Sushi 101 - The Basics

Sushi Savvy - The Basics
by
Mike Skurko

If you consider yourself to be a sushi master you might want to skip this. I am about to describe some of the basics of the sushi bar. Real basics. Sushi 101 for those of you who are still new to this and/or any of you who have not had sushi in Japan. Yes, there are some "basics" that come from a culture that has been eating sushi for a really long time now. So, there's some simple stuff and some slightly esoteric things to consider. I once had a teacher tell me that "we are all beginners at one point," yes this is true, but it's still kind of funny watching an adult learn how to ride a bicycle. (really, it is.) So, let's get you to the bar looking like an adult shall we?

So, you go to the sushi bar and take a seat at the bar. Here's my first pointer. If you are going to the trouble of getting good sushi and want to ensure that you are getting the best cut of hamachi you should always sit at the bar. I am not sure why this works this way, but if you get to the bar and come across as, well, not a complete ass you have a very good chance at getting some guidance. Sit at the bar. Show some respect. You are a guest. Behaving accordingly. So, you are at the bar and, for the sake of this particular piece, let's just call if your first visit ever to this sushi bar. If there is an option for 'omakase' or chef's choice then this is absolutely what you should order. This allows the chef to pick and choose what is fresh and good. Granted this can be expensive. If there are limits to your lunch budget you can ask for a range and/or just ask what the 'omakase' will cost. In some circles this will have you pegged as "cheap," but having a lovely lunch for one and a bill that is over five hundred dollars can be unsettlingly at the best of times. If you are not going with a full blown chef's choice then always ask what is fresh/good today. Let the master guide you. This shows respect and if you only insist on 'maguro' you will never learn about all the colors in the master's palate. If you have any specific aversions by all means speak up. I know there are a lot of people who squirm at the thought of that slimy-yellow sea urchin. You can mention this to the chef. If the wasabi is something you prefer in small doses let them know at the bar.

All right. You are at the bar and you are well behaved. You are in the hands of the master. The first piece of nigiri is offered on a small plate. You are at the bar. You are *not* at the table. It is perfectly acceptable, in many cases preferable, to eat with your hands. Yes. Not at the table, but at the bar you can palm that o-toro placed on the rice and deftly turn it over as you dip the fish side of the sushi into the soy sauce. This is really critical and I can not tell you how often I am at a sushi bar and watch some hapless fool drop the nigiri rice side down into the sauce. What happens? The rices comes apart into the sauce and that perfect, bit sized moment is lost into a clump of inky black sauce. With your chopsticks or by hand you *always* need to flip that piece and lightly apply sauce before bringing it to your mouth. Ahhh, now the other moment of potential contention. Do you bite the piece in half or go for the entire chunk? OK, this one is not so terribly black and white. It works like this. If you can easily, without choking, take an entire piece then by all means do so. If you are prone to panic and might, just possibly choke? Then nip the piece in half and quickly eat the other piece without dropping *any* rice or bits of flesh on the counter or back into the soy sauce.

Here's a bit more than the absolute basics. If you are at a place that is known to be really, really good then you should do the following without fail. Go with the 'omakase.' Ask them to start you with sashimi and then end the meal with sushi. The really high end fish is amazing and should not be mixed with rice or much, if any, wasabi or soy sauce. There is a high end that is amazing and should be best taken straight up - no chaser. The same goes for sake. If you are drinking really good sake then the last thing on earth you will *ever* want to do is to have that 'junmai daiginjo' served hot. (trust me on this. you will look like an absolute idiot if you walk into a sushi-ya and ask for a hot bottle of their best sake.)

Here's another really basic tip. I am not sure where you are eating your sushi. Sushi can be found in incredibly land locked places and thanks to unreal logistics it's quite possible to have sushi in Chicago on Tuesday that was auctioned off at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo on Monday. That being said here is a very basic rule of thumb. If your sushi smells fishy then it is not going in your mouth. Fresh fish does not smell fishy. Ever. Yes, I know, this is terribly basic. It is however a very good thing to consider if you are snapping up sushi at the buffet in Vegas or at a small sushi-ya in Wisconsin. (and yes, I have had perfectly delicious sushi in both of those places) So, if you are at a reputable sushi-ya this will never be an issue. Sometimes you will find yourself at a somewhat questionable place that is not even close to a source of fresh fish. Your sushi smells strongly of fish? Put down that ‘nigiri’, you need to order something off their grilled menu! Possibly chicken. Yep.