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Going beyond sashimi


torakris

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I love sashimi! :biggrin:

Besides things like katsuo tataki (seared bonito served with many garnishes) and the western technique of ceviche, what do you do with your sashimi?

Soy sauce and wasabi get boring after a while....

Last night I picked up a gorgeous block of katsuo (bonito) and couldn't decide what to do with it so I prepared it two ways.

gallery_6134_1003_2375.jpg

on the left it has a kochujang based sauce with kaiware (daikon sprouts)

on the right it was tossed with slivered ginger and shredded shiso with soy sauce

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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I love sashimi! :biggrin:

Besides things like katsuo tataki (seared bonito served with many garnishes) and the western technique of ceviche, what do you do with your sashimi?

Soy sauce and wasabi get boring after a while....

Last night I picked up a gorgeous block  of katsuo (bonito) and couldn't decide what to do with it so I prepared it two ways.

on the left it has a kochujang based sauce with kaiware (daikon sprouts)

on the right it was tossed with slivered ginger and shredded shiso with soy sauce

::drooooooool::

I can't do this at home, because all the burners are tilted on my apartment's stove and I'm SO not getting a big vat of TILTED hot oil going full blast; but when I'm at friends' houses with functioning stoves I like sashimi-tempura. Mix together rice flour and green bean starch so it'll get really crispy fast, dust it over the sashimi, just a few seconds in the boiling oil to crisp up the crust but the insides are still nice and raw, crunch away...

I've seen places do maki-tempura (sashimi grade fish into sushi rolls into tempura batter into fryer) but my maki tend to fall apart if I juggle 'em wrong getting 'em to the plate so I doubt they'd survive a tempura run. But that might be fun too...

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Wow, it looks gorgeous *and* yummy. You probably get to eat a lot of sashimi, but I don't get it very often, so I can't say I'm tired of just plain ol' sashimi with soy sauce & wasabi -- I'm definitely not. I eat it at restaurants, therefore it's too expensive to get very often, and I'm too fearful of not getting good fish to do it at home. (Also, I figure the Japanese spend years learning how to do it, how can I duplicate it at home?)

But I love reading your posts, Torakris, and looking at your photos -- you inspire me. One day I may get the courage to try my own sashimi (if I can get over my distrust of the grocery stores).

SusieQ

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You probably get to eat a lot of sashimi, but I don't get it very often, so I can't say I'm tired of just plain ol' sashimi with soy sauce & wasabi -- I'm definitely not.

I know the feeling. We buy/eat sashimi so rarely that shoyu, wasabi and perhaps some shiso is enough to make us happy.

and I'm too fearful of not getting good fish to do it at home. (Also, I figure the Japanese spend years learning how to do it, how can I duplicate it at home?)

There's really is nothing to it, as long as you're working with good, fresh ingredients. Ask for sushi-grade salmon or tuna at a trusted fishmonger, or just head down to Uwajimaya. Take home, slice and enjoy.

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
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and I'm too fearful of not getting good fish to do it at home. (Also, I figure the Japanese spend years learning how to do it, how can I duplicate it at home?)

There's really is nothing to it, as long as you're working with good, fresh ingredients. Ask for sushi-grade salmon or tuna at a trusted fishmonger, or just head down to Uwajimaya. Take home, slice and enjoy.

So are you saying that when I see the label "sashimi-grade" tuna at Uwajimaya, I can trust that they've done it right?

SusieQ

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Back in the 1980s there was a sushi place in Chicago called Happy Sushi. It was there that I had my first sushi/sashimi experience. I remember they had a dish consisting of cubed raw tuna, seasoned (I think) with shoyu, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and grated ginger, served in an avocado half (which was pre-cut).

My own version is the cubed maguro, cubed avocado (of course the Haas kind), shoyu, a bit of rice wine vinegar, some sesame oil, fresh grated wasabi root, perhaps some grated fresh ginger, and some shredded shiso and black sesame seeds for garnish.

I feel lucky that I live close enough to Mitsuwa market to be able to have access to those ingredients that, in the past, I thought I would never be able to have. Such as real wasabi root, shiso leaf, and most excellent sushi-grade everything you could ask for. The mushroom selection alone is worth the visit.

But back to the sashimi: I wonder if this dish with the avocado is a common one, or just an American sort of invention. Any thoughts?

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Haven't done this in a while, but I used to get maguro from a local Korean store, and would have it with kochujang (jazzed up with shoyu, green onion, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and vinegar). I would put some rice in a square of kim (Korean seasoned nori), top it with the maguro and kochujang, and make sort of a temaki.

I think I'm going to have to stop by the Korean store on my way home tomorrow!

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Back in the 1980s there was a sushi place in Chicago called Happy Sushi. It was there that I had my first sushi/sashimi experience. I remember they had a dish consisting of cubed raw tuna, seasoned (I think) with shoyu, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and grated ginger, served in an avocado half (which was pre-cut).

My own version is the cubed maguro, cubed avocado (of course the Haas kind), shoyu, a bit of rice wine vinegar, some sesame oil, fresh grated wasabi root, perhaps some grated fresh ginger, and some shredded shiso and black sesame seeds for garnish...

But back to the sashimi: I wonder if this dish with the avocado is a common one, or just an American sort of invention. Any thoughts?

Yuji's Japanese Tapas, one of my favourite under-the-radar restaurants here in Vancouver, serves maguro and avocado together in a number of ways as noted here on their menu. If you click this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll see a photo of their Maguro Avocado Crepe. Delicious.

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

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Thanks Mooshmouse for the links (now I'm really hungry)! I've always enjoyed the pairing of maguro with avocado, any way you decide to do it. I would like to experiment a bit more with yuzu, however.

There is also a sushi restaurant in Chi-town called Heat. They are a "fresh kill" japanese restaurant, including live abalone in their tanks. Of course, they have taken some "heat" for their Iron Chef-like killing of the fish that they serve, but you can't beat the freshness! But the reason I mention this is that I was served there a sashimi dish with sliced jalapeno or serrano chiles, and although at first I thought it a strange combination, it turned out to be outstanding. Don't know if I did the link correctly (I'm a newbie here) but their website is here. Worth checking out.

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SusieQ: I don't live in Seattle, but I think you would be absolutely fine with the sushi-grade tuna at Uwajimaya. They're a Japanese-run company and I'm sure they sell a good amount of sashimi, so that should be an assurance that they're quality is fine. They're probably buying from the same sources as your favorite sushi shop!

We buy sashimi-grade tune and salmon from our local supermarket (Fujiya) and it's fine.

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
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As a native Japanese, I find it so hard to go beyond the combination of sashimi, soy sauce, and wasabi.

I thank torakris for starting this thread anyway, because it has made me realize that you can be creative and imaginative as to what is foreign to you.

That is exactly why the Japanese people are so creative and imaginative as to pizza toppings.

I've been reminded of what Pumpkin Lover wrote about my question:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=796957

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I like to make a Hawaiian dish called poke with raw tuna in soy-sesame dressing and other ingredients (seaweed, green onions; it varies) and pink Hawaiian salt. You can actually buy a mix for the dressing in Hawaii but I've never seen it on the mainland.

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I've been cubing sushi grade tuna and serving it in a ponzu bath. I found a terrific recipe for ponzu and now I make it as needed. It keeps forever and improves with age. Very tasty alternative to soy/wasabi routine. Garnish w/ scallion. I'd be impressed if there were radish sprouts here in New England but I could try a little grated daikon, yes?

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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I like to make a Hawaiian dish called poke with raw tuna in soy-sesame dressing and other ingredients (seaweed, green onions; it varies) and pink Hawaiian salt. You can actually buy a mix for the dressing in Hawaii but I've never seen it on the mainland.

One of my favorite restaurants, Menchanko-Tei (menu), serves maguro poki just as Tess describes, except without the salt on top. It's *incredible*. :wub:

edit: er, um, bad grammar

Edited by AmyDaniel (log)
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How about Thai style with very finely minced lemongrass, Thai basil, chopped Thai chilli pepper, lime juice, sugar and several dashes of that Thai fish sauce?

I know the Malaysian also eat something alike (raw fish salad) except that they use chopped pickled ginger and root vegetables in various colors, mixed greens and crunchy Chinese-American style chow mein noodle.

Leave the gun, take the canoli

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What about that maguro sashimi carpaccio that was all over the place like a rash a year or two ago?

Mustard is a flavor I like with tuna sashimi.

I put honey and salt on salmon sashimi, and let it marinade in its own juice with slices of lemon for 1-3 days, but with maguro, honey and soy sauce might be better.

Or how about something based on kanzuri? Hmmm.

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I like ginger with raw tuna, but I always like it the best with soy and wasabi.

It's like something just doesn't feel right if I don't have it the traditional Japanese way?

The Thai variation from AzianBrewer sounds like a good choice too.

Edited by Chef Metcalf (log)
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I like ginger with raw tuna, but I always like it the best with soy and wasabi.

It's like something just doesn't feel right if I don't have it the traditional Japanese way?

The Thai variation from AzianBrewer sounds like a good choice too.

All the sashimi purists:

If you have leftover sashimi, turn it into zuke! :biggrin::biggrin:

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I like ginger with raw tuna, but I always like it the best with soy and wasabi.

It's like something just doesn't feel right if I don't have it the traditional Japanese way?

The Thai variation from AzianBrewer sounds like a good choice too.

All the sashimi purists:

If you have leftover sashimi, turn it into zuke! :biggrin::biggrin:

AWESOME! That's the biggest reason I never go to the trouble of ordering sashimi-grade fish from Chicago or New York - I live like most of a thousand miles from anything resembling an ocean, so getting a piece of sashimi-grade fish takes some arranging, and I can never eat a whole piece of it in one day. I'll get it for parties, but so far there's been nothing I could do with it for just one person... Happy leftovers here I come... thank you!

Edited by chibirisu (log)
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  • 3 weeks later...

I had in my freezer a product called aburi toro salmon (flame seared fatty salmon sashimi), I defrosted it and made a sort of salad with sugar snap peas (blanched) and red onions. The dressing consisted of soy sauce, mirin, vinegar and yuzu-koshou.

gallery_6134_1960_41927.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Back in the 1980s there was a sushi place in Chicago called Happy Sushi. It was there that I had my first sushi/sashimi experience. I remember they had a dish consisting of cubed raw tuna, seasoned (I think) with shoyu, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and grated ginger, served in an avocado half (which was pre-cut).

My own version is the cubed maguro, cubed avocado (of course the Haas kind), shoyu, a bit of rice wine vinegar, some sesame oil, fresh grated wasabi root, perhaps some grated fresh ginger, and some shredded shiso and black sesame seeds for garnish.

I feel lucky that I live close enough to Mitsuwa market to be able to have access to those ingredients that, in the past, I thought I would never be able to have. Such as real wasabi root, shiso leaf, and most excellent sushi-grade everything you could ask for. The mushroom selection alone is worth the visit.

But back to the sashimi: I wonder if this dish with the avocado is a common one, or just an American sort of invention. Any thoughts?

Happi Sushi first started in Arlington Heights and we spent many many wonderful nights there with the head chef Nobuo. We had our own bottle of Chivas, the clientel was mostly Japanese business men and we were well taken care of and made some wonderful friends. They moved the restaurant to Highland Park and it really was never the same because the chef's changed and the clientel became Yuppie WASP. They still serve the cubed avocado with Maguro in the avocado shell but the restaurant is shell (pun?) of what it was.

Heat on the other hand does a marvelous job of nouville cusine and we were served Toro with sliced fresh chile among a number of other great preperations including a Mangrove Snapper freshly killed, looking us straight in the eye as we ate its flesh.-Dick

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

another favorite

gallery_6134_1960_12398.jpg

maguro (tuna) seared and topped with grated daikon and scallions then drizzled (ok, drenched) in ponzu

the naked tuna on the right was for my daughters, they insisted I make theirs without the daikon but then proceeded to eat quite a bit of the daikon topped one as they said it tasted better... :hmmm:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Pictures look amazing.

Tomorrow, I'm hosting Xmas lunch and I have a very large platter of sashimi being delivered. We go for the korean dipping sauce in addition to wasabi/soy. My mom is more partial to wasbi/soy where I and the rest of the family really go for the kochujang based sauce. You just can't go wrong with either as long as the fish and preperation is good.

Yum.

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