Perch Meat

The perch looked fine when we caught it, but the meat has some black dots in it. Is it OK to eat?

Attachments:

1. 

   11CF81AE-E13F-4D6D-8A6F-72D3275014BA.jpeg
   

Worm eggs. When the fillets are cooked they eggs are harmless.

I personally will not eat any fish with black spots or visible worm sacs in the meat.

Worms/eggs in meat, hard pass.

Black dots, no big deal. Built in pepper seasoning as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve eaten many like that over the years. Like Tom said once cooked they are harmless. But actual worms or sacs in the garbage they go.

Should be fine if cooked, I wouldn’t try sashimi or ceviche.

I just don’t bother keeping perch once the water hits about 60 degrees. The warmer it gets, the more prevalent the spots, worms, etc are in panfish meat.

This one didn’t want to swim away, was out walleye fishing on Mille Lacs. I figured it was worms of some sort, but I typically don’t eat any meat with spots. Thanks

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Worm eggs. When the fillets are cooked they eggs are harmless.

I personally will not eat any fish with black spots or visible worm sacs in the meat.

The black specs are not worm eggs. That is a parasite harmless to people, or my cat as far as that goes.
We never worry about it. Cook it up. Its fine.

They yellow worms are popped out if I see them. I am sure we have all eaten those as well that we missed. We are still here.

Its all personal preference really. I prefer my fish to be free of these parasites.

Even on the Mississippi there are areas where the sunfish and crappies and even perch stay free of infestations of parasites and if I am looking for some fish for dinner I will seek out those areas. Some of this has to do with current. Sluggish, near current-free backwaters can be rife with the black-spot and yellow worms.

A lot of the parasitic issue can be how certain species of fish are more bottom related too. There are a lot of fisheries that have the parasites all over sunfish and perch but not a bit of it in crappies caught in the same area.

I have found that the more a fish relates to weeds the more you will find black spots/yellow grubs (thats what we call them)
DNR said when cooked they are harmless but like Tom I like my meat mostly clear
of spots

Absolutely 100% harmless. Perch seem to have them most of the time. They are as good as it gets to eat in my book.