This is one of the most common dishes in Japanese cuisine . It is usually made from boiled Japanese rice, fish or shellfish, and vegetables that are rolled in a sheet of nori seaweed restaurant near me.
Sushi does not mean raw fish , as is sometimes thought, since the term actually refers to vinegar, sugar and rice , fundamental ingredients for the preparation of some rolls of this dish.
Choosing a good sushi is an art. Aspects ranging from the quality of the fish to the precision in assembling the roll must be taken into account so that it does not fall apart before reaching the mouth.
Here are five tips from specialized chefs and ‘sushimens’, which will help you recognize good sushi:
- Fish must be fresh
The freshness of the fish is very important to obtain a good sushi roll . EL TIEMPO spoke with Juan Felipe Suárez, chef specialized in sushi and ceviche at ‘Sushi en Casa’, who assured that fresh fish should always be used, however, in the case of Colombia, most restaurants “usually work with frozen proteins ”.
To recognize if the fish is fresh, it is necessary to observe if it has firm skin, bright eyes, red gills and it should smell of the sea . An important indicator to know if the sushi is of good quality is the smell, since experts affirm that the sushi should not smell like fish.
On the other hand, a series of ‘sushimen’ consulted by the Argentine media ‘La Nación’ advise respecting the temperature of raw fish and taking into account that its freshness is also determined by the rigidity of the body and the color of the fat.
“If it is hard (the fish) it means that it is fresh. If, on the contrary, it is soft, it may be more than a week old. You also have to look at the fat they have in the thoracic cavity: if it’s white it’s fresh, but if it’s yellow it’s old,” says chef Iwao Komiyama, named ambassador of Japanese gastronomy for Latin America by Japan .
The temperature is also relevant to taste a good sushi. Komiyama assures that the fish must be at 4 degrees since “if it is served hot, its true flavor will not be appreciated or it may even be in bad condition.” He further advises that “if a diner is going to eat at a sushi place that doesn’t have a display fridge, they should be hesitant.”
Rodrigo Ferrer, itamae (head chef) from Osaka inBuenos Aires , agrees that “it must be taken into account, especially in warmer climates, that the sushi bar has a good cold chain, that there are no strange odors and that the restaurant has diners . All this ensures the rotation of the products”.
- The rice must be at a fair point
When preparing sushi, rice is as important as a good fish. This should be tender, fresh, and should be served slightly warm.
For Suárez “the point of the rice is the most important thing when it comes to preparing a good sushi. This must be vinegary and fresh so that it does not become hard. In addition, he adds that “in Colombia it can be made with rice vinegar or white vinegar”
Komiyama affirms that, to recognize if the rice is well cooked, it is enough to observe if “the roll dissolves in the mouth in a single bite.”
“ Rice provides the flavor and 50 percent of the quality of the product. It cannot be overdone or be gummy or chewy. If after cooking it is still hard, it is of poor quality”, adds Komiyama.
- The roll must have a firm consistency
Sushi requires technique, so a well-prepared roll will not fall apart when the diner grabs it by hand or with the chopsticks.
“ There is an exact relationship between the rice, the seaweed and the filling . A roll is like a sandwich in which each of the parts has a balance. It is bad if it has a lot or a little rice or fish. It is important not to overload the pieces and also not to be stingy with the filling”, explains Komiyama.
- Variety of ingredients
“Traditional Japanese sushi has vinegared rice, nori seaweed, fresh fish or pre-cooked shellfish, soy sauce and may have a little fish egg. However, sushi became international and they began to create new combinations with ingredients such as cream cheese, banana, mango, avocado, etc.,” says Suárez from ‘Sushi en Casa’.
Some chefs are in favor of this type of combination because more people start to like the dish and little by little it has become universal. One recommendation is to try different sushis with a wide variety of ingredients.
For his part, Komiyama advises “trying simple things, to appreciate the different flavors (…) the roll with cucumber is a delicacy and is my favorite.”
Among the more elaborate roll options, Ferrer advises choosing some with ova (ikura, masago, tobico) and omakase (selection of pieces by the chef) . Another good option is to choose an imported product, such as river eel (unagi).
- Wasabi and ginger
High-end sushi restaurants have real wasabi , in others what’s on offer is a horseradish sauce with green-tinted mustard. The former is more fibrous and sweeter than the imitation.
On the other hand, a sign that the chef ‘took note’ from the sushi connoisseurs is to see that the ginger is beige and has not been dyed pink.
Finally, an additional piece of advice from chef Juan Felipe Suárez is to eat the pieces of sushi as they do in the Asian country. “Sushi is not eaten with the chopsticks but with the hand. 80% of the dishes in Japan are eaten like this ”, He assures.