Sushi Gallery

[yuujirou]

Next to madai, I would have to say that hirame is my absolute favourite fish. I especially love it served with the zest of yuzu and a dash of ponzu. As far as the fish itself goes, hirame, or fluke, is a flat fish. So unlike round fish, you get four fillets per fish, usually with the top and bottom cuts having a different colour, for one reason or another. [Something I'll have to look into someday.]
Like I've ranted about in previous posts, there is a specific cut in this fish that many itamae typically ignore, and that would be the Engawa, or the meat near the fin. Believe this or not, but in Japan, the Engawa is considered a delicacy. Perhaps it's because of the textural difference from the fillets (it's crunchy, as opposed to being soft and fleshy), or the fact that you can only get four slices per fish, but the Engawa sells for a little more than a regular cut would in Japan. But, in America, of course, all the good things are neglected and the worthless, or near worthless, things are prized. The Engawa is usually just discarded. Or, if it is saved, it's more often than not discarded anyway due to the lack of interest by the clientelle.

[Paul11]

I've had some pretty fantastic sushi when I lived in Japan and continue to do so. But the best sushi I'v ever had was at a cheap chain restaraunt on the first floor of the Saty department store. It just happened to be really fresh that day. I ordered the tuna several times.

[yuujirou]

Tai. Probably the best neta (topping) you can have for sushi. Served w/ momiji-oroshi (grated daikon w/ srirach, or chilies), negi and a dash (not shower) of ponzu. It's meaty, slightly chewy, soft, and ever so succulent. The meat is slightly sweet and is very easily over-powered (hence the "dash" of ponzu).
A truly wonderful fish, it saddens me though, that so many sushi-ya try to pass izumi-dai off as tai. Izumi-dai, or tilapia, is typically, if not always, bought frozen, then defrosted before service. It's meat is much firmer and more opaque (almost white) than tai is. As far as taste goes, I can't say. This is because the places that usually serve this "fake" snapper, OD the fish with so much sriracha and ponzu that the fish itself becomes indistinguishable.
I suppose, a good rule of thumb to follow for spotting tilapia is to check the happy hour menu.
If they have 'snapper' on it, then it's probably izumi-dai.
Why though?
Simply because real snapper is just too expensive to discount. Has anyone here ever seen ootoro up for happy hour?

[yuujirou]

Shime-saba, because it's been marinated in vinegar, has a particularly strong fishy taste to it; which can really offset most diners. There are a few varieties of mackerel that are commonly sold in the market. King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, and Boston Mackerel. Most saba that you see at the sushi-ya is more often than not of the boston variety (usually pre-made).
However, for the true connosieurs out there, I'm going to provide a personal recipe for preparing Shime-saba:
Using a whole mackerel, fillet it on both sides and discard teh guts, spine, and head. Sprinkle heavily with sea-salt on both sides of each fillet and let sit for one hour and thirty minutes. Rinse off salt and peel off skin. Then in a 1:1 solution of rice vinegar and water, marinate for twelve minutes. Wrap, first, in wax paper, then plastic wrap for storage; or debone then slice for immediate service.
For service, I personally love saba served w/ a pinch of freshly grated ginger and sliced scallions. You can also grill the fillets w/ lemon and serve w/ scallions as an alternative.

[yuujirou]

When an American thinks of tuna, this is what he's thinking about; Albacore. Aside from yellow-fin tuna (which is usually served grilled and as steaks), Albacore is the most popular tuna consumed in the U.S.; from tuna sandwiches to tuna salads. And like Mirugai, Albacore has many names itself. Shiro-maguro, Meiji-Maguro, Abako, or just plain white tuna.
Albacore is typically seared extremely rare then served with momiji oroshi and scallions.
It's meat is very soft and depending on how it's stored, it can have an almost metallic taste, to something comparable to chicken. Of course, the former is the result of poor sanitation procedures, and improper storage.

[yuujirou]

B.u.m.p.y
^_^

[GTJ]

Originally Posted by yuujirou

B.u.m.p.y
^_^

Maybe to bump your own thread you could update all those "To be updated when I feel like it" posts?

I'm a big fan of this thread. I like how you're actually very knowledgeable about the ingredients because you genuinely care and had a passion to learn. Cheers.

I just gotta say, though, reading through the whole thing... it might be a typo, but every time you want to say "to", as in "to the point that...", "from here to there", "need to learn to", and so on, you say "too". As a grammar nazi, it's killing me. Just wanted to point it out. XD

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by GTJ

Maybe to bump your own thread you could update all those "To be updated when I feel like it" posts?

I'm a big fan of this thread. I like how you're actually very knowledgeable about the ingredients because you genuinely care and had a passion to learn. Cheers.

I just gotta say, though, reading through the whole thing... it might be a typo, but every time you want to say "to", as in "to the point that...", "from here to there", "need to learn to", and so on, you say "too". As a grammar nazi, it's killing me. Just wanted to point it out. XD

finally.... a proper critique =.=

really... thanks for pointing that out o.o'
i'll fix it.. if i can xDD
i'm not exactly really good w/ english.....
i just type the way i speak.... (and in this instance.. i actually extend the 'o' in 'too' when i speak for some reason... same thing in japnese, i always pronounce the 'su' like in 'desu" =P )
so i'm actually rather uncertain as to whether or not my grammar is eh... corrects xD

but i'm glad "SOME" one is actually interested in my rambles :3

[rafif]

wow it seems delicieuse i've never tasted suchi but sure it's nice

thanks a lot

[zombiegeisha]

Originally Posted by yuujirou

Really not much too say on this piece as Salmon is probably the most recognisable fish in America when it comes too sushi. However, I suppose it would be worth noting that Salmon is not a traditional ingredient in sushi nor is it traditionally served raw/fresh.
Also, something that many of you might not know that the belly of the salmon contains a higher percent of fat in it. This cut is called Sake-Toro and has a bit more flavour than the rest of the body. Although this is something that's applicable too most or all larger fish; The cheeks and the collar or kama are the most tender; the stomach is fattier thus more flavourful; the back or the loin is more lean, thus more meatier; the tail is where all the tendons conjoin, thus the meat from the tail are usually scrapped off with a spoon, creating a mushy texture.

Most American sushi cooks don't know about this part of the salmon as they usually discard most of the belly portion during the pre-prep of the salmon.

mmmmm. i love salmon til no end!!