How to Record a Sushi and Raw Fish Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Sushi and raw fish preparation is among the highest-risk work in any kitchen. You're serving fish that won't be cooked—there's no heat step to kill bacteria or parasites. Time out of temperature control must be measured in minutes, not hours. This video will train your team to handle raw fish with the extreme precision and discipline it requires.

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Start your video by explaining why raw fish requires such rigorous handling. This isn't regular food prep—it's work where small mistakes can cause serious illness.

Tuna served raw as a ready-to-eat product is classified as "high risk" and must be stored and handled appropriately to reduce the risk of contamination and multiplication of bacteria. The same applies to salmon and other fish served raw. Tuna tartare and ceviche undergo minimal processing, so they must be handled with extreme care.

Explain the unique risks of raw fish:

Parasites: Fish naturally harbour parasites that are harmful to humans. Cooking kills these parasites, but since raw fish isn't cooked, a prior freezing step is essential to eliminate this hazard.

Scombrotoxin: At temperatures above 4°c, certain fish—particularly tuna, mackerel, and sardines—start to spoil, and this spoilage produces histamines. These histamines cause scombrotoxic fish poisoning, a serious illness with symptoms similar to a severe allergic reaction. Unlike bacteria, heat doesn't destroy histamines—once formed, they remain in the fish even if you cook it.

Bacterial contamination: Raw fish is a ready-to-eat food with no cooking step. Any bacteria transferred during handling will be consumed. Hand hygiene must be exceptional.

Staff who prepare sushi and raw fish must undergo extra training to understand these risks. Extra supervision should be given until staff are confident and competent. This video is part of that training, but it's not sufficient on its own—practical assessment and ongoing supervision are essential.

Film your opening in your fish preparation area, showing the dedicated workspace if you have one.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Raw fish handling requires both visual demonstration of techniques and precise documentation of supplier certifications and time tracking.

Record on video:

• The delivery checking process: temperature, ice bed, packaging integrity
• How to assess fish quality at delivery
• Correct storage positioning in designated fish fridges or below ready-to-eat
• The 20-minute preparation window in practice
• Using small gastronorms for working portions
• Bone removal technique for salmon
• The hand hygiene standards for sushi work
• Returning fish promptly to refrigeration
• What "out of temperature control for one hour" actually looks like
• The discard decision when time limits are exceeded

Document in written procedures:

• Supplier details and HACCP certification requirements
• Written confirmation of parasite freezing treatment for tuna and salmon
• Delivery temperature records (maximum 4°c)
• The 20-minute window and 1-hour maximum rules
• Fish storage fridge temperature targets (below 5°c, action if above)
• Your waste/discard record format
• Training records for sushi-qualified staff
• Contact details for head office approval of alternative suppliers

The video shows HOW to handle raw fish safely. The written documents provide the supplier certifications and time tracking evidence.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Structure your video around the seven critical elements of raw fish handling. Each requires specific procedures that staff must understand and follow without exception.

Supplier requirements and traceability

Fish for raw consumption must only be purchased from reputable approved suppliers who can give quality and safety assurances and have robust HACCP procedures in place regarding storage and delivery.

Delivery notes must be retained for all fish products to ensure traceability. If there's ever an illness linked to your fish, you need to be able to trace exactly where it came from and when.

Critical rule: fish must never be taken from alternative suppliers unless prior permission has been given by head office, where written confirmation and certification has been provided by the supplier. Don't accept fish from a new source just because your regular delivery didn't arrive—the certification requirements exist for safety.

Parasite freezing requirements

This is a legal and safety requirement for fish served raw:

Tuna: Must be frozen for a minimum of 24 hours at -20°c or lower by the supplier. Written confirmation and certification of this freezing process must be obtained. Parasites naturally live in tuna and are harmful to human health—the freezing process kills them.

Salmon: Must be frozen for a minimum of 24 hours at -20°c or lower by the supplier, OR confirmation must be obtained that the fish is farmed Atlantic salmon (which has lower parasite risk due to controlled diet).

Written confirmation and certification of the freezing process must be obtained from the supplier. Without this documentation, you cannot serve the fish raw.

Delivery temperature requirements

All raw fish must be delivered on ice within or at a maximum temperature not exceeding 4°c in a container that ensures near-freezing temperature is maintained.

Delivery checks are essential. Temperature checks are most important to ensure fish is being supplied at safe temperatures and that the integrity of packaging and ice is compliant.

Deliveries must be rejected if:

• Temperature exceeds 4°c
• Packaging is damaged or insufficient
• Ice is insufficient to maintain temperature
• Shelf life is insufficient

Explain the scombrotoxin risk: at temperatures above 4°c, fish start to spoil and produce histamines. These histamines cause scombrotoxic fish poisoning. The symptoms are similar to a severe allergic reaction, and unlike bacterial toxins, histamines aren't destroyed by cooking. Once formed, they stay in the fish.

Storage requirements

Ready-to-eat items must never be prepared in the designated fish section—keep raw fish separate from ready-to-eat preparation.

If possible, provide a designated fridge for raw fish. This ensures cross-contamination doesn't occur.

If no designated fish fridge is available, fish must be stored in a standard fridge below ready-to-eat foods but above other raw items such as raw meats. This hierarchy prevents contamination in both directions.

The 20-minute preparation window

This is the core discipline of sushi work. Each fish must be prepared within a 20-minute window, then returned promptly to refrigerated storage below 5°c.

Only one salmon or tuna fillet is to be removed from refrigeration and cut at any one time. Don't take out multiple fillets "to save trips"—each fillet starts its own 20-minute clock.

For maki preparation: salmon used in maki must be prepared within 20 minutes and must not be out of refrigeration for longer than one hour. Salmon maki must be prepared and placed into refrigeration or served to customers within 20 minutes.

The 1-hour maximum rule

Fish must not be out of refrigeration for longer than one hour total. This is the absolute maximum, not a target.

Sushi and sashimi products must be prepared within 20 minutes. If sushi (fish) is out of temperature control for more than 20 minutes, continue to monitor the time. If out of temperature control for longer than one hour, the sushi (fish) and sashimi products must be discarded.

Any remaining maki in working gastronorms should be discarded after one hour.

Working portions and gastronorm technique

This technique controls the volume of fish at room temperature at any time:

Salmon is removed from refrigeration and placed in small gastronorm wells to ensure excessive amounts are not left at ambient temperatures. Only remove what you need for immediate preparation.

Any trimmings not used should be kept in a small gastronorm and disposed of at regular intervals. Don't let trimmings accumulate at room temperature.

Hand and personal hygiene

Staff must ensure strict levels of hand hygiene when preparing sushi and sashimi. This section needs special emphasis because there's no cooking step to protect customers.

High standards and regular occurrence of hand washing will remove harmful bacteria to safe levels, helping to prevent the transference of pathogenic bacteria to food.

Demonstrate your hand washing expectations—before starting preparation, between tasks, after touching anything other than the fish and clean equipment. The standards are higher than for other food preparation.

Bone removal

During salmon preparation, the fillet is checked for bones. Any found to be present are removed with tweezers.

Fish bones can render the food unfit for consumption as they can cause physical injury to the consumer. This is a systematic check, not a casual glance—run your fingers along the fillet to feel for bones.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

This is where you show staff exactly what correct raw fish handling looks like.

Delivery checking demonstration

Show the complete delivery inspection:

"A fish delivery has arrived. I'm going to demonstrate the full checking process."

"First, temperature. I'm checking with my sanitised probe—this fish must be at 4°c or below. I'm probing between packages on the ice bed. This reads 2°c—excellent."

"I'm checking the ice bed itself. Is there sufficient ice? Is it still solid, or has it melted to slush? This ice looks good—the fish has been maintained at near-freezing throughout transport."

"Packaging integrity: I'm checking each item for damage. No tears, no punctures. The fish hasn't been exposed to the environment."

"Now I'm checking my documentation. Do I have written confirmation that this tuna has been frozen at -20°c for at least 24 hours for parasite control? Yes, here's the certification from our supplier. Without this document, I would reject this delivery."

"This salmon is labelled as farmed Atlantic—that meets our requirement. Alternatively, I'd need the same freezing certification as the tuna."

"Everything checks out. I'm recording the delivery temperature in our log, and the fish is going straight into our fish fridge."

Storage demonstration

Show correct positioning:

"Our fish fridge is designated for raw fish only. If you don't have a dedicated fish fridge, remember the hierarchy: fish goes below ready-to-eat foods but above raw meat and poultry."

"I'm storing this at the back where it's coldest. The fridge is running at 3°c—I check this twice daily and record it."

The 20-minute window demonstration

Show the complete preparation process with time tracking:

"I need to prepare salmon for sashimi. I'm checking the time: it's 11:15. I have until 11:35 to complete this preparation."

"I'm removing ONE fillet from the fridge. Not two, not three—one. Each fillet has its own 20-minute clock."

"I'm placing this in a small gastronorm on my prep station. This gastronorm contains only what I need right now—I'm not loading it with fish that will sit at room temperature."

"First, I'm checking for bones. I'm running my fingers along the flesh—here's one. I'm removing it with tweezers. Another one here. I'm being systematic because missed bones can injure customers."

"Now I'm slicing. My knife is sharp, my movements are efficient. I'm not chatting, not getting distracted, not wandering off to do something else. The clock is running."

"It's 11:28. I've finished slicing. The sashimi is going directly onto the serving plate for immediate service, or if it's for later, it goes straight back into refrigeration."

"Total time out of refrigeration: 13 minutes. Well within the 20-minute window."

Working with gastronorms for maki

Show the technique:

"For maki preparation, I'm using small gastronorm wells. I've removed a working portion of salmon—just enough for the next 20 minutes of production."

"As I prepare maki, I'm returning completed rolls to the fridge or serving immediately. I'm not building up a pile of finished maki at room temperature."

"It's been 20 minutes since I started. I'm checking my gastronorm—there's some salmon left. I have two choices: use it immediately in the next 40 minutes (total 1 hour out), or discard it. Since I don't have immediate orders, this salmon is going in the waste."

"I'm recording this discard: salmon, time, reason—exceeded safe working window."

Temperature excursion demonstration

Show what happens when things go wrong:

"I've discovered our fish storage fridge is showing 6°c—that's above our 5°c target."

"First, I wait 30 minutes and recheck. Still above 5°c. Now I need to check the actual temperature of the fish with a probe."

"This fish is reading 5.5°c—above target but below the critical 8°c. I'm monitoring closely. If it rises above 8°c, or if it's been like this for an extended period, I have to make a decision."

"Fish found to be above 8°c must be discarded. For fish between 5-8°c, I monitor for 30 minutes. If still above 5°c after that monitoring period, it must be discarded."

"All faults to refrigerators must be reported immediately and engineers called."

Hand hygiene emphasis

Demonstrate the standards:

"Before I touch any fish, I'm washing my hands thoroughly. Full technique—wet, soap, 20 seconds of scrubbing, rinse, dry with disposable paper."

"I've just touched the door handle. Hands again before I return to the fish."

"I've sneezed away from the prep area. Hands again."

"This seems excessive for normal cooking, but for raw fish there's no heat step to protect customers. Every bacteria my hands transfer will be consumed. My hand hygiene must be exceptional."

Quality assessment at delivery

Checking fish quality, not just temperature:

"Temperature is critical, but quality assessment matters too. Let me show you what I look for."

"The flesh should be firm, not mushy. I'm pressing gently—this salmon springs back. That's good. Soft or mushy flesh indicates degradation."

"The colour should be appropriate for the species. This tuna is deep red—correct. If it were brown or had grey patches, I'd be concerned about oxidation and quality."

"The smell should be fresh and clean—like the sea, not fishy or sour. This salmon smells fine. An ammonia or strong fishy smell means decomposition has started."

"These quality checks matter because quality and safety are linked. Fish that's starting to degrade may not be at dangerous bacterial levels yet, but the quality decline indicates the cold chain has been compromised somewhere."

Workspace setup for sushi preparation

Creating a dedicated sushi station:

"Let me show you how I set up my workspace before starting sushi preparation."

"This area is dedicated to raw fish work. I'm not preparing other items here simultaneously—that would create cross-contamination risk."

"My board is clean and sanitised. My knives are sharp—dull knives require more force and can damage the fish's texture. My gastronorms are ready for working portions."

"I have my timer visible—I need to track that 20-minute window. I have my probe thermometer ready for checking fish temperature if there's any question."

"I have a container ready for trimmings. I'm not letting scraps accumulate on the board where they warm up and potentially cross-contaminate the portions I'm preparing."

"Everything is set up before I take fish out of the fridge. Once the fish comes out, the clock is running. I don't want to be hunting for equipment while my fish warms up."

Managing sushi during service

During active service periods:

"During service, I might be preparing sushi continuously for hours. Let me show you how to manage this safely."

"I'm working in batches. I take out one fillet, prepare as many portions as I need right now, return the fillet or discard trimmings. Then when the next order comes in, I take out fresh fish."

"I'm not 'getting ahead' by preparing sushi in advance. Sushi prepared now is meant to be served now. If an order takes longer than expected, those pieces may need to be discarded."

"My working gastronorm gets swapped for a fresh one regularly. I'm not accumulating small amounts of fish that have been sitting at room temperature for unknown periods."

"Every 20 minutes, I do a mental reset: how long has the fish currently on my board been out? If it's been 20 minutes, everything currently out either gets used immediately or discarded. Fresh fish comes out for the next batch."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Address the mistakes that put raw fish customers at serious risk.

Mistake 1: Taking multiple fillets from the fridge at once. Each fillet has its own 20-minute clock. Multiple fillets mean multiple clocks, and it's easy to lose track. One fillet at a time.

Mistake 2: Leaving fish out "just a bit longer." The 20-minute window is a limit, not a target. If you haven't finished, return the fish to the fridge and restart the clock with a fresh fillet.

Mistake 3: Accepting fish without parasite freezing certification. Without documentation proving the required freezing treatment, you cannot serve the fish raw. Reject deliveries that lack certification.

Mistake 4: Accepting delivery temperature above 4°c. Fish above 4°c may already be producing histamines. Reject and contact the supplier.

Mistake 5: Using the same prep area for raw fish and ready-to-eat items. Cross-contamination is a serious risk. Keep fish preparation separate.

Mistake 6: Inadequate hand hygiene. Standard kitchen hand washing isn't sufficient for raw fish work. The frequency and thoroughness must be higher.

Mistake 7: Not checking for bones during salmon preparation. Bones cause physical injury. Every fillet must be systematically checked, not glanced at.

Mistake 8: Letting trimmings accumulate at room temperature. Trimmings are fish too. They follow the same time rules. Dispose of them regularly.

Mistake 9: Using alternative suppliers without head office approval. Your regular supplier is certified. A backup supplier may not have the required parasite treatment or HACCP procedures. Never substitute without verification.

Mistake 10: Assuming fish that looks fine is fine. Histamines are invisible and odourless. Bacterial contamination isn't visible. You cannot assess safety by looking at the fish. Follow the time and temperature rules regardless of appearance.

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the core principles of raw fish handling.

20 minutes is the preparation window. Each fillet, each preparation session, 20 minutes maximum. Return fish to refrigeration within this window.

1 hour is the absolute maximum out of refrigeration. If fish exceeds this, discard it. No exceptions, no "it looks fine."

4°c is the delivery and storage limit. Fish above 4°c produces histamines that cause scombrotoxic poisoning. These toxins don't go away with cooking—once formed, they stay.

Parasite freezing certification is mandatory. Tuna and salmon served raw must have been frozen at -20°c for 24 hours minimum. Without documentation, reject the delivery.

One fillet at a time from the fridge. Each fillet starts its own clock. Multiple fillets mean lost track of time.

Dedicated fish storage is ideal. If not possible, fish goes below ready-to-eat but above other raw items.

Hand hygiene must be exceptional. No cooking step means every bacterium you transfer is consumed. Wash frequently, wash thoroughly.

Check for bones systematically. Feel along the entire fillet. Remove with tweezers. Bones cause physical injury.

Only use approved suppliers. Head office must approve any alternatives and verify certifications. Don't substitute suppliers casually.

Record everything: delivery temperatures, rejections, discards, fridge temperatures, training. Your records prove your system works.

When time limits are exceeded, discard without hesitation. The cost of thrown-away fish is nothing compared to the cost of a scombrotoxin poisoning incident.

Staff preparing sushi and raw fish need extra training and supervision. This is specialised work requiring specialised knowledge and discipline. Don't assign it to untrained staff.

Sushi preparation demands precision, discipline, and an understanding that every minute matters. The standards are higher than other kitchen work because the risks are higher. Master the fundamentals—time control, temperature control, hygiene—and you can safely serve this highest-risk category of food.