What qualifies you as a “newbie” in the world of wasabi and soy sauce? Well, you probably know what it feels like to be left out of your friends’ Friday night sushi dates, or you’ve never ordered $40 worth of rolls and not felt the least bit guilty, or maybe you just have yet to discover that sushi is the greatest food creation ever. Sound like you? Then you are definitely unfamiliar to the sushi scene and for your own quality of life, we want to change that. Here is everything you need to know for the full sushi experience.
The Menu
The menu at a sushi restaurant can be very confusing and sometimes may seem a little uninviting. If you feel like it’s written in a secret language and everyone has the code to decipher it except you, we’re here to help.
Sushi vs Sashimi– Wait, sushi doesn’t just refer to the entire cuisine? Nope, sushi is actually a piece of raw fish of your choice served over rice and sashimi is that fish sans rice. Usually two pieces come in one order.
Roll vs Hand Roll– Even the newest of newbies know what a roll is. Think spicy tuna or california. A hand roll is made with the same ingredients, except instead of the standard six piece seaweed wrapped bite sized pieces; the fish is wrapped in a cone shape. This makes for a bit messier eating but the ratio of fish to rice is much greater.
Photo by Rachael Piorko
The Ingredients
Questions like “what the hell is wasabi tobiko?” probably make skeptics hesitant to stray from their trusted cucumber roll (FYI: that’s not sushi). The names of some of the Japanese ingredients most commonly found on a sushi menu sound more intense than they actually are. Let’s clear things up:
Roe- Caviar
Ikura- Salmon roe
Kani– Cooked crab
Nori– Seaweed
Tamago– Japanese omelet
Tobiko– Flying-fish roe
Toro– Fatty tuna
Uni– Sea urchin
The Process
As a newbie, your first sushi experience probably won’t consist of uni with quail eggs (although it’s highly recommended). So where to start? As a self proclaimed sushi flipper, my advice is to begin with the basics and work your way through the menu. Start with more plain rolls like california, tempura, or spicy shrimp. When you’re ready to go raw, spicy rolls like spicy tuna, salmon or yellowtail are easiest to begin with. These open the door to an array of advanced sushi and soon you’ll be addicted.
Photo by Rachael Piorko
Now that the menu is readable, the mysterious ingredients have been defined, and the process has been outlined, there is no longer an excuse to deprive yourself of the glorious delicious cuisine that is sushi.
Ready to start your own adventure? We’ve got the hook up. Check out if one of these places is near you: