By Ross A. Christensen

In Part 1 of Making Sushi at Home, we talked about the ingredients needed for sushi that you can have on hand anytime. Now we’ll talk about the fresh ingredients that ideally you will purchase the day you prepare your sushi at home. Then I’ll give you a recipe for proper sushi rice, which will add a dimension to you home-made sushi that will make it taste like a professional prepared it. Buying the fish When you go to your grocery store or fish monger you will naturally look for your favorites. The one consistent habit you need to get into in selecting your fish is to always request “Sashimi grade.” There is no such thing as “Sushi grade”; that is just a term that people use in place of “Sashimi grade,” but it is incorrect. Also, be aware that you cannot freeze fish in your home freezer to kill parasites, despite the rumors that abound about this practice. Your home freezer does not get cold enough to do any parasites any damage. In order to kill parasites you need the nitrogen freezing process over several hours of extreme cold. Of course, you will want to purchase the types of fish that you enjoy eating, but don’t be afraid to try something a little different too. Here are some types of fish for you to look for that work well in sushi. I should also mention that since all fish in the U.S. intended to be eaten raw must be commercially frozen, therefore purchasing these things via the internet is a great thing to do. The fish typically arrives at your door still hard as a rock so damage in transit is almost impossible and freshness is assured. Many sushi bars are willing to sell sashimi grade fish to their customers and you may be able to buy a whole filet still in the package. Just be sure to make your request far enough in advance (about a week or two ahead of time) - very few restaurants will give you the last of their own supplies so you can take their business away with you. Abalone (Awabi) Considered to be one of the most luxurious ingredients available around the world, abalone is rare and expensive. Residents of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington are able to catch their own with a sport fishing license. People who can’t catch their own can still purchase live abalone over the internet from several farmed sources at a fairly reasonable rate. In Japan the “foot” of the abalone is typically sliced with relatively little processing, but in the U.S. the black “skin” on the exterior of the foot is typically trimmed away to make a snow white piece of sushi. If you want your abalone to be extra tender, when you pry it out of its shell let it sit in a sink or bowl for an hour before any further processing. This allows the muscle a chance to relax and be more tender in the long run. When sliced to be put on sushi, most sushi chefs cut a light pinecone pattern into the abalone which tenderizes it and give sauces something to cling to. To make the best presentation cut off the warty bottom of the foot, scrub or cut off the black skin of the foot, and slice from top to bottom so the mushroom like shape of the abalone foot is displayed on the sushi. Crab (Kani) Raw, living Dungeness crab is available when in season but most of the crab you will find will have been previously cooked. If a crab isn’t alive when it hits the boiling water the meat will stick to the shell and be difficult to work with. Whether you prefer King, Snow, Dungeness, or Blue crab, all types of crab work well for sushi. While larger pieces of crab can be made into nigiri type sushi, smaller pieces like from a blue crab can be made into a gunkan style for the best presentation. Frozen crab will even work well for sushi. The original California roll was made with snow crab but now, most likely due to expense, most are made with artificial crabmeat called surimi. This has trained most people to expect the flavor of surimi in California rolls, and if actual crab is used it seems inappropriate and overly extravagant. For that reason I actually recommend surimi for California rolls. Salmon (Sake) There are many different opinions about what kind of salmon to buy. Is farm raised or wild best? I’m personally a big proponent of farm raised, mainly for the purpose of letting the wild salmon numbers bounce back, and the lower cost is a factor too, but I’ll be the first to admit that wild caught tastes far better. Farm raised salmon tends to have fewer parasites to worry about, although the freezing process of the “sushi grade” fish will kill any parasites that try to sneak though. With a filet of salmon you will want to cut the belly meat off and put it aside. It’s the salmon version of toro and works fantastic in a grilled salmon hand roll. Ikura (Salmon roe) Readily available online through a variety of vendors and in a variety of quantities, this is my personal favorite item at the sushi bar. It is a delicate perishable item so you want to order it fairly close to the time that you need it. Recipes for its manufacture vary but most typically use brown sugar and soy sauce to give them the appropriate taste and texture. My daughter loves salmon roe so much that it is actually going to be one of her Christmas presents this year. Tuna (Maguro) Avoid any tuna that seems very pink, because it has most likely been treated with carbon monoxide which makes it that color. It’s safe to eat, but the CO treatment is used in an effort to make lower quality tuna look more appealing. Seek out whole tuna loins or sections of loins that allow you to control the slicing of the meat’s grain better than just a steak will. Most fish departments will be happy to help you with your tuna purchase, so don’t be shy in asking them to remove “the blood line.” It is an area on the tuna loin that is very dark, tastes really fishy and is the highest in mercury. Most fish mongers or butchers are more than happy to provide this service. I prefer to buy smaller whole tunas when available, just keep in mind, the bigger the fish, the higher the mercury. Eel (Unagi) You will find eel in almost every Asian market in the frozen fish section. It is pre-seasoned and precooked so it is a very convenient sushi. You can also usually find “eel sauce” in a jar at the same market. Cut the eel into serving size pieces on the bias, firmly but gently press to the rice, wrap with a small belt of nori, and baste some eel sauce on the top just before serving. Teriyaki sauce sweetened with a little brown sugar and thickened with a little cornstarch then simmered on the stovetop will make a passable substitution if needed. Shrimp (Ebi) The market is filled with farm raised “Tiger Shrimp.” Its quality is consistent and, due to the shrimp not being fed for the last couple of weeks before harvesting, their intestinal tracts are empty so they don’t need to be de-veined. The down side to farmed shrimp is that the farms are located in areas that used to be mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are considered to be the nurseries of the ocean, and the shrimp farms may be doing irreversible damage to the future of the oceans. On the other hand, the harvest of wild shrimp scoops up hundreds of non-market fish that die during the process. Neither process is environmentally friendly. Shrimp should not feel slimy, or have any holes or dark spots. When cooking your shrimp, first skewer it from head to tail leaving the shell on. The shell actually holds in the flavor. Boil them in salted water and let them cool before shelling them. Then carefully slice them open from the underside and you have a shrimp ready for “ebi.” Snapper (Tai) You may have heard in the news of some sushi bars substituting tilapia for snapper and very few people could tell the difference when served as sushi. It’s a little like trying to pass off beef for veal - someone who really knows the two can easily tell the difference. Snapper is a mild white fleshed fish that is highly prized in Japan. Expect to pay around $15 per pound for good quality snapper. The meat should be white with a slight opaqueness to it with a very light pink stripe down the side. Scallops (Hotategai) Ask your fish monger for dry packed scallops. Wet packed scallops are treated with a chemical that causes them to absorb water, and although they weigh more they have less flavor. Diver or Day-boat scallops are typically fresher and larger than bay scallops. Since the part of the scallop being eaten is the adductor muscle, it isn’t affected by parasites so there is no concern in using fresh unfrozen scallops. Octopus (Tako) Unless you want to catch it yourself, octopus can be found already cooked at your fishmonger. It’s a popular ingredient in the cuisines of the Mediterranean and Asia, it has no parasite problems, and it tastes delicious. Frozen baby octopus is also available, and the whole small cooked baby octopus makes a very unique looking sushi. Lightly slicing it with a pinecone pattern makes it easier to chew and holds sauces better. Yellowtail (Hamachi) This isn’t a common fish to find in U.S. fish markets but due to its popularity in sushi bars I think it should be mentioned. Yellowtail is available both wild caught and farm raised. People in California and Florida can easily catch their own. Wild caught yellowtail has a much better flavor but the quality is inconsistent. If you do catch your own, remember that you have no protection from parasites or the methods available to kill them on your own. Unless you purchase sashimi grade hamachi at your fishmonger or online, well, Diner Beware! Now that you have purchased your fresh Sashimi Grade fish and brought it home, you’ll want to stash it in the fridge as you prepare the sushi rice. How to make good sushi rice 2 ½ cups short grained rice 2 ½ cups cold water (in addition to water needed to wash the rice) 8 inch piece of kelp 2 t salt 4 T rice wine vinegar 2 T Mirin Wash the rice in cold water and drain it three times. Some instructions say to wash it until the water is clear but… trust me I’ve tried, it never becomes clear. Then place the rice in a colander and let it drain with a damp towel over it (I use a moist paper towel which works just fine). While that drains, mix the rice wine vinegar and mirin in a bowl and set aside. Bring out your largest bowl and some sort of paddle or large spoon. Sushi bars and sushi aficionados use a large wooden bowl called a hangiri. Put the bowl and spoon into the freezer. This will help later in cooling the rice down as you stir in the vinegar mixture. Take the kelp and give it a quick wipe with a slightly damp cloth. You are trying to remove any sand and hard particles before cooking, but not the white chalky looking salt layer. Then cut several slices down the side of the kelp; this will help add more flavor to the rice. Add the rice, water, kelp and salt to a pot (feel free to use a rice cooker if you wish) and heat to boiling. Stir a couple of times to make sure no rice is stuck to the bottom, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat and let sit another 15 minutes without removing the cover or opening the top. This is very important to the quality of the finished product. When the time is up again, remove the bowl and spoon from the freezer and transfer the rice to the bowl. Gradually and gently stir in the vinegar/mirin mixture, making sure not to crush the rice. When the rice is thoroughly mixed and cooled it is ready to be used. Make sure all rice grains are in contact with each other since a solitary rice grain will easily dry out and become hard. Cover with a moist towel, but be sure to use within the next hour, or two at maximum. Trying to store the rice overnight doesn’t work because the starches in the rice crystallize and give it an odd texture. Now that you have your fresh fish and your cooked and cooled rice, all that’s left is the assembly. In Part 3 of Making Sushi at Home, we’ll put it all together in a variety of sushi styles. © Ross A. Christensen 2008