Finding tiny white worm-like creatures wriggling in your salmon sounds like something out of a nightmare. But as gross as it feels, it’s actually pretty common.
In a 2023 article from the Food Science & Human Nutrition section of the University of Illinois, food safety professor Martin Stasiewicz explained that wild-caught fish commonly carry live parasites.
Still, that doesn’t make it any less jarring when people spot them in their own kitchens—and TikTok is full of these unsettling discoveries.
Most recently, TikTok creator Ryan Martin (@ryannmartini) shared his own finding, and his video quickly went viral with more than 386,000 views.
Man Finds Parasites In Costco Salmon
“Costco count your days,” Martin wrote in the text overlay of his video.
He starts by setting the scene: “So I’m about to make some salmon,” he says, standing near his Traeger grill. “I got all this s— set up. Grill is smoking.”
But then the camera zooms in on a cubed piece of salmon in his hand. Two small parasites are crawling out of the cut, moving visibly.
“Bro. Look at…” he exclaims, before adding, “Dude, stop.”
He shows the packaging to make it clear: this was fresh, wild-caught salmon from Costco. “Costco I need a refund plus damages,” he wrote in the caption.
Is This Safe To Eat?
It might not feel like it, but if treated properly, it is.
“Worms are gross, but once cooked, the fish would likely be fine to eat,” Stasiewicz said in the University of Illinois article.
Freezing fish before eating, or cooking it at low temperatures, can also kill parasites, which is why sushi-grade fish goes through deep freezing before it’s served raw.
If the idea of seeing live worms is a dealbreaker, farmed salmon might be the way to go. Because it’s fed heat-treated dry feed, it doesn’t typically carry live parasites.
Commenters Chime In
In the comments, Martin’s viewers weren’t shocked by what they were looking at.
“Almost all fish has parasites,” one user wrote. “Costco has nothing to do with this.”
Another added, “Get farmed salmon if you don’t want to see parasites lol.”
“All wild fish has parasites. Go get some never frozen cod. Same thing. Hence why you cook it to kill them,” someone explained. “This is actually why the Japanese serve wasabi with raw sushi—to chemically kill those exact parasites.”
“Fish = parasites. Every time. Fun fact: ‘sushi quality’ actually just means frozen to a certain temp before use so all the parasites die,” one more person wrote.
@ryannmartini Costco I need a refund plus damages😭 #costco #parasite #salmon
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
BroBible has reached out to Costco via its contact form and to Martin via TikTok direct messages.