Fish & Shellfish
Authority: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
USDA guidance sets a safe minimum internal temperature of 145°F (62.8°C) for fish with fins, or until the flesh turns opaque and separates easily with a fork. Shellfish like shrimp, lobster, crab, and scallops are done when the flesh becomes pearly white or opaque throughout.
| Parameter / Specification | Standard Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Fin Fish Safe Temp | 145 | °F (62.8°C) |
| Fin Fish Visual Cue | Opaque, flakes easily | - |
| Shellfish Visual Cue | Pearly white/opaque throughout | - |
Why Fish Safety Isn't Just About Bacteria
The 145°F guidance addresses bacterial risk, but fish carries a distinct hazard that meat and poultry generally don't: parasitic roundworms called Anisakis, which live in the flesh of many wild-caught fish and can cause a gastrointestinal illness called anisakiasis if eaten raw. Salting or marinating fish does not reliably kill these parasites, which is why cooking to a safe internal temperature -- or freezing, for raw preparations -- is the control that actually matters.
This is also why fish intended to be eaten raw follows a different safety path than fish intended to be cooked: cooking and freezing address the same parasite risk through entirely different mechanisms, and neither substitutes for the other in a raw preparation.
How Sushi-Grade Fish Is Made Safe
There's no official inspection category called "sushi-grade" -- the term is industry shorthand for fish that has been frozen specifically to kill parasites before being served raw. FDA guidance for this purpose specifies freezing at -35°C (-31°F) or colder for at least 15 hours, or at -20°C (-4°F) or colder for at least 7 days, both of which are far colder or longer than a typical home freezer achieves quickly.
Because of this, restaurants serving raw fish generally rely on commercial blast freezers or fish that was flash-frozen at sea shortly after catch, rather than home refrigeration, to meet these parasite-elimination standards before the fish reaches the plate.