# sashimi



## LoboLoco (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi all, I have never tried sashimi but would love to. Do you simply cut the fish up thinly and eat them? Do you dip them in sauce?
What fish are good for this
tune, salmon...?

Cheers
Lobo Loco


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Sushi Soy sauce, wasabi, bit of ginger on the side. Yummy! Everything should be at your local supermarket if they have a decent range.


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## AJD (Jul 10, 2007)

Most fish are acceptable (if fresh). The fattier the fish the better accoding to the japanese.
The wasabi and soy sauce is common. Try sambal and soy as well.


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## azzaroo (Aug 17, 2007)

are any fish more risky than others for sushimi? :shock:


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## colzinho (Aug 6, 2007)

wouldn't go the toadfish sushimi if I were you.


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## azzaroo (Aug 17, 2007)

dont come the raw prawn colzinho ;-)


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## Arripis (Feb 18, 2008)

I looove sashimi    . I had to go to Japan for work a few months ago and I demolished heaps of different types, even cuttlefish. I agree with AJD on the fattier sections, but it is a personal choice, some prefer lean cuts. My favourites are Southern bluefin tuna (not easily available), atlantic salmon and yellowtail kingfish. I've been meaning to try salmon trout straight up, but have not got around to it.

Yes, slice into thin pieces about an inch long. Try a google search for technique.

The golden rle is that it must be fresh. We are not very good at keeping fish for the sashimi market in Aust. So if you are buying it, make sure you go to a quality shop. If it is your catch,try to bleedor spike straight away and then straight into an ice-slurry. They reckon you can get a shelflife of 16-17 days stored in a slurry.

As said, have soy and wasabi.

You could even start off with raw salmon and avacado sushi..... or have it at a restaurant

Cheers
Tom


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## Arripis (Feb 18, 2008)

I looove sashimi    . I had to go to Japan for work a few months ago and I demolished heaps of different types, even cuttlefish. I agree with AJD on the fattier sections, but it is a personal choice, some prefer lean cuts. My favourites are Southern bluefin tuna (not easily available), atlantic salmon and yellowtail kingfish. I've been meaning to try salmon trout straight up, but have not got around to it.

Yes, slice into thin pieces about an inch long. Try a google search for technique.

The golden rle is that it must be fresh. We are not very good at keeping fish for the sashimi market in Aust. So if you are buying it, make sure you go to a quality shop. If it is your catch,try to bleedor spike straight away and then straight into an ice-slurry. They reckon you can get a shelflife of 16-17 days stored in a slurry.

As said, have soy and wasabi.

You could even start off with raw salmon and avacado sushi..... or have it at a restaurant

Cheers
Tom


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Wouldnt freezing wreck the fillets ? Do the japs freeze theirs before eating ? What horrific diseases are there in sashimi ? I hook into raw fish all the time especially the kingys and snaps are my fav.Probably end up blind :shock:


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Breambo said:


> Do the japs freeze theirs before eating ?


Some yes, some no.










I'd dare say they would prefer it fresh where available though.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Breambo said:


> Probably end up blind


But happy.

There are risks in everything we do and many that are entirely out of our control. Arguably we could deny ourselves the little pleasures such as consuming self caught sushi and lead careful, safe little existences until we die unfulfilled. I'm aware that there are a variety of parasites in the foods we consume, including the fish we catch, but on the whole I'm more concerned about acquiring toxoplasmosis from my cat (ie not very, although I've recently found out some very worrying things about TP. Mice infected with TP get brain lesions that remove their fear of cats. People with TP are more likely to die in car crashes than the norm.).

I've tried frozen kingfish sashimi (caught by me), and while acceptable, it didn't have that truly unctuous quality of fresh or fridge aged (1 or 2 days whole) kingie sashimi, nor did I get the interference patterns across the grain when I sliced it. This may well be because home freezers don't freeze quickly enough, probably blast frozen fish is greatly superior. The Japanese certainly relish frozen tuna, presumably their fleet freezes kingfish as well.

I've been lucky enough so far to suffer no ill effects from the considerable amount of raw fish I consume. My seven year old guinea pig (daughter) hasn't either, although I acknowledge the distant possibility that I may be slowly poisoning her. Her favourite is (allegedly) hairtail sashimi, mine is probably kingfish or bonito. Tuna, trevally, snapper, slimy mackerel (& other mackerels) and many other species are all good. A Japanese restaurant is probably the easiest way to get some initial idea of the whole deal (they won't give you a health warning though so be warned ;-) ), but choose one that has a high turnover of (preferably Japanese) customers. If you sit at the sushi bar you can see him (it's always a him) do it. He's probably trained for 200 years, but you'll get the idea pretty quickly. Slice neatly across the grain pretty much says it.


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## Ozzybass (Jun 29, 2007)

LoboLoco said:


> Do you simply cut the fish up thinly and eat them?


I LURVE sashimi too! Re. thinness of the fish - actually this depends on the type of fish. For the fattier species (tuna, atlantic salmon, swordfish...) I prefer to have it thick(ish) @ up to a centimeter thick. For the leaner species (eg. kingfish, snapper...) I prefer it sliced thin.

Virtually any FRESH, non-toxic fish you catch can be eaten raw. There are many Aussie SW fish that I have not tried raw (eg. flathead or bream), but when I get back to Oz soon, and if I can go fishing, I intend to remedy that. Silver trevally is beautiful sashimi - one of those fish which is usually cheap(er), ordinary when cooked, but sensational when eaten as sashimi. This is a fish I would slice thin. I've been told that the tropical trevs (GT's, etc) are not very good for this as they're tough, but I've never eaten one.

Re. FW fish - yes, its a good rule not to eat FW fish raw, but I've done a LOT of that. I used to live in the NSW Central Tablelands and caught a lot of trout which I would ONLY eat raw. No ill effects yet, but that could be the 10' tapeworm in me talking!! ;-)


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

Some useful sashimi info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashimi

If you are concerned with parasites and want to quickly freeze your catch, I would suggest using dry ice. I've frozen whole yellow tail (king fish) using dry ice. Put a couple of blocks of dry ice in an esky cooler and keep the cooler lid closed for several hours to bring the internal temperature down. When your fish are ready, toss them into the cooler. It helps if you use a rack or some sort of spacer to prevent the fish from coming into direct contact with the dry ice. The fish will be rock hard within a matter of hours. A day in the cooler should kill anything. Fruit and meat frozen quickly suffers less cellular damage than that which is slowly frozen. This technique also works well for freezing fresh berries.

The salmon that we get on the US West Coast (primarily from Alaska, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia) often has round worms. Most states require salmon to be frozen prior to use in raw preparations. Bottom fish (halibut, rock cods) and slow-moving estuary fish are particularly susceptible to parasite infestation. Pelagic fish are the safest, but are not immune from parasites. Freezing should eliminate parasite concerns in most cases. If you want fresh and are concerned with parasites, I would suggest that you buy or make a light box to check the cut slices of fish. This should help identify some parasite infestations.

It would be best if you only made sashimi from fish that you caught. That way there is never any question as to how fresh the fish is. Bleed and spike your fish promptly if you are going to use it for sashimi. Put your fish in a ice/salt slurry if possible. If you store it in the fridge, do not to let it sit directly on ice. As the ice melts the container will fill with water and the next thing you know, your fish is sitting in a pool of fresh water. You can put a rack in the container and put the ice on top of the rack. As the ice melts the water runs under the rack and the fish stays on top of the ice and stays dry. If you buy fish from a fish monger, check to make sure that the fish is as fresh as possible. Check for clear eyes that are not collapsed and check the smell. Fresh fish won't smell much like fish. A pronounced fishy odor is a bad sign. Also check the texture of the flesh. Limp and watery is not good.

More good info on Fish Parasites and Sushi Health Concerns

Parasites are a concern, but I wouldn't avoid sushi/sashimi because of the slight chance of parasitic infection. There has been a huge growth in the popularity of sushi in the US over the last ten years, yet there are less than a hundred reported cases of parasitic infection/food poisoning from sushi/sashimi each year. Those are pretty good odds. Take the basic precautions and you should be fine.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Well there you go. I've always thought that 'fresh is best' and never considered freezing ANY fish because I thought it would stuff the texture and the taste....

I've tried sashimi'd kingfish (nice), Aussie Salmon (bleccch), Silver Trevally (just OK), Bonito (yum), Spotted Mackeral (good) and Yellowfin Tuna (best) - all freshly caught and dipped in soy or say/wasabi. Can't say I'd consume more than a half dozen slices at any one sitting (raw fish overload) - but as an appetiser or small entree its great.

Worms, schmurms....... :lol:


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## feel the sting (Aug 8, 2006)

To firm up the flesh before cutting. Put the fillets into plastic bags and squeeze all the air out and seal. Then put the bags into an ice slurry for about 10 mins. when you take the fillets out of the bag they are firmer and easier to cut. 
Trevally is also good sashimi.

the sting


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## bombora (Mar 8, 2006)

On a surfing charter which is often booked by Japanese waxheads, the crew and cook said you'll get far superior sashimi by keeping the fish whole in fridge for a day after capture. Something to do with relaxing the flesh. They also advocated, and you'll need a walk in fridge  , hanging larger gamefish vertically for a night without gutting but after bleeding. Must say the wahoo we got and ate both raw and cooked after this method was superb. Had a chat to Sydney super chef Tetsuya and he raved about sashimi silver trevally, and also loves the humble ol' yakka raw. Winter caught Silver trevs are apparently better than those from warmer water. Tetsuya also menioned a really simple addition to the soy/wasabi mix which he said really lifts this combo but I can't bloody remember what it was. Damn, will try to find out. Watch out for the fatty cuts (like belly flaps) loved by the japanese, their pallets are a bit different and many westerners find these fatty cuts hard to. ahem, swallow.


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## bombora (Mar 8, 2006)

Found my notes: Tetsuya said try mixing a little plum paste in with the soy and wasabi. He said that it was abut getting a little citrus tang into the mix. Haven't tried it buy will if I ever catch a damn fish again. He also raved about winter bonito, saying they had a higher oil content.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

bombora said:


> Found my notes: Tetsuya said try mixing a little plum paste in with the soy and wasabi. He said that it was abut getting a little citrus tang into the mix. Haven't tried it buy will if I ever catch a damn fish again. He also raved about winter bonito, saying they had a higher oil content.


I'll be trying the plum paste. I'm with him on the trevs - the smaller ones (less than 40cm) make fantastic sashimi, bonito are far better raw than cooked for mine. The area around the ribcage (tricky because it's bony) is the nicest piece of kingfish. Out of the 10 best meals in my life, Tetsuya made three of them (Gordon Ramsay is also resonsible for one).


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## bombora (Mar 8, 2006)

Hiya SBD out of interest what were the three Tets super meals (and the Ramsey one too)??? Love to know.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

bombora said:


> Hiya SBD out of interest what were the three Tets super meals (and the Ramsey one too)??? Love to know.


All 4 meals were degustation menus (lots of little bits & pieces). Highlights from the Tetsuya menus were the tomato & tea consomme, ocean trout poached in warm oil, all the tricky little side dishes - every thing ridiculously delicious. The Gordon Ramsay meal (at his eponymous restaurant in Chelsea) was sublime. The level of detail in presentation was matched by the absolute perfection of every ingredient & flavour combination - Gordon was on the pans that night (didn't hear the F word once), and we walked out much poorer (around $700 Australian for two in 2000) but in awe that a meal could be so good. Foie gras, caviar, no expense spared. Sadly, I think the Gordon Ramsay meal eclipsed the Tetsuya versions, but they were all too good.

Now back to my giant mortgage & instant noodles.


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## bombora (Mar 8, 2006)

Yum!Gotta do stuff like that in your life SBD otherwise we go to our graves very bitter. I love that Testsuya is a mad keen fisho. His first fish was a flathead caught in Japan with his dad, on a bloodworm. Don' know if Ramsey fishes but do know Marco Pierre White another Michelin rated Brit chef is also a mad keen fisho.


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## JT (May 25, 2006)

sbd said:


> Breambo said:
> 
> 
> > Probably end up blind
> ...


Amen to that Brother! As someone that has lived in Japan for 6 years, is married to a Japanese woman and eats raw fish 3 to 4 times a week I can declare that in my humble opinion there is no healthier and more delicious food on the planet. As for the risks?....don't worry too much about it. Live a little! It is the pedal on the right 8) Don't eat the stuff Kraley talks about though.

JT


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## LoboLoco (Feb 1, 2008)

Awesome, thanks for all the detailed replies  now i can't wait to CATCH A FISH!!! so that i can try it. 
Does anyone eat it without sauce?

Cheers 
Lobo Loco


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

As an aside I watched an episode of the Cook and the Chef in NZ. They got hold of fresh wasabi grown by some start ups. apparently the tube stuff is horseradish. Would love to grow some for Kingie season. My wife has searched seed suppliers but nothing found yet. If any green thumbs out there come across a source Pleeeze let me know.

I would put Sbd's meals in the top ten following Melinda's. She has a potty mouth too. :lol:


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

Anyone tried mulloway? I might give it a bash if/when I catch another one.


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## Ozzybass (Jun 29, 2007)

avayak said:


> They got hold of fresh wasabi grown by some start ups. apparently the tube stuff is horseradish. Would love to grow some for Kingie season. My wife has searched seed suppliers but nothing found yet. If any green thumbs out there come across a source Pleeeze let me know.


I don't know where you can get fresh (real) wasabi in Oz, but in 2000-2002, I used to live in Orange, NSW and I had a neighbour who was just starting out growing wasabi somewhere around Orange. I don't know how successful he was and if it was a goer at all. It was all supposed to be pre-sold and not available to the common joe. Not very helpful all this! :?


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## sliderman (Dec 21, 2007)

my wife prepares our silver travely in a Philippine style known as kinelaw raw fish sliced thin then marinated in lemon juice vinegar ginger onion tomato and spring onion, leave for 1 hour then serve. the acidity of the lemon and the vinegar cook the fish slightly, the traditional recipe has coconut milk which adds a sweetness to the fish but i prefer it with out the coconut. regards sliderman. you can also add chilly if you like it


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## bombora (Mar 8, 2006)

Hiya Sliderman yep had the French/Tahitian version called Poisson Crue (spell?) almost exactly the same but no vinegar and we used limes rather than lemons on a surfing trip. Crew who were fishing with me off back of boat were making it as we caught the fish. Catch-make-eat-catch-make-eat. Delicious. White flesh fish though, not tuna.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

There was a very interesting recipe for Peruvian sashimi in the Good Living liftout in the SMH this week. If it's anywhere as good as their marching powder I'm in.

For the shallot oil

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 red Asian shallots, finely sliced

For the sashimi

300g sashimi-grade firm white fish fillets such as mackerel or blue eye
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 small tomato, seeded and finely diced
¼ red onion, finely diced
Sea salt and ground white pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small potato, cut into 5mm cubes
1 lime, cut in half
1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
½ small fresh red chilli, very finely chopped

6 chives, cut into 2cm lengths

For the shallot oil Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat and lightly fry the shallots for 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

For the sashimi Put the fish pieces in the freezer for 10 minutes or until quite firm. Be careful to make sure they don't freeze. Using a very sharp knife, slice the fish into 3mm thick slices and lay on a chilled platter in an overlapping pattern. Scatter the coriander leaves over the top, then sprinkle with the diced tomato and red onion and season.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the potato for six minutes, or until golden and just cooked. Sprinkle over the fish. Squeeze over lime and then drizzle over with soy sauce. Scatter the chilli and chives on top.

Reheat the shallot oil until it is sizzling and drizzle over the fish to serve.


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

Many Peruvians are of Japanese descent. Modern Peruvian cuisine, especially the seafood, has Asian, Spanish and Mesoamerican influences. Very tasty stuff


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