Rainbow trout cannot be eaten raw.

Rainbow trout belongs to freshwater fish, and freshwater fish and shrimp usually can not be eaten raw, they may carry a variety of parasites in the body, such as broad-jointed schizothoracic tapeworms, schistosoma lungworms, huaji testis (commonly known as liver schistosomes), jawed nematodes and so on.

Not only freshwater fish, but also sea fish that used to live in freshwater and semi-saline water are not suitable for eating raw, and this even includes wild salmon in the migratory stage. Wild salmon caught at sea can also be infected with heterotrichous nematodes and tapeworms.

The good news is that these parasitic organisms are biologically complex and do not tolerate low-temperature freezing. Marine fish imported through proper channels are usually frozen at the required low temperatures (usually -35 degrees Celsius for 15 hours or -23 degrees Celsius for a week), making them relatively safe to eat raw.

Morphological Characteristics of Rainbow Trout:

The body is laterally compressed, with a large, obliquely cleft, terminal mouth. The muzzle is rounded and blunt, and the upper jaw is finely toothed. The dorsal fin is short at the base and there is a small adipose fin after the dorsal fin. The pectoral fins are medium and slightly pointed at the end. Ventral fin smaller, away from anal fin. Scales are small and rounded. Dorsal and top of head bluish-green, yellowish-green and brown, sides of body and belly silvery-white, white and grayish-white.

The head, sides, dorsum, and fins are irregularly distributed with small black spots. Sexually mature individuals have a wide, bright red iridescent band of purplish-red and peach along the lateral line, running straight to the base of the caudal fin, which is especially colorful during the breeding season. It resembles a rainbow, hence the name.