Japanese sashimi has to be right up there as my all time favorite foods. Sashimi is thin slices of fresh raw fish without rice. I have been eating sashimi often since I was a little girl, and my sister returned from living in Japan for six months. This was long before sushi bars became a craze in the USA. I recognize that some are squeamish about eating raw fish, I have never once been sick from eating sushi or sashimi. The trick is to know that the fish is fresh, and you won’t have a problem. If you make it at home just make sure to buy really fresh fish. There are some places that sell sashimi grade fish and I have had good luck with those specialty places. The sashimi can be just about any fish imaginable, how it is sliced sometimes, so thinly can take years of training. I have been successful with tuna, salmon and halibut. Sashimi does not have any “fishy” taste or smell. It is simply delicious and melts in your mouth. Sashimi is usually served with shredded daikon radish, wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger and sometimes some type of roe. Of course, the Japanese are masters with their presentation. Mine came out pretty good don’t you think?
- ½ lb sashimi grade salmon
- ½ lb sashimi grade tuna (or any other fresh fish you like)
- 1 Tablespoon wasabi (you can get this ready made in a tube or make your own with wasabi powder)
- ½ lb shredded daikon radish
- 1 container pickled ginger
- soy sauce
- roe (Optional)
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the pieces of fish against the grain to about ¼ slices or less.
- Arrange the fish on a Japanese tray along with a bunch of daikon radish, some wasabi and ginger slices. It is customary to serve with a little dish for the soy sauce and your guest will mix the wasabi with the soy sauce to the desired amount of heat. The ginger is used to cleanse the palate between different bites.
