Sashimi

[Green Hare]

Hello Everybody,

Can anybody give me advice on preparing Sashimi, and what is best to make sashimi of?


Thanks,


Mark Bartolo

[Tri-ring]

Hello Everybody,

Can anybody give me advice on preparing Sashimi, and what is best to make sashimi of?


Thanks,


Mark Bartolo

Konichiwa Bartolo-san

Preparing sashimi is not that hard.
First get the freshest sea fish as possible that are in season.
Ready some fresh wasabi and some daikon if possible.
Prepare you yanagiba knife, the one with the long thin blade.
Gut, de-scale, remove bones and create managable blocks with ordinary deba knife.
Then use you yanagiba knife to cut the sashimi, cut in a single pulling action using the full length of the blade. Never cut in a "sawing" motion for it will crush the cells within the sashimi.
Shave a thin intelinking strip with some width of daikon like peeling an apple.
Fold the strip then cut the strip as thin as possible. Soak the finely cut strips in ice cold water, then drain.
This will be tsuma or decoration.
Prepare a dish put the tsuma on the dish place the sashimi on top of the tsuma then grate the wasabi, run your knife through the grated wasabi to extract the aroma in fullnest.
There you have it your sashimi dish.
Hope this helps.

K.Miwa

[Jason Chambers]

Uber Yummy!!!!

[Green Hare]

Thank you Miwa-san!

I think you have said it all

Now off to the fish markets!


Mark Bartolo

[Tri-ring]

Konbanwa everyone,

For those who did not understand how to prepare tsuma, please follow the photos below.
Adding carrots will add contrast making the tsuma more appealing.
Best part is you can eat it too ! !
Help this helps.

K.Miwa

[Blackwood]

I have also heard that rubbing some of the tsuba on a soy sauce stain (while fresh) will remove it.

[Tri-ring]

I have also heard that rubbing some of the tsuba on a soy sauce stain (while fresh) will remove it.

Konichiwa Swarthout-san

I would not recommend rubbing soysauce on anything made of steel for soysauce has a lot of salt content in it.
It may get the stain but I think it will also corrode the tsuba as well.
Take care man.

K.Miwa

[Wanderingbudoka]

I think he meant, tsuma, as in the daikon, not tsuba. could be wrong though.

[kimiwane]

Konichiwa Swarthout-san

I would not recommend rubbing soysauce on anything made of steel for soysauce has a lot of salt content in it.
It may get the stain but I think it will also corrode the tsuba as well.
Take care man.

K.Miwa

Speaking of food...and tsuba....well, I spent so much on chiropractors, shiatsu and accupuncture while I was in Japan, I developed kin-tsubo...!

Ughhhhhhh.......

[Sochin]

Sounds great guys but even fresh fish can have parasites.

What do you do about that?

So far I get my fish for home made sashimi from a Japanese Sushi store, not a general market.

[Tri-ring]

Sounds great guys but even fresh fish can have parasites.

What do you do about that?

So far I get my fish for home made sashimi from a Japanese Sushi store, not a general market.

Dear Truscott-san

It may not be of any comfort but the only advise that I can give you if you are afraid of possible parasite contamination is "Don't eat it".
There is no magic potion to rid of parasites completely from raw meat.
Some sashimi uses precautionary messures like marinading Saba (mackerel) in vinegar and/or freezing salmon (Luibe) but if you want to enjoy the fine nuances of flavor within sashimi is to eat it as it is.

K.Miwa

[Sochin]

I thought itamae were schooled in how to recognise and detect parasites...and they applied those standards to the fish in sushi stores also.

Am I wrong?? Say it aint so, Joe, say it ain't so!!!!

[Tri-ring]

Konichiwa Truscott-san

Itamae is just another way to call a cook in Japanese.
He is trained in many ways to prepare a good meal. Through his trainning he will be trained to recognize fresh ingredients, like clear eyes the shape of the fins and overall shape of the body to see how fit the fish was in his native habitat BUT sorry to say that even the most healthest of fishes could carry parasites.
That said I also think the chances are slim that you would encounter one, I have been eating sashimi for more than I would like to admit and I had never been affected and I have not heard of anyone either. As long as you stick with sea water fish as sashimi I think you are OK.

I fear more of BSE and/or parasitic contaminations from organically grown vegetables, I also hear that you are prone to mercury posioning due to food chain condensation from sea fishes.
Does that stop you from eating these items?

K.Miwa