Japanese Sushi

Bite-sized morsels of seasoned rice and (generally, but not always) raw fish

I feel like I need to start by putting any concerns you might have to rest. Sushi is easier to make than you think, and it’s even fun. Second, as long as you have a reliable fish supplier, who can vouch for the freshness and quality of their fish and assure you that it is “sushi grade,” you can even make sushi (including sashimi) with raw fish. That said, if you don’t have such a supplier, don’t want to take the risk, or just don’t like raw fish, delicious sushi can be made with cooked fish, cooked egg, or with vegetables alone.

When we were in Japan, the sushi we ate tended to be fairly simple. Most of the time we would order nigiri, a patty of pressed sushi rice formed in the palm of the chef’s hand and roughly the size and shape of two fingers pressed together, topped with a slab of fish or rice, making a morsel that is just on the upper end of bite-sized. Otherwise we would order sushi rolls made with one or two ingredients.

The austerity of the sushi we had in Japan stood in marked contrast to the elaborate and perhaps overly complex flavor-bombs that fill the “specialty roll” section of menus in American sushi restaurants: enormous rolls stuffed with diverse chili-kickin’, tempura-fried, sauce slathered mixtures of fish and veggies. I’ve since learned that the flavorful rolls that are popular in the US were created because there was, historically, a lack of fresh fish in many parts of the US, and Sushi restaurants conceived of these rolls to hide less-than-fresh-fish flavors, or used alternative ingredients to simulate the colors and textures of Japanese sushi. And even though I understand this, having tasted excellent traditional sushi in both the US and Japan, I still like to order at least one dragon roll or other American classic whenever I go out for sushi.

Sushi takes a lot of time to prepare, and I only make it a few times a year for special occasions or for a special sushi dinner party. I like to prepare the rice and ingredients in advance and let our guests make their own sushi.

Ingredients:

Sushi Rice:

· 2 c. sushi rice

· 3 c. water

· 1/3 c. sugar

· 1/3 c. natural rice vinegar (unseasoned)

· 2 t. oil (vegetable or peanut)

· 1 t. salt

For Sashimi:

· 12 oz. sushi grade fish, cut (against the grain) into ¼ in. thickness roughly 1 in. x 2 in.

· Wasabi

For Rolls:

· 8 sheets of nori (seaweed)

· Filling (see below for ideas)

Serve all sushi with:

· Wasabi

· Pickled ginger

· Soy sauce

Directions:

1. Making the sushi rice:

a. Put rice in a colander or strainer and rinse, mixing the rice constantly, for several minutes.

b. Drain the rice and add to a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 min.

c. Meanwhile, add sugar and rice vinegar to a small saucepan. Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add oil and salt.

d. When rice is finished, remove from heat and stir in vinegar mixture. Spread the rice on a large baking sheet and covered with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge to cool.

2. To make nigiri:

a. Shape about 2 T. of sushi rice in the palm of your hand to make the nigiri patty. The rice will quickly begin sticking to your palm, so you should use plastic gloves or use two small sheets of plastic wrap to keep the rice from coming into contact with your skin.

b. Smear the top of the rice with a dab of wasabi and top with one of the following ingredients, each cut into a piece roughly ¼ inch thick, 2 in. x 4 in.:

· Bluefin tuna

· Yellowfin tuna (ahi)

· Albacore tuna

· Yellowtail

· Salmon

· Red Snapper

· Barbecue freshwater eel (available frozen from some Asian grocers – heat and top with eel sauce, also available at Asian grocers)

· Cooked butterflied shrimp (cut almost through, lengthwise, flattened, and steamed, pressed)

3. To make sushi rolls (maki):

a. Prepare the filling (see below for ideas)

b. Place a piece of plastic wrap on a bamboo sushi roller.

c. Cut the nori sheets in half and place one on the bottom half of the sushi roller.

d. Cover the nori with an even layer of sushi rice, about ¼ in. thick. Place another sheet of plastic wrap over the rice and pat down until it sticks together.

e. For inside out sushi:

i. Flip the nori over (between the plastic sheets) so that it is nori-side up. Remove the plastic from the nori side.

ii. Put your favorite filling inside, in a ¼ to ½ in. strip along the first 1/3 of the nori, parallel to the strips of bamboo in the roller.

iii. Roll the sushi, holding the plastic against the sushi roller so it will not get wrapped up in the roll. Press firmly enough to get a nice, tight roll, but not so tight that it presses out the filling.

iv. The end result is a tight, round roll that is wrapped in plastic wrap.

v. Cut the roll into 1 in. pieces, through the plastic with a very sharp knife, wiping the blade clean as needed. Cutting the wrapped roll keeps it together as you cut.

f. To make traditional rolls (nori on the outside):

i. Roll with the rice side up. Same as above, but the nori on the outside holds the rice in place, so it doesn’t need to be cut while wrapped in plastic. This is the traditional way to make maki. The inside-out rolls were conceived to hide the seaweed from westerners to make them more appetizing.

Filling for Maki Sushi (rolls):

Cucumber Avocado Rolls

· 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼ in. thick strips

· 1 ripe avocado, cut into ¼ in. strips and tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning

California Rolls

· ½ lb. real crab meat

· 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼ in. thick strips

· 1 ripe avocado, cut into ¼ in. strips and tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning

Tuna Avocado Rolls

· ½ lb. fresh tuna, cut into ¼ in. slices against the grain, and then into ¼ in. strips

· 1 ripe avocado, cut into ¼ in. strips and tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning

Philadelphia Rolls

· ½ lb. smoked salmon, cut into ¼. In. strips

· 1 – 8 oz. package of Philadelphia brand (or other brand) cream cheese, cut into ¼ in. strips

· 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼ in. thick strips