Japanese foods--sushi/sashimi

[FoodZealot]

Sorry in advance if these are silly questions, but torakris' question above raised: are tempura items (shrimp tempura, soft shell crabs) inside of sushi rolls a recent invention? Are rolls like this even available in Japan, whether traditional or nouveau?

Also, are soft shell crabs traditionally eaten in Japan in any form? I believe that Chesapeake blue (or possibly SE Asian?) crabs are what are commonly available, which leads me to guess that the spider roll is an American invention. But Japan has many crabs, and it seems that it might be very Japanese to eat a just-moulted crab seasonally as a great delicacy.

Thanks.

~Tad

[torakris]

Good question Tad!

They do have tempura type foods rolled into sushi here, I have no idea or how old the practice is though.

I have eaten soft shelled crabs here, but it was at Red Lobster restaurant

I have never really thought about it or noticed it in restaurants, of course I am not really in a big crab producing area.......

[smallworld]

Torakris is right, soft-shell crabs aren't really eaten here. So those spider rolls are definately an overseas invention.

Tempura used in sushi seems to be a recent thing. For a few years I've been seeing tempura used in maki-zushi at take-out places, or as nigiri-zushi at kaiten-zushi shops. It never seems to be a hot seller.

I've tried nigiri-zushi with shrimp tempura and didn't like it- it was dry, hard to eat, the flavour and texture of the topping didn't really go well with the rice. Maybe others agree and that's why it's not so popular here?

[torakris]

Torakris is right, soft-shell crabs aren't really eaten here. So those spider rolls are definately an overseas invention.

Tempura used in sushi seems to be a recent thing. For a few years I've been seeing tempura used in maki-zushi at take-out places, or as nigiri-zushi at kaiten-zushi shops. It never seems to be a hot seller.

I've tried nigiri-zushi with shrimp tempura and didn't like it- it was dry, hard to eat, the flavour and texture of the topping didn't really go well with the rice. Maybe others agree and that's why it's not so popular here?

I wonder if it was a take off on the ten-musubi, the onigiri (rice ball) with tempura (usually shrimp).

[smallworld]

Yes, that makes sense.

I don't like ten-musubi either, and it's not very common, is it? But I guess the same people who like ten-musubi like tempura sushi.

I'd like to try the N. American version of tempura sushi, maybe one of the handrolls. Seems like all sorts of stuff is crammed in there, maybe lettuce and some kind of sauce etc. Might make it a little less dry and a little more tasty.

What exactly is in the overseas versions of tempura sushi anyway?

[FoodZealot]

What exactly is in the overseas versions of tempura sushi anyway?

Usually, when ordering a shrimp tempura roll or soft shell crab roll, it is at a sushi bar or restaurant, rather than a market or pre-made kind of situation. I don't think I've ever seen it as a handroll, it's usually cut maki. The tempura item is made fresh, and is still warm, not but not blazing hot. Probably half the time it is made inside out, with masago and sesame outside. For shrimp tempura roll, the tails are left sticking out for presentation; for SSC, it's kept whole, and the legs stick out of the end pieces of the maki. The diameter of soft shell crab rolls is much larger, so it is often difficult to eat a slice in one bite.

Commons ingredients are kaiware sprouts, and the skinny, crunchy baby carrot pickles. Sometimes a thinned mayonaise type sauce or sweet sauce (like for unagi) for garnish. As I type more of this description, it sounds less and less Japanese. Still, pretty tasty if you don't mind being untraditional.

~Tad

[smallworld]

Thanks FoodZealot!

Sounds interesting. Good even! Next time I go home to Canada I'll have to pop into a sushi shop and try a soft shell crab roll. Hopefully the mayo flavour won't be too dominant.

I've always found it odd that Japanese tend to seek out Japanese restaurants when they travel overseas. Now I can see how it might be interesting to compare 'real' Japanese food with its more innovative forms abroad.

The diameter of soft shell crab rolls is much larger, so it is often difficult to eat a slice in one bite.

I can imagine! I love futo-maki but never order it because it's so embarassing to eat infront of others. There just seems to be no way to eat it whole, yet the nori wrapping takes forever to chew through and then it's impossible to get a perfect half in without the leftover half completely falling apart. Futo-maki is something best bought as take-out and eaten at home, alone, where nobody can see the mess you're making.

[kuishinbo]

I prefer sashimi.

My typical pattern is ask the chef what's best

today, then have a few of those as sashimi. Then follow up with

a few nigiri, and maybe slip in something hot - like Aburi-salmon

(lightly grilled salmon on nigiri, salted with a squeeze of Sudachi -

no need to dip in shoyu) or Shin-sama-negi-maki-yaki (young

sama wrapped around a length of negi and grilled). I always

finish with Ikura, Uni, Oo-toro nigiri.

[helenjp]

Talking of Japanese food overseas...took the family to a small Japanese nomiya/restaurant in Auckland NZ where we had enjoyed the food last year. Some NZ fish make good sashimi, so we ordered our favorites...not one available this year. That should have warned us, but we went ahead and ordered sushi and sashimi...the sashimi and the nigiri were good...the makimono were horrible -- pasty rice and sloppy mayo-drenched fillings!

However, we noticed that there was much less raw fish used in the sushi as a whole...local population wins again, eh?

[torakris]

I love futo-maki but never order it because it's so embarassing to eat infront of others. There just seems to be no way to eat it whole, yet the nori wrapping takes forever to chew through and then it's impossible to get a perfect half in without the leftover half completely falling apart. Futo-maki is something best bought as take-out and eaten at home, alone, where nobody can see the mess you're making.

I have discovered a trick to eating futo maki.

I will try to explain it.

Hold it in front of your mouth with the hand directly in front of your face and your pointer finger at the 3 o'clock position and the thumb at 9 o'clock.

Don't try to bite it in half, instead go for about 1/3 of the total maki but at the same time try to get 2/3 of the filling, as you take your bite slowly bring your finger and thumb together to bring the maki back into a circular shape again "hugging" the filling so it doesn't fall out. This can then be eaten in one bite.

The other point is to study the roll before you eat it and try to get in the first bite the stuff that is in small pieces (rather then chunks) and will fall out and make a mess, things like denbu (the fluffy pink fish stuff) and kampyo (gourd strips). Save for the last bite the big things like the chunk of egg, cucumber, etc

[dankphishin]

No doubt, my favorite sushi is Uni, or that sweet giant clam thing. Though if it's well made, i can eat anything. I can't stand when they use too much of that tempura stuff in it......too "new age" for me. I did have horse sashimi out in the country when i was in Japan, it was pretty good.

[torakris]

horse meat sashimi referred to in Japanese as ba-sashimi or basashi for short is quite good. Though most popular in the Kyushu and Shinshu areas it can be found all over Japan and it makes fairly regular appearances at supermakets in my area (Yokohama/Tokyo) all sliced up and ready to be eaten!

picture:

http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/food.html

[torakris]

we even had a whole thread just about horse meat!

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...5&hl=horse+meat

[torakris]

just ran across this:

http://store.yahoo.co.jp/yamafuji/md200b.html

sashimi style ostrich meat.......

gonna have to try this one

[dankphishin]

1.Uni

2.Tobiko

3.Scallop

actually, there isn't a kind i don't like, except shrimp perhaps, and it's not that i don't like it, i'd rather eat something different if i'm at a sushi joint.

[Pan]

Tonight, a Japanese friend of mine told me that Japanese people normally eat sushi once or twice a year, for example on birthdays. She says that Americans eat sushi much more than Japanese do! Is that your experience, too?

[Hiroyuki]

I don't know whether that friend of yours is just kidding or not, but she is right if she means hand-rolled sushi delivered from a conventional sushi bar. Even today, when sushi-go-round restraurants are prevalent throughout Japan, it is still customary for many Japanese to eat delivered hand-rolled sushi at home at festive occasions such as someone's birthday.

I can talk more, but let's listen to what others have to say on your question.

[torakris]

I agree with Hiroyuki.

It most likely depends on the person, where you live, how much you eat out, etc.

Since the advent of the kaiten sushi and other cheaper places, I think Japanese are eating it a lot more. I pick it up frequently for lunches from neighborhood supermarkets.

It is definitely not a daily or weekly meal and for most people not even monthly. The "fancier" sushi is still reserved mostly for special occasions and is most commonly delivered to the home.

Sushi is rarely made at home with the exception of the te-maki zushi (hand rolls) and other types like chirashi zushi (scattered rice) and these also are often served on special occasions.

The nigiri sushi that is the most popular out of Japan is normally a meal in itself and not just a small part of a multi course meal that you often see in Japanese restaurants abroad. For everyday eating the Japanese will turn to sashimi.

[tommy]

For everyday eating the Japanese will turn to sashimi.

so torakris, is it safe to say that japanese people eat raw fish several times a week? i've worked at japanese companies, and i noticed a lot of sushi being served and eaten in the cafeterias.

[torakris]

Again it depends on the family.

I will have some sort of sashimi about once a week, while my MIL eats it almost everyday. By the amount I see for sale in the stores I would think the average is somewhere in between.

As to sushi, I have never eaten in a cafeteria so I can't comment, but it is often at buffets that I have attended in Japan for parties.

It also seems to be most popular on weekends, when the whole family can eat dinner together and most supermarkets near my house sell large platters for anywhere from 2 to 5 people and some larger supermarkets have sort of a pick and choose sushi section. This consists of large trays of individually wrapped nigiri sushi and you can choose how ever many and of what ever kind you want. They are priced according to type. These again are normally only on weekends/holidays and not for sale everyday, though I have seen some corners like this in the depa-chika (department store basements) that sell it all week long.

[Hiroyuki]

I agree with Torakris. That depends on the person and the family. Let me add:

1) Sushi is one of the foods most favored by Japanese children, together with ramen, curry and rice, hamburgers, and so on. I suppose this is true of adults, too.

2) In the Edo period, sushi was as popular among Edo people as tempura and buckwheat noodles. These foods were served by food stalls on the street. It is the fault of conventional sushi bars that sushi has become such a costly feast today. I am glad that sushi-go-round restaurants has regained the popularity of sushi.

As for me, I often make temaki zushi at home. That's easy if you have a rice cooker. You just add vinegar, salt, and sugar to cooked rice. You don't even need raw fish! I usually use tuna in oil (remove the oil and add mayonnaise), kanikama (imitation crabs), kaori (ao-jiso), and atsuyaki tamago (thick omelet). It's very delicious! I can assure you that you can't get this level of satisfaction anywhere else. You can go to a conventional sushi bar in Japan, but chances are that you will end up with feeling that you just got ripped off, and you will certainly have to pay through the nose.

[torakris]

nice article about sushi from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/21/dining/2...ml?pagewanted=1

[torakris]

Just how well do you know your sushi?

Take this sushi quiz!!

http://english-cafe.net/japan/sushi_trivia.htm

[smallworld]

Just how well do you know your sushi?

Take this sushi quiz!!

http://english-cafe.net/japan/sushi_trivia.htm

I got one wrong, but they didn't say which one. I think it was the 'mekiki' question- what is that?

I actally know very little about sushi, since virtually all the sushi I eat is at kaiten-zushi places. You never have to ask for more 'gari' or order your favourite fish by name- it's all there at the table or whizzing by on the belt!

[Hiroyuki]

The correct answer will be the middle one:

takes all the responsibilities of choosing fish

mekiki = 目利き, meaning connoisseur, literally, someone who has a good eye

***

For example, you can say:

Sakana no mekiki (魚の目利き)　Judgment of fish

http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4...4992918-6242719

Edited April 27, 2004 by Hiroyuki (log)