sure that it is fresh. Try to go to the best store you could find. and try to get the morning catch. But if you don't get that type of freshness, it would still be okay. Because I eat raw tuna and I'm still fine. and most of the time I'm sure that it is not that fresh anymore. if you want to make sure, squeeze some lemon juice on your tuna, it would kill the bacterias it might have.
4. I love Hawaiian poke!! I always make it at home. I use frozen tuna. I usually buy frozen tuna at Costco. It comes in packages, I think it has about 5 pieces. Sometimes I use salmon, that is already cut and skinned. They both taste great! Well, I don't know much about the health risks. People have said to eat fresh tuna instead, because if its not fresh it can make you sick. But I have making them since I moved from Hawaii and I never gotten sick from it.. I feel fine =] I make it really simple: -1 cup tuna or salmon -3 teaspoon soy sauce -2 teaspoon sesame oil -1 green onion, diced -roasted sesame seeds cut tuna or salmon into cubes, put into a bowl. add the soy sauce, stir, then add the sesame oil, stir, add green onions and roasted sesame seeds, stir, and enjoy =] ...hope you like it!