Anyone out there make sushi at home? I've been making some veggie rolls, but I want to try some with fish.
My question is: Can I just use regular salmon and tuna from the grocery store? Do I need to do anything speical with it to reduce the risk of bacteria?
I was on the make at home sushi game for a little bit. I tired myself out. Between rolling, prepping the rice, going out and getting sushi ready fish.
When it comes to prepping fish for sushi I was always advised at purchasing from places that sell sushi ready fish. Especially prepped for sushi. anything should be avoided.
food & safety laws are strict, only sushi grade fish are allowed to be served by restaurants for sushi. Most fish are flash frozen to kill parasites before being served as sushi. You will rarely find any fish in n. america used for sushi that hasn't been flash frozen before. The debate rages on in the taste factor amongst foodies all over....
places you can go in toronto for sushi grade fish
st lawrence market - there are a few stalls that sell it, selection is a bit limited to tuna/salmon.
Anyone out there make sushi at home? I've been making some veggie rolls, but I want to try some with fish.
My question is: Can I just use regular salmon and tuna from the grocery store? Do I need to do anything speical with it to reduce the risk of bacteria?
I NEVER make sushi at home. Sushi is a true art form that is not to be fucked with. Two friends of mine here in Seattle run the best sushi shops in the city and they both told me stories about learning to make sushi. They both did the traditional apprenticeship for learning the art of sushi making in Japan. As soon as they finished high school they moved into a sushi shop and would live there sleeping in a back room at night. For the first two years they were only allowed to watch the other sushi chefs and make the sushi rice. After two years they were allowed to handle the knifes and were taught how to prepare and cut the fish. It is SERIOUS business folls! Do you research and find a good authentic sushi place in your city and dine there instead. Remember to ALWAYS sit at the sushi counter and talk with the sushi chefs. Find out what is fresh, what is special, etc. They will often make things for you that are not on the menu. If you HAVE to make sushi at home, try to find a Japanese supermarket and check out their fish section. They should have fish all ready cut for sashimi and sushi. You will not find sushi cut maguro, hamachi, etc. in a Western supermarket. If you get serious you will need a set of Japanese sushi knifes. Also try to use fresh wasabi root and not the bright green stuff in a tube. You really should go out and eat at a good sushi spot. Just making the sushi rice is an art form. You need to have the sushi rice at a specific temperature than mix it in a special wooden rounded box, then fan it while adding the vinegar to give it the correct texture.
do not mess w/ any chain supermarket for seafood, it's not a good rook. Although if it was an emergency, dominion would have the best choice of the lot (loblaws/food basics/etc).
there are a few high end supermarkets in the city you can try too if you want (whole foods/pusateri's).
ps: like chan said, I leave sushi to the experts. Sushi rice is too exact of a science for me to delve in.
oh shit! yes both professionally and at home. all of the above is true to some extent, but here's my basic rundown
1- cooking good rice takes a lot of practice, but if you've been making veggie rolls for a while seems like you have at least a basic idea of what to do...there's a book called "japanese food: a simple art" that's worth browsing if you feel like you're still having trouble.
2- for a fish to be sushi grade it has to be of a certain freshness, a certain quality, and a certain type. but don't feel like it has to have some sushi grade stamp on it for you to eat it raw. honestly most fishmongers i've dealt with in the US don't really know what they're talking about when it comes to raw fish. and tuna is the only fish i've ever seen in the US that's been given a "sushi grade" label.
here's some other otions that shouldn't be too hard to find:
3- a grocery store is not where it's at. go to a fishmonger. and ideally you should be buying whole fish. if the guy only has fillets, call up and ask that they leave few fish whole one day so you can have a look. the fish should all be on ice, and if your fish guy is legit, all of this should be no problem. otherwise go somewhere else.
4- when buy the fish look for firm flesh, clear eyes, etc...the fish should be visually calling to you that it's something that you really want to put in your mouth. and buy whatever looks the best don't just buy the artic char because that's what you were planning on if there's something else that looks better. and slime on the skin is a really good sign, dry skin is a bad one. and you can either fillet it at home or have the fish guy do it for you on the spot.
5- as far as the parts of the fish go, the upper half of the belly is generally really good. the fattier bottom half is really good too but the texture is chewier. what i like to do is chop the shit out of this part and mix it wwith some spicy mayo, soy, maybe a little scallion or something so it's almost like paste. really nice to do with boston mackeral too which has a really mushy texture. the loin section is good too (meaning the section above the belly and rib bones running from the head to the end of the belly (or about halfway down the fish). tail section is edible too but may have a slightly chewier texture than most americans prefer. and one more thing, you'll notice some darker sections of the flesh...this is the blood line that runs through the fish. fine to eat but is usually on the bitter side. some sushi chefs will often include small sections of the bloodline, but you'll probably want to cut it off at first.
good luck and have fun with it. raw fish isn't really something to worry too much about. just trust your judgment
real heads got that wholesale fish market hook-up.
oh and to answer your question, if you're preparing it at home, eat it as sashimi. Just thinly sliced raw fish. get some soy sauce, little wasabi, and a glass of nama beer, and you're good.
real heads got that wholesale fish market hook-up.
oh and to answer your question, if you're preparing it at home, eat it as sashimi. Just thinly sliced raw fish. get some soy sauce, little wasabi, and a glass of nama beer, and you're good.
Yuichi what you know about the Marukai markets? Thats where the realness is.
What I want to know is whats the best type of rice to use?
real heads got that wholesale fish market hook-up.
oh and to answer your question, if you're preparing it at home, eat it as sashimi. Just thinly sliced raw fish. get some soy sauce, little wasabi, and a glass of nama beer, and you're good.
Yuichi what you know about the Marukai markets? Thats where the realness is.
What I want to know is whats the best type of rice to use?
Marukai is wholesale goodness.
Akita Komachi is that real schiit, supposedly. But I wouldn't know shit because i'm the type of dude that's satisfied with some day-old microwaved rice. rice is nice.
and buy whatever looks the best don't just buy the artic char because that's what you were planning on if there's something else that looks better.
that is sound advice for any form of grocery shoping, people are too reliant on lists. I usually go and see what the best ingredients are, then I'll be naturally inspired to make something based on the selection available. Always shop according to freshness, and in season, don't be restricted by recipes going in.
about whole fish, I don't think that is viable for most folks, especially if they are cooking for themselves. Obviously cooking fish whole on the bone will always taste better than fillets, but most folks don't have the time for that. Whole fish was definitely strong in my household though as a kid.....
one last thing about fish, just smell it. It should smell clean, any fishy smell means it's old. Fresh seafood will never smell fishy, that is a common misconception people have.
After doing it five times, I finally started to get the rice where i wanted it to be, definitely a trial and error thing, and the rolls did not (or do not) look perfect, but it is fun, and nice to got to specialty fish spot, pick out a nice piece of fish, spend an hour plus making the rice and rolling it up. Feels great to sit down with like 8-10 rolls, some lookin better than others, but knowing that if you bought decent fish and got the right proportion of vinegar to sugar, it will still be a pretty good meal, albeit possibly a messy one. My number one recommendation, besides anteing up for good fish is getting a rice cooker, it is infinitely harder to make decent sushi rice without it. I feel Chan on respecting the art, and I got my hot local spot (yuki sushi 92nd and amsterdam, nyc), but its fun and pretty tasty doing it at home, and with a couple peeps, you can get 10 rolls for 30 bucks tops...
right on...rice cookers are nice, but you still have to take care in rinsing the rice to wash most of the starch off of it. a good idea is to find a brand of rice that you like and then stick with it so you get to know it. different brands of rice have different moisture contents based on the type of rice, how it was grown, how old it is, etc. and all of this makes a difference. on a related note, here's my recipe for "gari" or pickled ginger...
peel ginger with a spoon and thinly slice with a knife or mandolin
in a 3:2:1 ratio use ginger juice (if you have a juicer) + water rice wine vinegar sugar + mirin
season w/ pinch of salt
that's the basic pickle...but taste as you go...the idea is that the pickling liquid should be perfectly balanced...sweet, acidic, with a touch of salt. steep the ginger for at least a few hours.
Can anyone get fresh Wasabi root in their hood? I heard its crazy expensive.
Jyeah mayne. I can get it right downstairs from the crib. We live above a huge Japanese supermarket. Fresh wasabi is GREAT!, but get you weight up kids.
Can anyone get fresh Wasabi root in their hood? I heard its crazy expensive.
Jyeah mayne. I can get it right downstairs from the crib. We live above a huge Japanese supermarket. Fresh wasabi is GREAT!, but get you weight up kids.
$50.00 a Lb.!
That's Crazy, how long does it last @ home?
And how much does one need? Does one root weight 2 lbs?
Cahoots
378 Posts
Comments
I was on the make at home sushi game for a little bit. I tired myself out. Between rolling, prepping the rice, going out and getting sushi ready fish.
When it comes to prepping fish for sushi I was always advised at purchasing from places that sell sushi ready fish. Especially prepped for sushi. anything should be avoided.
places you can go in toronto for sushi grade fish
st lawrence market - there are a few stalls that sell it, selection is a bit limited to tuna/salmon.
Diana's Seafood - decent selection, good oyster choices too
Taro's Fish - best choice in the city for the consumer w/o wholesaler connection, a haunt for local chefs also. Pricey, but highly recommended.
I NEVER make sushi at home. Sushi is a true art form that is not to be fucked with. Two friends of mine here in Seattle run the best sushi shops in the city and they both told me stories about learning to make sushi. They both did the traditional apprenticeship for learning the art of sushi making in Japan. As soon as they finished high school they moved into a sushi shop and would live there sleeping in a back room at night. For the first two years they were only allowed to watch the other sushi chefs and make the sushi rice. After two years they were allowed to handle the knifes and were taught how to prepare and cut the fish. It is SERIOUS business folls! Do you research and find a good authentic sushi place in your city and dine there instead. Remember to ALWAYS sit at the sushi counter and talk with the sushi chefs. Find out what is fresh, what is special, etc. They will often make things for you that are not on the menu.
If you HAVE to make sushi at home, try to find a Japanese supermarket and check out their fish section. They should have fish all ready cut for sashimi and sushi. You will not find sushi cut maguro, hamachi, etc. in a Western supermarket. If you get serious you will need a set of Japanese sushi knifes. Also try to use fresh wasabi root and not the bright green stuff in a tube. You really should go out and eat at a good sushi spot. Just making the sushi rice is an art form. You need to have the sushi rice at a specific temperature than mix it in a special wooden rounded box, then fan it while adding the vinegar to give it the correct texture.
there are a few high end supermarkets in the city you can try too if you want (whole foods/pusateri's).
ps: like chan said, I leave sushi to the experts. Sushi rice is too exact of a science for me to delve in.
1- cooking good rice takes a lot of practice, but if you've been making veggie rolls for a while seems like you have at least a basic idea of what to do...there's a book called "japanese food: a simple art" that's worth browsing if you feel like you're still having trouble.
2- for a fish to be sushi grade it has to be of a certain freshness, a certain quality, and a certain type. but don't feel like it has to have some sushi grade stamp on it for you to eat it raw. honestly most fishmongers i've dealt with in the US don't really know what they're talking about when it comes to raw fish. and tuna is the only fish i've ever seen in the US that's been given a "sushi grade" label.
here's some other otions that shouldn't be too hard to find:
fluke
mackeral (both spanish and boston)
hamachi (yellowtail)
striped bass
arctic char
sweet shrimp
3- a grocery store is not where it's at. go to a fishmonger. and ideally you should be buying whole fish. if the guy only has fillets, call up and ask that they leave few fish whole one day so you can have a look. the fish should all be on ice, and if your fish guy is legit, all of this should be no problem. otherwise go somewhere else.
4- when buy the fish look for firm flesh, clear eyes, etc...the fish should be visually calling to you that it's something that you really want to put in your mouth. and buy whatever looks the best don't just buy the artic char because that's what you were planning on if there's something else that looks better. and slime on the skin is a really good sign, dry skin is a bad one. and you can either fillet it at home or have the fish guy do it for you on the spot.
5- as far as the parts of the fish go, the upper half of the belly is generally really good. the fattier bottom half is really good too but the texture is chewier. what i like to do is chop the shit out of this part and mix it wwith some spicy mayo, soy, maybe a little scallion or something so it's almost like paste. really nice to do with boston mackeral too which has a really mushy texture. the loin section is good too (meaning the section above the belly and rib bones running from the head to the end of the belly (or about halfway down the fish). tail section is edible too but may have a slightly chewier texture than most americans prefer. and one more thing, you'll notice some darker sections of the flesh...this is the blood line that runs through the fish. fine to eat but is usually on the bitter side. some sushi chefs will often include small sections of the bloodline, but you'll probably want to cut it off at first.
good luck and have fun with it. raw fish isn't really something to worry too much about. just trust your judgment
real heads got that wholesale fish market hook-up.
oh and to answer your question, if you're preparing it at home, eat it as sashimi. Just thinly sliced raw fish. get some soy sauce, little wasabi, and a glass of nama beer, and you're good.
Yuichi what you know about the Marukai markets? Thats where the realness is.
What I want to know is whats the best type of rice to use?
Marukai is wholesale goodness.
Akita Komachi is that real schiit, supposedly. But I wouldn't know shit because i'm the type of dude that's satisfied with some day-old microwaved rice. rice is nice.
that is sound advice for any form of grocery shoping, people are too reliant on lists. I usually go and see what the best ingredients are, then I'll be naturally inspired to make something based on the selection available. Always shop according to freshness, and in season, don't be restricted by recipes going in.
about whole fish, I don't think that is viable for most folks, especially if they are cooking for themselves. Obviously cooking fish whole on the bone will always taste better than fillets, but most folks don't have the time for that. Whole fish was definitely strong in my household though as a kid.....
one last thing about fish, just smell it. It should smell clean, any fishy smell means it's old. Fresh seafood will never smell fishy, that is a common misconception people have.
thanks to you and yuichi
http://sushi-master.com/jpn/whatis/recipes.html
here is a lot of pics for making sushi
most important thing is "vinegar rice"
vinegar kills bacteria
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!! DAMN that was funny! I watched it twice and I can't stop laughing. Thanx for posting this.
Tondemonai
You know those guys? Rahmens? Here's their lesson on the art of dogeza .
on a related note, here's my recipe for "gari" or pickled ginger...
peel ginger with a spoon and thinly slice with a knife or mandolin
in a 3:2:1 ratio use
ginger juice (if you have a juicer) + water
rice wine vinegar
sugar + mirin
season w/ pinch of salt
that's the basic pickle...but taste as you go...the idea is that the pickling liquid should be perfectly balanced...sweet, acidic, with a touch of salt. steep the ginger for at least a few hours.
Jyeah mayne. I can get it right downstairs from the crib. We live above a huge Japanese supermarket. Fresh wasabi is GREAT!, but get you weight up kids.
$50.00 a Lb.!
That's Crazy, how long does it last @ home?
And how much does one need? Does one root weight 2 lbs?
http://www.freshwasabi.com/
http://www.wasabia.ca/
I have not tried ordering, but from all reports, it does taste slightly different than ones imported from Japan.
Ingredients:
Tomato Juice
5 oz
Vodka 1 1/4 oz
Worchestershire Sauce 1/2 tsp
Lime Juice, fresh 1/2 tsp
PACIFIC FARMS Brand Real Wasabi Paste 3 g
Lime Wheel for Garnish
Celery Stalk[/b]