Any sushi experts here?

[FrustratedUser]

I got hooked on sushi and gets it for lunch very often now. It's just that a box of it is +$10. A bit pricey to get for lunch every day even if I can afford it.

So I'm considering doing my own and need a few pointers.

Does it have to be made fresh every day or does it last 2 days in fridge?
Fresh or frozen fish?

 

[Anubis]

you need to make ot fresh with fresh fish
i purchased a book on how to make it, came with my own matt and stuff pretty cool

your friend in christ

Anubis

 

[FrustratedUser]

Thanks.

(WTH is this 'your friend in Christ'?)

 

[alexeikgb]

Yeah, don't make it form frozen fish, the fish looses all the texture, fresh only.
Plus I would suggest getting the fish from a more upscale store, since the fish qualty will be better suited for sushi/sashimi

 

[yoda291]

learn to filet fish and you'll have something interesting to do next time you go fishing somewhere with clean water

 

[MaxDepth]

some things can be frozen. there will be a slight tast difference, but not much if you are just starting out. (It will equal the sushi you buy in the grocery store)

Krogers has some of that flash frozen seafood in blue packaged styrofoam trays (with blue plastic wrap) - tuna, salmon, mahi mahi. those will be okay for you to use, just remember to wash them off when you open the package.

If you have a chinese market or small asian grocery store, you'll be able to find mackerel, squid and octopus. Just watch for the customers and buy what they buy if you can't read the lables or if they all look the same (the fish, not the people!)

A nice rice cooker and a very sharp knife are the most important items to purchase if you want to make sushi.

 

[amoeba]

use fresh fish from a good fishmonger. I wouldn't eat supermarket frozen fish raw.

If you lack a reputable source, you can substitute with east-west fusion style sushi that uses stuff like imitation crab/ smoked salmon.

Also, use meaty sea fish instead of river fish. Sea fish has less of a "fishy smell/taste" and usually has a bit more fat which makes the texture of the flesh more tender. There is a reason you never see catfish sushi.

The most important part of sushi is the rice. Anybody can buy fish but the rice needs some preparation. You want a shortgrain rice.

Cook the rice in rice cooker without overcooking it (not mushy, slightly sticky but individual kernals are still very much seperate). Take the rice out and mix with sugar and white vinegar or rice wine vinegar if you have it.
slight amounts of sugar and vinegar.

then mold in to desired shape, put fish on top/in center, etc....

 

[Doggiedog]

There are all different types of rice like Koshihikari, Hitomebore, etc. "Real" Japanese sushi uses a strain called Sasanishiki rice. I haven't found any here but as a rice snob, I can tell you there is a slight difference.

If you are interested, I would look to take a sushi making class. I took one for 6 months when I lived in Japan and it was a lot of fun. Plus you get to eat the food afterwards. Just be careful with raw squid. It almost always has parasites that you need to manually remove.

 

[Mo0o]

Depending on the sushi, it does NOT have to be made every day. If you are eating sashimi (a slab of fish on a rice ball), it most definitely has to be that day other wise the fish gets rubbery. However, if you are eating california rolls, dragon rolls, unagi, or any sort of cooked sushi (more along the type you're use to im guessing), it can probably stay in the fridge for a day or two without being too revolting. Although the freshness really goes south and the experience is not as enjoyable. Btw, always use wasabi, that thing is gods gift to sushi. And as far as the ginger goes, alot of people use it "cleanse their palet" between different kinds of sushi, other people just eat it w/ the sushi itself, your choice. Happy eating

 

[amoeba]

I think he would be a little hardpressed to find a sushi class here.



As to the unagi suggestion, thats also pretty easy.

Go to a local asian supermarket and buy some canned smoked eels and use that.

 

[azazyel]

You can ask your seafood guy for Sushi quality fish.
All fish has been frozen that you buy with very few exceptions.
Try searing tuna next, that stuffs good.
Halibut cheeks are really good.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: azazyel
You can ask your seafood guy for Sushi quality fish.
All fish has been frozen that you buy with very few exceptions.
Try searing tuna next, that stuffs good.
Halibut cheeks are really good.

Back I use to go to a sushi place that gets fresh fish everyday. The only day they're closed is on Monday because fish doesn't come in that day. That was some quality goods, albeit a little steep.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: amoeba
I think he would be a little hardpressed to find a sushi class here.



As to the unagi suggestion, thats also pretty easy.

Go to a local asian supermarket and buy some canned smoked eels and use that.

Not so hard.

Some here too.

 

[azazyel]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: azazyel
You can ask your seafood guy for Sushi quality fish.
All fish has been frozen that you buy with very few exceptions.
Try searing tuna next, that stuffs good.
Halibut cheeks are really good.

Back I use to go to a sushi place that gets fresh fish everyday. The only day they're closed is on Monday because fish doesn't come in that day. That was some quality goods, albeit a little steep.

You live in Bellevue so it is possible if they were local fisherman, if the fish were from Alaska, nope.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: azazyel

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: azazyel
You can ask your seafood guy for Sushi quality fish.
All fish has been frozen that you buy with very few exceptions.
Try searing tuna next, that stuffs good.
Halibut cheeks are really good.

Back I use to go to a sushi place that gets fresh fish everyday. The only day they're closed is on Monday because fish doesn't come in that day. That was some quality goods, albeit a little steep.

You live in believue so it is possible if they were local fisherman, if the fish were from Alaska, nope.

Yeah i dont expect them to helo drop fresh fish from alaska. but theres a good selection from the washington coast.

 

[azazyel]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: azazyel

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: azazyel
You can ask your seafood guy for Sushi quality fish.
All fish has been frozen that you buy with very few exceptions.
Try searing tuna next, that stuffs good.
Halibut cheeks are really good.

Back I use to go to a sushi place that gets fresh fish everyday. The only day they're closed is on Monday because fish doesn't come in that day. That was some quality goods, albeit a little steep.

You live in believue so it is possible if they were local fisherman, if the fish were from Alaska, nope.

Yeah i dont expect them to helo drop fresh fish from alaska. but theres a good selection from the washington coast.

We have great prawns too!

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: azazyel

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: azazyel

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: azazyel
You can ask your seafood guy for Sushi quality fish.
All fish has been frozen that you buy with very few exceptions.
Try searing tuna next, that stuffs good.
Halibut cheeks are really good.

Back I use to go to a sushi place that gets fresh fish everyday. The only day they're closed is on Monday because fish doesn't come in that day. That was some quality goods, albeit a little steep.

You live in believue so it is possible if they were local fisherman, if the fish were from Alaska, nope.

Yeah i dont expect them to helo drop fresh fish from alaska. but theres a good selection from the washington coast.

We have great prawns too!

Man i miss the asian cuisine in washington. East coast south is booooo

 

[amoeba]

all I'm saying is the OP found sushi a bit too expensive thus he wants to make it himself. Paying for a course somewhat defeats the purpose.

In my own experience, I've found making sushi to be too much of a hassle to really justify the cost savings.
Besides, unless you are buying fresh fish in bulk like the sushi restaurants, you are probably not saving that much.

If you are looking to make sushi because it sounds like a fun thing to do, then by all means go ahead and take a course on it. But I don't think you will save that much cost wise.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: amoeba
all I'm saying is the OP found sushi a bit too expensive thus he wants to make it himself. Paying for a course somewhat defeats the purpose.

In my own experience, I've found making sushi to be too much of a hassle to really justify the cost savings.
Besides, unless you are buying fresh fish in bulk like the sushi restaurants, you are probably not saving that much.

If you are looking to make sushi because it sounds like a fun thing to do, then by all means go ahead and take a course on it. But I don't think you will save that much cost wise.

I think if you're just making something simple like california rolls or unagi, it can be feasible. But getting your fresh fish can be expensive.

 

[azazyel]

actually, you should just host a sushi party. the making of it is pretty easy and you could have friends over get bombed on Saki and make sushi and split the cost

 

[Doggiedog]

I know but making it is not as easy as it seems.

There are so many little tricks to making sushi that you need to learn in order for it just to look decent.

For example, did you know that in order to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands, your hands need to be chilled in ice cold water? That is what the little bowl on the side of sushi chefs is there for. Little things like that. I'm sure you can read up on it too but there's nothing like first hand demonstrations.

 

[Trey22]

Well guess what I'm having for dinner? Yeah, all this talk about sushi is driving me insane!

Think I'll go w/ the usual:

1 CA roll
2 Maguro
1 Toro
1 Unagi
1 Spider Roll

Oh, and a cucumber roll for the wife, that's the closest she'll get to the stuff.

 

[baoytl]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

For example, did you know that in order to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands, your hands need to be chilled in ice cold water? That is what the little bowl on the side of sushi chefs is there for. Little things like that. I'm sure you can read up on it too but there's nothing like first hand demonstrations.

This is how I have done it. Grease up a paper towel with oil. Wear gloves and use the paper towel on your hands. The oil will prevent the rice from sticking to the gloves. Keep a bowl of water on the side. Use it for wetting the knife to prevent the rice from sticking when cutting sushi rolls.

Also, the sushi-grade tuna I use comes frozen. (Cheaper than fresh ones.)

http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20040513.html

According to New Hampshire's WMUR television station, fish that is suitable for eating raw must be frozen for seven days at negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit, or flash frozen for 15 hours at negative 31 degrees.

The Food and Drug Administration stipulates that all fish to be eaten raw (with the exception of tuna) must be frozen first, in order to kill parasites.

 

[Bulk Beef]

Sushi that has been sitting around for more than a few hours just doesn't taste very good.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: Trey22
Well guess what I'm having for dinner? Yeah, all this talk about sushi is driving me insane!

Think I'll go w/ the usual:

1 CA roll
2 Maguro
1 Toro
1 Unagi
1 Spider Roll

Oh, and a cucumber roll for the wife, that's the closest she'll get to the stuff.

Whoa, you are going to eat an entire bull? (toro)

What kind of spiders are in a spider roll?

Seriously though, I've tried sushi and cannot get over the nasty texture. It was like chewing a rubber band and made me want to puke.