If there's anything you should know about me, it's that I am one of the biggest sushi enthusiasts. I genuinely enjoy eating sushi, watching chefs make sushi, the art of sushi itself, learning about sushi, and watching sushi-based documentaries. My favorite food? Sushi. Hands down, no debating there. It's my go-to food, my comfort food and if I'm feeling a little bit fancy, I'll order one of those special rolls.
So, what's the hype? It's just a fish filled rice ball. Well, no, not necessarily. Here's your abridged and beginner's guide to the world of sushi.
Sushi is not always raw fish. Many people are afraid to try sushi for the first time because they believe sushi is just raw fish. Sushi could be raw fish but it could also be cooked fish, meat (chicken teriyaki for example), veggies, and other things like sweet potato.
There's actually several types of sushi, and it's important to know these when ordering:
1. Maki rolls: These are probably the most familiar. It's those rolls that you see at Hannaford sushi section. These are your California rolls, the spicy tuna, the spicy salmon, Philadelphia, etc.
2. Sashimi: Just 'meat'! No rice, no seaweed. This can range from just raw fish to raw or boiled octopus or cooked eel.
3. Nigiri: This is just like sashimi except with a rice bedding beneath the 'meat'.
4. Temaki: This is also called a 'hand roll'. It's like maki rolls but except being rolled up and sliced into pieces, it's just rolled up in a cone-shape with seaweed wrap that you can easily eat holding it with your hands.
There are many, many more types of sushi, but these are the basics that you will most commonly see!
Now, when it comes to trying out sushi for the first time, my advice to beginner's who are scared or just dislike raw fish, or fish in general is to try the most basic sushi roll: The California roll. This roll can be found just about anywhere, you will always see this on the menu. It's a maki roll that has slices of cucumbers, crab meat (usually imitation crab, unless specified, and avocado. In fact, this was my first sushi roll!
When you order sushi, it'll usually come with a slab of wasabi and pickled ginger. It is up to you, to add these on top of your sushi if you'd like. Personally, I am a huge fan of the pickled ginger and I will normally add it on top, and as for the wasabi, I stay away from that as much as possible, but since I like a little spiciness, I would add a pea size amount to my soy sauce. There are other condiments, depending on the restaurant, that are available free of charge or may come with a fee. Some 'spicy' rolls will have spicy mayo drizzled on top of your sushi, or wasabi mayo. Other rolls may have kabayaki sauce (eel sauce). Of course, if you're like me and you love spicy mayo but your roll doesn't have it or simply just doesn't have the adequate amount, you can always ask for a side of it, at an extra cost.
When it comes to eating sushi itself, it's ultimately your preference. But the proper way to eat sushi (in Japan) is to use your fingers. Nigiri is eaten with your fingers and normally you would hold it upside down so that the slice of 'meat' is dipped in the soy sauce, rather than the rice bedding. Maki rolls can be eaten with your fingers or chopsticks and sashimi is always eaten with chopsticks, never fingers.
Since we live in Maine, I'll list some of the good local sushi restaurants you ought to try.
1. Kushiya Benkay - Make sure you come here after 5pm for $3 maki rolls and $2 skewers. They're sushi is very, very good, and also a good starting point. They're also open until 2am.
2. King of the Roll - Another inexpensive place that's just a few steps from Kushiya.
3. Fuji - Fuji is also inexpensive with a large selection of sushi and Japanese style seating.
4. Yosaku - Yosaku is one of my favorites just because of how traditional the place is. They have Japanese style seating, and you are greeted with a formal Japanese greeting. Very authentic.
5. Miyake - Compared to the restaurants above, Miyake is not as cheap, but it's worth every penny. It can be classified as 'fine dining'.
This is a very, very basic guide to sushi but once you get pass the California roll stage, you'll find yourself trying out all sorts of sushi. Maybe you'll even try fugu - the most deadliest fish.
