Can Eating Tuna Scrape Make You Sick?

First, you're probably wondering what exactly tuna scrape is. You may not be familiar with the name, but if you've ever had a spicy tuna roll, then chances are, you might have already tried tuna scrape. Tuna scrape, also known as nakaochi, is the back meat of the tuna that's been scraped off the bones of the fish after the filets have been removed from the spine, explains Food Safety News. Unlike the controversial pink slime, made from processed beef trimmings, to which tuna scrape has sometimes been unfairly compared, there is no additional processing that occurs after the tuna meat has been scraped off the ribs.

Tuna scrape isn't usually sold directly the consumers in the US. Instead, it is sold to restaurants and markets, which use it to make spicy tuna rolls and other sushi dishes that use minced tuna, explains Time. In some restaurants, like New York City's Mifune and Kanoyama, entire slabs of tuna ribs are served as a delicacy, and diners are given spoons or seashells to scrape off the meat between the ribs themselves — essentially making their own fresh tuna scrape, to be enjoyed as is or in a hand roll.