What is it about eating raw fish? The country is filled with sushi-finados
who spout off terms like gari and anago, but you
probably have no clue what that stuff is. All you can think about
is that Simpsons episode where Homer almost dies from eating
raw blowfish (which was, by the way, fugu). But if you
don't jump on the sushi trend soon, you'll probably die from embarrassment
as quickly as from fugu.
Calm
down, calm down. Even though many consider "sushi" to
be synonymous with "icky raw fish," the danger level
is low (fugu excepted) and its variations can please even the
finickiest eater. Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not
mean raw seafood; instead, it refers to the vinegared rice
that can (but need not) be paired with raw seafood. So even vegetarians
and those hell-bent on having their meals cooked can be satisfied
by sushi. Some sushi contains only rice and veggies.
So
prepare yourself to frolic in all that is sushi. But two words
of warning: bring cash. One order of sushi ranges from
$3-7 (and that's at the cheapo places), and a meal usually consists
of anything from three to five orders. You math majors out there
know that this calculates to
well, more than McDonald's.
And it could become an addictive (and expensive) habit; restaurants
typically have a number of repeat customers who will eat sushi
two or more times a week. But don't be deterred by the prices
- sushi is a delicacy that warrants its cost. So, that said, here
we go:
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Nigiri
sushi
Maki sushi
We're
not going to bother delving into the history of sushi. Just know
that it's considered to be a Japanese dish. Instead, let's jump
right in and decide what to eat. Most sushi restaurants
will give you two options: to eat at a bar or at a table. If you're
at the bar, check out the selections in the refrigerated display
case. If you're at a table, the waiter will bring an a la carte
menu, a sushi checklist of sorts. This is where it can start to
get complicated
there are many types of sushi. Fortunately,
sushi can be categorized into two types: nigiri and maki.
Nigiri
sushi
Ordered
and served in pairs, nigiri sushi puts everything in full sight
for you: any kind of fish on rice with a touch of wasabi (we'll
explain in step 3) between the two.
Here are the fundamentals:
-
The raw fish on top of the rice is called sashimi and can
be ordered without the rice on the bottom as an appetizer. This
is NOT the kind of sushi wrapped in seaweed; nigiri sushi is just
fish on rice.
-
For your first sushi experience, order the tuna (maguro)
or the salmon (sake; not the rice
wine) - these are the least "fishy" fish and also
the most popular among Americans.
-
The salmon is deeply frozen and then slightly smoked or cured
to kill any parasites, which can be present in freshwater seafood.
-
Other common sashimi are the oily mackerel (saba), which
is salted and marinated before being served, and hamachi,
another type of tuna with a distinctive bright yellow tone (yellowtail).
-
Sometimes you can replace the sashimi with fish eggs instead.
Salmon eggs are the most common, wrapped in a bit of seaweed
to hold them on top of the traditional rice base. More popular
in Japan is the roe (little eggs) harvested from the inside
of sea urchins (uni), which also doubles as the animal's
gonads. In the U.S., uni is expensive but still a delicacy.
-
Surprisingly, much of nigiri sushi is not even raw. Shrimp (ebi)
and crab (kani) are both cooked before they are laid to
rest on the rice bed. At some point, try eel (unagi), which
is grilled and then marinated in a sweet sauce for several days.
Finally, a test of the chef is the tamago, an omelet of
stacked paper-thin egg slices strapped onto the rice with a band
of seaweed.
To
see some great pictures of nigiri sushi, go to Sushi
101.
Maki
sushi
Also
called roll sushi, maki sushi is probably the first image
of sushi that pops into your mind. Maki combines toppings and rice
wrapped in sheets of seaweed (nori) and served as six (or
eight) slices. So when you see those cute little pieces of fish
surrounded in rice and wrapped in seaweed, you're looking at maki.
Typically, maki sushi has less raw fish and allows for more creativity.
Here are some typical rolls:
-
Tekka: tuna (the name refers to gambling parlors where
patrons snacked on the roll)
-
Kappa: cucumber (the name refers to a mythological goblin
fond of the vegetable)
-
California: famous combination of avocado, crab, and cucumber
-
Avocado: figure this one out on your own
-
Boston: scallion, crab, and salmon
-
New York: apple, avocado, and salmon
-
Philadelphia: smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber
-
Texas: beef and cucumber
As
you probably could have guessed, these are not the names that the
ancient Japenese maki-makers chose for these dishes. But as we said,
maki allows for tons of creativity. There's one other "brand"
of maki: temaki (or a "handroll"). Temaki is a
large single cone-shaped roll (similar to an ice cream cone) and
usually contains larger items, like pieces of vegetables and smoked
salmon. To see some pictures of maki sushi, check out Sushi
101.
One
last note about health: sushi can be easily classified as a health
food, being low in fat and calories while high protein. Nori (the
seaweed, remember?) is extremely high in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6,
Niacin, and C. But no matter how healthy sushi can be, you still
must remember that you're eating raw fish. Sushi should NEVER smell
bad, so use your common sense and take a sniff before downing it.
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