Yummy Sushi!

I thoroughly enjoy Sushi! It was something that a former coworker introduced me to a number of years ago. The sushi restaurant that we went to used to have a Food Safe instructor as the manager so we felt pretty comfortable with the food there. The building is no longer there but the Chef and manager have both moved on to other places and I like to frequent the spot where the chef ended up.

Now I had the same reaction that many do when you hear about eating raw fish, YUCK! We are so conditioned in our western society that RAW is yucky. But we do enjoy fresh foods and that is a big reason why I like sushi. I was told once by a Japanese lady that SUSHI meant "freshly prepared" and that not all 'sushi' is raw or raw fish.

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

I will say that once I tried it I was hooked! (pun intended). Of all the sushi style foods that I have tried I have yet to find one that I didn't like. There are definitely some that I like more but that is typical with any type of foods. One of my real favorites is Sashimi which refers to thin slices of fish served without rice. My sashimi favorite is tuna and salmon. I find the tuna is melt in the mouth buttery and the salmon has a mellow flavour that you just want to savour! In the picture you can see the salmon and two types of tuna being served up as a sashimi plate. Served with the usual wasabi (green horseradish) and pickled ginger. I love pickled ginger, it is so good for you!

The Japanese are pretty smart. They serve the ginger with all their sushi dishes. There are several reasons why. Ginger is a root with multiple uses. Served with the sushi it accomplishes several functions. These are the four that I am aware of:

1. It cleanses your palate. It will cleanse your palate of the previous flavours preparing you for the next.
2. Natural antiseptic. Before the advent of refrigeration not all sushi was as safe to eat as it is today. 
3. Settles the stomach. Prevents bloating and aides in the digestion of your food.
4. Deals with heartburn. Works well in reducing heartburn and acid reflux.

It is also known to help with nausea and motion sickness. I have eaten ginger for years and for the various reasons I just mentioned. I find that it works rather well for me. The pickled ginger that is served with sushi will come in a couple different colors. Standard ginger is a pale yellow but most often I have found it in a pale pink, dark pink or a reddish color. It all depends on the food coloring that is added to the pickling brine.

There are so many different kinds of sushi out there but I have found that it is served in two main ways:

1. Maki-sushi are the rolls.

2. Nigri-sushi are fish on top of a rice balls

Not all maki-sushi has the seaweed wrap like the ones you see above, some have the seaweed on the inside and it is wrapped in rice, sort of a reverse/inside-out roll. The nigri-sushi rice balls are usually like a small egg shape and then the slice of fish is placed on top.

The rolls can have most anything on the inside and the great thing about the rolls is that you can be creative and come up with your own fillings if you know how to make them. I figure it is worth learning. Making it fresh at home would be fun!

The nigri-sushi looks the easiest as you just need to shape the rice into a ball/egg like shape and then place your sliced fish on top. Some places will wrap a thin strip of seaweed around it like a belt, to hold the fish in place and to look decorative. With nigri you can also be creative and place most anything on top. Some restaurants have more options than just fish for the maki and nigri.

The boyfriend and I often like to grab some premade sushi from the local market place and have it as an appetizer before dinner. The boyfriend doesn't like 'raw' fish sushi so the one we often get is the teriyaki salmon (cooked). Is his favorite.

If you have never tried sushi then explore it with someone that does eat it and they can help you find something that just might be to your liking. Not all sushi is fish or raw, there are veggie options as well as cooked beef and chicken.

If you already know how tasty it is then keep on enjoying it! It is such healthy food!