Yes, you can use a wooden cutting board for raw fish and sushi. A hard, smooth wooden board is a good surface for slicing fish: it holds still, it does not dull a long slicing knife the way glass or stone does, and it cleans well with hot, soapy water. What matters is the order of work. Start on a clean board, keep the fish cold, and wash the board, the knife and your hands as soon as you finish.
The rest of this guide covers what changes when the fish will be eaten raw, and how to care for the board afterward.
Raw fish on a board: the two situations
There are two different jobs here, and they call for slightly different thinking.
Fish you will cook. Salmon fillets for the oven, cod for tacos, tuna steaks for the grill. The fish is raw on the board, but cooking finishes the job. The FDA says most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. The board’s role is to keep raw juices away from everything else.
Fish you will eat raw. Sashimi, poke, crudo, a hand roll. Here nothing comes after the board to make the fish safer. The board, the knife and your hands are the last steps, so they need to be clean before the fish arrives, not only after.
In both cases the FDA’s safe food handling guidance applies: use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
Buying fish to eat raw
The board cannot make up for the fish. Start at the counter.
The FDA’s guide to selecting seafood says fresh fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour or ammonia-like, with clear, shiny eyes and flesh that springs back when pressed. It also says that if you eat raw fish, one rule of thumb is to choose fish that has been previously frozen, because freezing will kill any parasites that may be present. Freezing does not kill all harmful germs, which is why the FDA still calls cooking the safest route.
For restaurants, section 3-402.11 of the FDA Food Code, the model that state and local regulators use to write their own rules, calls for fish served raw to be frozen first to destroy parasites: at -4°F or below for at least 7 days, or at -31°F or below on shorter schedules of 15 or 24 hours. Certain tuna species and some farmed fish raised on formulated feed are among the exemptions.
Labels are a different matter. America’s Test Kitchen reports that there are no regulations governing the use of the term “sushi grade,” and suggests talking with your fishmonger about what the label means to them and whether the fish has been frozen for safety.
The FDA also advises that pregnant women, children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems avoid raw or undercooked fish and shellfish, such as sashimi and the raw seafood in some sushi and ceviche.
Setting up the board
Start clean. Wash the board in hot, soapy water before raw fish meets it, even if it looks clean. Rinse it and dry it with a clean towel.
Cut raw fish last, or on its own board. Slice the cucumber, avocado and scallions first, move them to a plate, then bring out the fish. For a full sushi night, a second board for the produce makes the order simpler.
Keep the fish cold. The FDA says seafood you will use within 2 days of purchase belongs in a clean refrigerator at 40°F or below, and anything else belongs in the freezer. Work from cold fish and cut only what you are about to serve. A bowl set over ice holds the rest.
Use a long, sharp knife. Raw fish slices cleanly in one long pull. A dull knife tears the flesh and needs more pressure, which is when a blade slips.
The WONAMU. acacia cutting board suits this kind of work. Acacia is a true hardwood, denser and heavier than bamboo, so a 12 by 9 inch board stays put while you draw a knife through a block of tuna, and its grain treats an edge more gently than its hardness alone would suggest. The perimeter juice groove holds the liquid that collects under sliced fish instead of letting it run onto the counter.
Cleaning the board after raw fish
Do this right away, before the board sits.
- Scrape off any bits of skin or flesh into the trash.
- Wash with hot, soapy water. The FDA advises washing cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counters with soap and hot water between preparing raw foods such as seafood and preparing cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Rinse and sanitize for added protection. The FDA says kitchen sanitizers can be used on cutting boards and counters after use for added protection. The method the Winnebago County office of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension describes is 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water, left on the board for several minutes, then rinsed off. Can you use bleach on a wooden cutting board covers that step in detail.
- Dry it fully. Towel off both faces and stand the board on edge so air reaches every side.
- Wash the knife and your hands. The FDA’s figure for hands is at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water after handling any raw food.
Never soak a wooden board in the sink, and never put it in the dishwasher. Both can warp or split any wooden board.
Dealing with fish smell
Fish can leave a faint smell on any cutting board. Rinse the board under cold water first, then wash it in hot, soapy water. A paste of baking soda and a little water, scrubbed along the grain and rinsed, helps with anything left.
Oil the board once it is dry. Acacia is naturally water-resistant when oiled, so a well-kept board gives fish juices less chance to soak in. How to care for an acacia cutting board covers the oiling routine, and cutting board smells when wet explains what to do when an odor keeps coming back.
The knife work
For sashimi-style slices, set the fish with the grain running across the board so you cut across the muscle fibers. Start the cut at the heel of the knife and draw it toward you in one smooth stroke, letting the length of the blade do the work rather than sawing back and forth. How to portion a salmon fillet shows the same long-stroke technique on a larger piece.
Wipe the blade with a damp cloth between slices. Clean steel gives cleaner cuts.
The short version
A wooden cutting board is a sound surface for raw fish and sushi. Wash it before the fish arrives, cut produce first or on its own board, keep the fish at 40°F or below until you slice it, and wash the board in hot, soapy water as soon as you finish, sanitizing with 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon for added protection. For raw eating, buy fish meant to be eaten raw, ideally previously frozen. Fish you cook should reach 145°F.
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WONAMU. makes an acacia cutting board designed for daily prep, 12 × 9 inches, acacia, with a perimeter juice groove. Available on Amazon.
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