Hi Lynton,

Stefan:
>>to get rid of parasites in raw fish, maybe one way is to keep the fish
>>at room temperature in an airtight box for app. 3 or 4 days. Of course
>>it will smell awful afterwards.

Lynton:
>so some people do it cold, and others out in the open.
>What is important about the 'airtight' box? Do we want to exclude oxygen?
>or is it to keep the air we breath breathable while the aging is
>happening?

I wrote it for the latter reason. :-) I didn't investigate the difference
between open and airtight aging yet.

Lynton:
>And what happens to the brave person who tries this for the first time?
>Is it best to try a bit at a time?

See my recipe "Mackerel Wienerwald". Aged fish that was not dried, can
give you a strong detox reaction. If you obey the instinctive stop care-
fully, stopping at the first weak taste change you will do best.

Stefan:
>>If there are parasites, it is most likely, that they are developing and
>>growing then, so you can see them.

Lynton:
>Yeah, do we eat it then or thro it away?  Or are they dead and eatable?
>Is there anything wrong with eating the fresh fish with the parasites
>rather than the smelly fish?

People who are afraid of parasites should throw away the fish. Personal-
ly I don't care but I never had problems with parasites, not even in
cooked times. Some fish tape worms can be very nasty, I heard of other
instinctos. Be careful.
You can eat the fresh fish of course (not knowing if it contains para-
sites). Following your instincts you would prefer aged fish, I assume,
because it gives a smell. Too fresh fish doesn't smell, so an Instincto
wouldn't eat it.

Stefan:
>>To make the fish eatable, you would have to dry it then.

Lynton:
>seems like this is optional, but what are the implications for wet or
>dry?

Wet aged fish: mostly gives a sharp taste and can stop you soon.
Dry aged fish: smoother, fattier, more concentrated, mostly not sharp.

Lynton:
>Like, what kinds of fish does this apply to?

All kinds IMHO.

Lynton:
>I guess the bottom line is:  Is it  _healthy_ ?

If eaten instinctively: yes, of course. If not: dunno.

Fishy instinctive wishes,

Stefan