‘It looks off’: Woman buys salmon from Trader Joe’s. Then she notices something inside it

Purchasing fish can already be kind of dicey, with mercury, parasites, and other near-invisible issues impacting this food source.

No one wants to see what might be a worm pop out of their fancy filet.

A shopper shared a video discovering what seems to be a small worm in her Alaskan Sockeye Salmon filet. The woman says she got it from Trader Joe's.

In a TikTok with 2.5 million views, home chef @kitchenkosaki warns that it might be a little gross before showing it.

"OK, I think I'm done with the Trader Joe's series," she says. "Major trigger warning for just kind of gross. But I got the salmon and with everything going on I thought I would just inspect it. Hypothetically, see what's up with my salmon."

She shows the package of salmon before continuing, "I see this thing and I swear it doesn't match with the fat of the salmon."

She picks up what appears to be a stringy worm-like substance with a knife. "It doesn't align with anything, it looks off," she says. "I can't confirm or deny what this is. I'm not an expert, I'm not sure, but as the average consumer, ew. Maybe I'm just more hyperaware of this now, but let me know if you know a good fisherman in my area."

The Daily Dot has reached out to @kitchenkosaki via email, and to Trader Joe's via contact form regarding the video.

@kitchenkosaki I guess this is normal? * Comments off due to hostile salmon discourse * ???????????????? #salmon #traderjoes #worm #keithlee #CapCut ♬ original sound - Kitchen Kosaki

Customer criticism

This is not the first time someone has raised an issue regarding Trader Joe's salmon. Last month, as reported by the Daily Dot, one shopper was concerned about the label of her farmed salmon filet. The package stated that the fish contains artificial coloring.

“Why do we need to be adding color to this? I don’t need you to add color to my salmon for me to eat it. Like, why do we need to do this?” Pesch asks.

However, this is a fairly common practice. Salmon is often colored with a type of algae that gives crabs, flamingoes, and shrimp their pinky-orange color.

While not purchased from Trader Joe's, another woman said her salmon fell to pieces before she had cooked it. As reported by the Daily Dot, it was likely a result of the filet being frozen and thawed before being refrozen.

Why are there worms in salmon?

Worms found in fish, whether sold at a fish market or packaged and sold through retailers like Trader Joe's, are a very common occurrence, according to Outdoor Life. These worms are often a particular type called herring worms or cod worms. They purportedly infect around 75% of salmon in the wild.

It might be rarer to find wild-caught fish that does not have worms than fish that do, one fisherman asserted, as reported by Outdoor Life.

Is salmon with worms safe to eat?

No one really wants to eat worms. However, once the fish is cooked, the parasites are killed and can do no harm to your gullet.

If you plan on turning the fish into sashimi or using it in sushi, the opposite end of the temperature spectrum can be just as effective at killing any parasites.

This can be done by freezing the fish solid for at least 15 hours and then allowing it to rest in the freezer for another 24 hours, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Ultimately, while no one wants to see any parasitic worms in the fish they are about to eat, most of the time it is not an indication that the fish will be unsafe to eat once it is prepared for consumption.

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