A woman’s LongHorn Steakhouse salmon was completely raw inside, and when she complained, the employee said ‘that hardly ever happens’

A TikTok creator has gone viral after showing what she says was a completely raw salmon fillet inside her LongHorn Steakhouse takeout order, as detailed by BroBible. The video, posted by @zee.troit, racked up over 252,000 views and divided the comments over how the restaurant handled her complaint. According to her, she ordered a 10-ounce salmon with a sweet potato, broccoli, and salad.

When she got home and opened the bag, she cut into the fish and found the inside still pink and uncooked despite the exterior appearing seared. “When I got home and I realized that my salmon is completely raw all the way through, I called up there,” she said in the video. She asked the restaurant to replace her order. The employee’s response is what set off the debate online.

“Do you mind bringing that up here so we can see it? Because that hardly ever happens because they temp it out,” she recalled the employee saying. “Are you cool?” she responded on camera. “Are you OK?”

LongHorn Steakhouse did eventually make it right. In a photo update, she said the restaurant apologized, replaced her meal, and threw in a free strawberry shortcake. Food quality complaints at restaurant chains going viral are nothing new, with a separate incident at Burger King drawing its own wave of reactions after a woman found something unexpected on her bun.

Is undercooked salmon actually dangerous?

It can be. The Food and Drug Administration says most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Without a thermometer, fish should be opaque and separate easily with a fork. Raw or undercooked fish can carry parasites including Anisakis, a worm the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links to raw and undercooked marine fish.

Symptoms can include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, rash, and in rare cases, anaphylaxis. Raw salmon eaten at sushi restaurants is a different matter. Fish intended for raw consumption is typically frozen beforehand by commercial suppliers to destroy parasites, sourced specifically for raw eating, and handled differently from a salmon steak on a dinner menu.

The FDA notes that freezing can kill some parasites but does not eliminate all harmful germs, and that cooking remains the safest option. The comments were split. Some sided with the restaurant. “Girl just bring the salmon back,” one person wrote. A viewer who identified as a server said the request to see the food was reasonable.

“Uhhh I’m a server lmaooo them asking that is very valid,” they wrote. Others thought the restaurant should have led with an apology before asking for the food back. One commenter wrote that the correct response should have been, “We do apologize for this if you can bring it back we would be happy to remake it for you.” In the comments, she clarified her position. “Asking wasn’t wrong, the way she handled the situation was,” she wrote. “First things first she owed me an apology.

She did not give me an apology, she asked for the meal.”