J – We are not masters of Japanese cuisine …
yet, we love to try preparing new things. Not conflict, just mindfulness … and a bunch of practice. We respect culinary tradition, while being adventurous. Japanese cuisine, particularly raw fish served as “sushi,” is one of our favorites.
NOTE: Our ingredients give you a preview of just how much fish we prepared this week. Yum!
What’s not to like at a sushi bar? Of course, one has to get the definitions straight, first.
As we understand it, “Sushi is vinegared rice, which is served with various dishes. If sushi is served with a single fish topping, then it is called nigiri. And if a thin slice of fish is served without any rice, then it is called sashimi.”
Luke was all over trying this. Our local fish monger has some of the best fish around. Truth-be-told, they supply most of the high-end Japanese restaurants and retailers in the area. Not a bad resource, in our opinion.
Want to try this at home? It’s not all that hard. So, what’s important? Fresh, fresh, fresh. A really, really sharp knife. Cut carefully, with intention, and serve immediately. Prepare the rice, garnish and sauces, if any, in advance.
| Japanese Week: Sashimi and Nigiri |
- Ahi, three ¼ inch slices per person, cut on a bias
- Hamachi, three ¼ inch slices per person, cut on a bias
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce, for each person
- 1 tsp wasabi, for each person
- 6 pieces picked ginger, for each person
- Ahi, two ¼ inch slices, cut on a bias
- Hamachi, two ¼ inch slices, cut on a bias
- ¼ cup sushi rice
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce, for each person
- 1 tsp wasabi, for each person
- 6 pieces picked ginger, for each person
- Cut the freshest fish into ¼ inch thin slices.
- Serve on a plate. Separately place soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger on the plate.
- Enjoy!
- Divide sushi rice to four equal parts.
- Shape rice into rectangle shapes by pressing into the palm of your hand.
- Place one piece of fish on top of rice. Press firmly to make rice adhere to fish.
- Set on plate and repeat with the next three.
- Serve on a plate. Separately place soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger on the plate.
- Enjoy!
The plates were clean pretty much immediately after shooting.
Wow! We’ll do this again. Stay tuned for more Japanese adventures this week.