BBQ’d Tongue Eating Fish Parasite!

MMMM! Delicious! I love a good BBQ, but I can say with absolute certainty that BBQing a cymothoa exigua isn’t going to make it taste any better. That being said, these parasites do no real damage to fish they inhabit. And according to reliable sources, eating fish containing the parasite is perfectly safe.

Personally I’d be a little put off if something this gnarly looking crawled out of the face of my dinner, and so was David…

Tongue Eating Fish ParasiteTongue Eating Fish ParasiteTongue Eating Fish Parasite

I purchased a 6kg pack of sea bass, cleaned and gutted four and popped two of them on my barbecue.

After about 10 minutes I turned them over, and after a further 5 minutes went to check on them. It must have become too hot in there for the parasite, which became visible half out of the fish’s mouth.

I didn’t realize what it was, so didn’t check to see if the fish still had a tongue. I’m not even sure if the parasite crawled out, or was pushed out as a result of the fish cooking.

We are not intending to eat sea bass for a while!!

Regards,
David

Tongue Eating Fish Parasite

Thanks David!

13 Comments
July 8, 2009 by Clive Mathias

Filed Under: Fishing, Food, Incredible, News, Oddities, Saltwater Species, Striped bass
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13 Comments on “BBQ’d Tongue Eating Fish Parasite!...”

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  • avatar Chris
    2 years, 7 months ago #

    I can thankfully say I have yet to see one of these things. I feel itchy all over just from the photos!

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    2 years, 7 months ago #

    I have to agree it gives me the creeps.

  • avatar Clive Mathias
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    I saw several in the BVI, but always in smaller fish that I wasn’t eating…

  • avatar adam
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    That’s a big one too, quite a specimen.

    chris, if you’ve ever eaten the Japanese dishes “aji nanban-zuke” or “tsumire” you have almost certainly eaten these creatures as well.

  • avatar Woody
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    It looks like something out of Alien!…Are these in Saltwater Fish only or do they appear in Fresh as well?

  • avatar Pierre
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    that’s definitely creepy!!!
    I will doble chek next time i decide to cook a sea bass.
    Where can we found this parasite?

  • avatar Simon Graham
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    Don’t know what all the fuss is about….Looks like perfectly good protein to me.

  • avatar adam
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    My personal record is finding three infecting the same animal (Rhexanella in a red snapper). It must have been quite a fight inside for the one tongue.

  • avatar Clive Mathias
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    Three?? Did you get a photo of that – I think I remember seeing a photo on your site with two in the mouth, but I’ve never seen three!

  • avatar chris
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    Adam! Don’t say such things! I’ll never sleep again!

  • avatar Stephen
    2 years, 6 months ago #

    Wow, now I’m going to have to look down the mouth of everything I eat. Or chop the head off and never look!

  • avatar Everybody
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    Mating pair on roof of mouth after eating the fish’s tongue.
    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5e1_1231399205

    and
    Fish Tongue Parasite
    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=41c_1266552207

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    1 year, 11 months ago #

    Woah good videos.. really creepy music on the first one lol.

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