The Sushi Table

I'm new at working with sushi. I absolutely love the stuff and have decided that I want to get better at cutting the fish and rolling the various styles in that supremely artful manner.

I had a sushi dinner last night. The table was great fun to put together. The sushi itself was great fun to roll. While it doesn't look all neat and clean like well made sushi should, it still tasted great.

The menu:
Tekka Maki (small roll) with Spicy Tuna

California Style Roll with Sable, Carrots, and Cucumbers

Nigiri with Escolar

Escolar Hand Rolls (sorry, no pictures of these)

Sparrow Tongue Yellow Tea (for me)

Damien Laureau "Le Bel Ouvrage" Savennieres 2004

Sushi Platters:


Plates and Chopsticks:


The Table:


Rolls and Nigiri:


rwj

[Robin Garr]

Looks real to me. Hai!

Real, yes. Clean and artful, no.

The tekka maki is an authentic Japanese roll; one of the original sushi rolls. It is actually very difficult to roll (small rolls are generally harder to make than large rolls such as the suko maki) and if you look at it (the one with the rice on the inside) you will see that I used a little too much of the sauce for the tuna. The sauce stained the rice and in the world of sushi this is unacceptable as it makes the roll look "dirty". You can also see that the roll didn't quite come together and that the cuts aren't very clean.

The California Roll is a modern take on sushi (the one with the rice on the outside). This roll actually turned out a little better. The roll itself is nice and tight and the cuts are clean.

Also, my cuts on the escolar for the nigiri are kind of ragged. Again, this is unacceptable. The size is fine and very traditional (smaller than what you normally get) but the cuts aren't very clean. I have some new knives coming from Japan and I hope that this will help remedy the cutting issue. Nigiri is also very difficult to make in that the rice balls need to be EXACTLY the same size so that they will look even.

But thanks for the vote of confidence, Robin!

rwj

Robert,

Have you invested in a sushi knife or are you using one of your kitchen knives?

[Jenise]

Isn't sushi a blast to make? Becoming proficient with the few but neccessary tools takes a little getting used to--how much rice to use, how to make what I call outies vs. innies with respect to whether the rice is on the outside (which I prefer), how to keep your roll taut and all that. Even slicing requires a bit of know-how. But it's like riding a bike--once you get it, you don't lose it.

Never had escolar as nigiri. Was that your own idea, or is it popular down your way (I know it's a Gulf fish)? And how was it? When we were in Hawaii last month, speaking of different fish varieties which they have so much of down there, I was surprised that the majority of sushi was the same old salmon, tuna and hamachi and asked the masterful sushi maker about that at one sushi bar. He said simply that they're just the best-tasting fish, so no point using anything else.

Great dishes, btw--love that flounder.

Robert,

Have you invested in a sushi knife or are you using one of your kitchen knives?

This is from my post above yours:

I have some new knives coming from Japan and I hope that this will help remedy the cutting issue.

I used my cheap Wustof santoku to cut the stuff above. The blade of a takohiki is what I really need. I can't wait until it gets here.

rwj

Isn't sushi a blast to make? Becoming proficient with the few but neccessary tools takes a little getting used to--how much rice to use, how to make what I call outies vs. innies with respect to whether the rice is on the outside (which I prefer), how to keep your roll taut and all that. Even slicing requires a bit of know-how. But it's like riding a bike--once you get it, you don't lose it.

Never had escolar as nigiri. Was that your own idea, or is it popular down your way (I know it's a Gulf fish)? And how was it? When we were in Hawaii last month, speaking of different fish varieties which they have so much of down there, I was surprised that the majority of sushi was the same old salmon, tuna and hamachi and asked the masterful sushi maker about that at one sushi bar. He said simply that they're just the best-tasting fish, so no point using anything else.

Great dishes, btw--love that flounder.

I love using escolar. It has a very buttery/meaty taste. Just don't eat too much of it (more than 4oz. at a time) as the oil in the fish acts as a natural laxative when taken in large quantities. I also love using Sable, Flounder, and Mong Chong. The latter being a new discovery (I think that it tastes better raw than cooked). So in that sense I would disagree with the sushi chef with whom you spoke. There are a lot of great tasting fish out there.

My friend, Tim Thomas (Japanese/American), has a sushi restaurant in Round Rock, TX (10 minutes north of Austin) called Origami. He is one of the best around and gets most of the business from visiting Japanese businessmen working with Motorola and Samsung (both of which have large facilities in Round Rock). Tim really likes to use a lot of different fish and has opened me up to some of these great tasting species.

And that flounder dish has been in my family since 1978. I am the first one to take it off the wall and use it for food service. Thanks, I love it too.

rwj

Robert -

How was the Savennieres with this?

Looks great - nice job!

Robert -

How was the Savennieres with this?

Looks great - nice job!

In my mind it seemed like a good match; fairly dry with mineral and stone fruit tones that would work well with the fish, ginger, and have a cooling effect on the wasabi. But I really have no idea as I don't drink. There were no complaints from the other diner, though. In fact, they quite liked it.

Thanks again for the vote of confidence. I'll post more pictures as I get better at this.

rwj

[Jenise]

I love using escolar. It has a very buttery/meaty taste. Just don't eat too much of it (more than 4oz. at a time) as the oil in the fish acts as a natural laxative when taken in large quantities. I also love using Sable, Flounder, and Mong Chong. The latter being a new discovery (I think that it tastes better raw than cooked). So in that sense I would disagree with the sushi chef with whom you spoke. There are a lot of great tasting fish out there.

Escolar is WONDERFUL. I learned about it's digestive issues when I asked the place in California I used to buy it why no more Escolar. It didn't have that effect on us (nor has anyone I've ever spoken to about it had that problem), but apparently either enough people did or enough people heard about it to cause it to drop out of distribution (which the fishmonger in question thought more likely, since his customers hadn't complained). I've not had sable (also known by the less elegant name Alaskan black cod), and I've used halibut but it's almost too mild. A quick sear and a topping with a bit of green onion and lemon rind makes it heavenly though. Never heard of Mong Chong, but speaking of fish that's more interesting raw than cooked good old snapper would be one, to my tastes, and it's pretty too.

I have read about Origami! The guy's a genius, and if I ever get down your way it's on my list of places to eat. What other unusual fish does he use?

I love using escolar. It has a very buttery/meaty taste. Just don't eat too much of it (more than 4oz. at a time) as the oil in the fish acts as a natural laxative when taken in large quantities. I also love using Sable, Flounder, and Mong Chong. The latter being a new discovery (I think that it tastes better raw than cooked). So in that sense I would disagree with the sushi chef with whom you spoke. There are a lot of great tasting fish out there.

Escolar is WONDERFUL. I learned about it's digestive issues when I asked the place in California I used to buy it why no more Escolar. It didn't have that effect on us (nor has anyone I've ever spoken to about it had that problem), but apparently either enough people did or enough people heard about it to cause it to drop out of distribution (which the fishmonger in question thought more likely, since his customers hadn't complained). I've not had sable (also known by the less elegant name Alaskan black cod), and I've used halibut but it's almost too mild. A quick sear and a topping with a bit of green onion and lemon rind makes it heavenly though. Never heard of Mong Chong, but speaking of fish that's more interesting raw than cooked good old snapper would be one, to my tastes, and it's pretty too.

I have read about Origami! The guy's a genius, and if I ever get down your way it's on my list of places to eat. What other unusual fish does he use?

Sable tastes just like rich butter. It is fabulous! I like snapper in its raw state, too. Some of these milder fish are really good with nigiri as their taste does not get covered up quite as much.

Tim teaches a hands-on sushi class every month at the Cooking School. I'll ask him about what other fish he uses and get back with you. I think, though, he will use just about anything. And if you ever make it down this way you simply MUST let me know so that we can go to Origami together. I'll get some friends on board, too.

rwj

Robert,

Have you invested in a sushi knife or are you using one of your kitchen knives?

This is from my post above yours:

I have some new knives coming from Japan and I hope that this will help remedy the cutting issue.

I used my cheap Wustof santoku to cut the stuff above. The blade of a takohiki is what I really need. I can't wait until it gets here.

rwj

Whoops! I read it too fast and missed that.

Maybe you need one of these.
http://www.korin.com/product.php?pid=660&cat=78&subcat=82&subsubcat=&df=&catname=Sushi%20Bar%20Items&subcatname=Sushi%20Robots&subsubcatname=&mnum=RB-001

Great idea, Greg! I'm sending those knives back as soon as they arrive. No, I'm too much of a purist for that big-ass machine.

Check these out:

http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/pro/takohiki.jpg

http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/pro/usubaknife.jpg

http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/pr ... keyaki.jpg

rwj

Robert, they look great!

Was there something specific that helped you decide to go with this knife maker?

G

Quality/Price ratio and slammin' good reviews.

rwj

[Jenise]

Maybe you need one of these.
http://www.korin.com/product.php?pid=660&cat=78&subcat=82&subsubcat=&df=&catname=Sushi%20Bar%20Items&subcatname=Sushi%20Robots&subsubcatname=&mnum=RB-001

Ew! A machine! The other day I was at Trader Joe's and decided to try some of their sushi to go because I was hungry. It was horrible! Absolutely nasty, with rice so compacted there's no mistaking that it was machine-made and extruded. In my worst dreams, I never imagined the rice part of even storebought sushi being the part I'd complain about.

Couple of tips for clean cuts.

Before slicing, wet the knife with the same rice vinegar with which you made the dressing for the rice.

Serrated knives work well when slicing maki sushi.

I started with the kappa maki myself - toasted nori, cucumber, fish, wasabi and beni shoga - used to be known as Tokyo sushi bar sushi.

Been making sushi since around 1980 - first time I put it on a restaurant menu was at Mudd's - on a fairly regular basis. Have several maki su.

Robert

You should read the book "The Zen of Sushi" - I am sure you will find it timely and interesting

Thanks for the tips, Chef.

John, I've heard of and seen the book but never gotten into it. I'll go pick it up soon. Thanks for the reminder.

rwj

I do hope you're doing some research if you're fooling around with sushi.

Here are a couple of quotes from an article in the Houston Chronicle.


In Japan, the salmon used for sushi, called sake in Japanese, are always cold-smoked and then frozen before use. The nematodes and other parasites can survive the smoking process, but they do not survive being frozen to minus-four degrees Fahrenheit for 60 hours. Routine fish handling utilizes lower temperatures and longer periods of cold storage. In addition, the sushi chef in Japan has undergone an extensive apprenticeship, sometimes as long as eight years; sushi restaurants also are regularly inspected, and the chefs are educated and licensed by local governments. (One quick way to tell if the sushi chefs are properly trained in a U.S. restaurant is to observe their hands: Long fingernails, rings and even watches are considered signs of incomplete training in Japan.)

The worm in question is a parasite of marine mammals, such as sea lions and elephant seals. The early part of its life cycle is spent in various marine fish. Along the Pacific coast, commercially important species such as salmon and Pacific rockfish (often sold as Pacific red snapper) may have an infestation rate of higher than 80 percent. An FDA study published in The Lancet in 1990 stated that the average number of anisakis larvae per an average-sized dressed salmon is 46. The study estimated that an average salmon yields about 1,000 sushi-sized slices of flesh, putting the odds of swallowing an anisakis larva at one in 22. However, since the front part of the fish is where sushi chefs prefer to obtain their slices -- and the front carries a disproportionate number of larvae in an infected salmon -- the odds improved to one in 13.

Most sushi fish are partially frozen.

The problems with raw fish - those I mention above - are widely known and data is available all over the internet. I just cited the first article I came to.

I used to tell my students to not even consider making sushi at home - unless you *always* employ cured seafood.