Dear raw fish, Lo Hei won’t be the same without you.
Raw seafood, one of the most important ingredients in the celebratory Chinese New Year dish because it represents abundance thoughout the entire year, may not make a star appearance in February 2016 now that it’s been banned by the National Environment Agency.
The restriction comes in the heels of reported Groub B Streptococcus infections after eating raw fish porridge, which made headlines recently after a 53-year-old fell into a coma after eating the dish. (He is now awake.)
Most fish sold at Singapore’s wet markets, the fresh produce section of supermarkets and fishery ports are not meant to be eaten raw, said the NEA. If food establishments are to serve raw seafood, they should only use saltwater fish intended for raw consumption.
While tests conducted by NEA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority did not detect the strain of GBS associated with the recent spike in human cases in sashimi sold at retail food establishments, it revealed that freshwater fish have significantly higher bacterial contamination than saltwater fish, and are likely to present higher risks of infection when consumed raw.
Vulnerable groups of people, such as young children, pregnant women, elderly persons, or people with chronic illness, such as diabetes, should avoid the consumption of raw fish, the advisory said.
In the meantime, here’s how to eat Chinese New Year yu sheng:
