I just decided on a whim to give it another go.
1. unagi
2. shrimp tempura roll
3. spicy tuna roll
4. dragon roll
5. yellowtail, tuna, or salmon nigiri
6. just about anything sashimi
And yes, a meal consisting of nothing but sushi (with the obligatory miso soup) is just fine by me.
I started relatively late in life - in my early 40s. And for those that must know, that was .... more than 20 years ago (but less than 30). My original "sushi buddy" was Tom Mailloux, who some of you may have known. He died about 4 years ago. Now, whenever I visit my favorite "raw fish place" I always think of Tom and "have a piece of sushi in his memory."
Wow, you win.
My preferences:
#1 fav by far: yellowtail nigiri.
"naruto maki", which is a crunchy spicy tuna wrapped in shaved cucumber instead of rice.
spicy tuna
You also really need to know how to handle chopsticks before it will
be any fun at all.
Fingers were invented before chopsticks are are the only way to properly eat sushi.
I'm 44 so I suppose I'll join you in that "started late in life" bit :)
Consider me an "entry level" sushi eater, I guess. So far I've only delved into Maki (tuna, salmon, yellowtail) particularly of the spicy variety (which, at least where I've been eating it, isn't terribly spicy).
I want to go eat sushi with Aahz now so he can tell me what to try next.
I think that spicy sauce, in Americanized sushi restaurants at least, is almost always the same - somebody is mass producing it and selling it by the barrel.
I want to go eat sushi with Aahz now so he can tell me what to try
next.
You both are invited down to NYC for Yakiniku West or Aburiya Kinnosuke if you want to blow money on pricey-but-good Japanese food. Most of what these places serve is not sushi (although they have a bit of that, too) - it's Japanese BBQ or Izakaya style.
I think that spicy sauce, in Americanized sushi restaurants at least,
is almost always the same - somebody is mass producing it and selling
it by the barrel.
I did notice that the sushi menu at the place near my office (where I've eaten) and the sushi menu at a place near me (where I've eaten, but not sushi) are nearly identical.
As for the sauce, from the recipes I've read, it appears to be nothing more than Sriracha and sesame oil with some chopped scallion thrown in.
I had sushi in Japan, back in the 80s.
It didn't really appeal to me then.
It appeals to me more now. But I'm not in Japan anymore.
On the West Coast I can recommend 2 cities:
San Francisco (obvious), and Seattle (not so obvious but GOOD food!)
On the East Coast...
Lotus Oriental Restaurant, Marlton NJ
AOI, center city Philly
Bamboo House, Browns Mills NJ
Kanamizu, Medford NJ
It has been my personal experience that East Coast sushi is BETTER than West Coast sushi - the fish is just... FRESHER and you easily can tell the better taste.
However, with the incredibly rare exception, if you see a sushi restaurant located more than 150 miles from the nearest ocean, RUN AWAY as fast as you can. When I was living in NJ I would usually order mountains of sashimi - expensive anywhere, but oh what a taste adventure! Out here in or near Chico California, I wouldn't waste my time or money on sashimi, with the rare exception of Ahi tuna that I occasionally do right at home depending on being able to find the "right tuna" in the grocery store.
Oh
By the way
I have found the trick for "do it at home" Chinese Restaurant Hot (nuclear) Mustard.
Just ask...
So am I wrong about that?
Somewhere on the innerwebby collection of tubes I saw a recipe for "Waffle Pizza" or "Pizza Waffles" and thought it was interesting. As someone in the comments of the a recipe said, "It isn't a pizza but more of a calzone."
You take a thin layer of dough and place it in the bottom section of the waffle maker. I started with a cold waffle iron. You put your sauce and cheese on the dough and then any toppings you want, followed by another layer of dough. Close the top down and let it cook.
What I liked was it came out crispy. What I didn't like was that the toppings heated and the cheese and sauce seemed to steam or leak out sides. Maybe tomato paste instead of a sauce would be better, I would try it again with tomato paste, less toppings and keep those toppings in the middle. The crispiness was very nice, the dough wasn't cooked enough on the inside and the toppings leaked out.
Although I some times make my own dough I used a bag of pizza dough from the grocery store. I thought maybe a roll of that refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough from a tube would be good for a uniform layer of dough but it is very expensive compared to the grocery's bags of dough. Make your own pizza is big in this area. We have sections of coolers for pizza dough and pizza toppings. They have partially cooked dough, thin crusts, thick crusts, balls of raw dough, cheeses, sauces, etc. Most grocery stores have a two door cooler for this. I have lived in several places all over the east coast and this is unique to this area.
IGnatius T Foobar kids might enjoy doing this for a fun pizza night. Not all that great, but might be fun to make with kids.
2016-01-28 11:25 from IGnatius T Foobar @uncnsrd
I have heard that fish intended for raw consumption in the United
States must be frozen in order to kill parasites. If that is the case,
what difference does it make if it made the trip into the midwest? (I
don't care, I live near the east coast, but...)
So am I wrong about that?
I think you are wrong about that.
The groceries out here that sell "sushi grade" Ahi (for tuna sashimi) make a point of the "never frozen" thingee... And out here in th Peoples' Republik of Kalifornia, if it were true the stores would have been caught the instant they sold the first piece.
It's not clear whether this is a strict requirement or a recommendation, but the FDA states that "Freezing and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours are sufficient to kill parasites" [ http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM252393.pdf ]. Reading the guide makes it look like a recommendation, but a bit of Googling seems to imply a consensus that it's a requirement.
Seems to make sense though. <shrug>
I did notice that the sushi menu at the place near my office (where
I've eaten) and the sushi menu at a place near me (where I've eaten,
but not sushi) are nearly identical.
Yeah, there's sort of organized conspiracy over here in the states to make these cookie-cutter restaurants. Some consultant decided what worked, and everybody stuck with that. (Not joking - there exist these restaurant consultants that are teaching chinese restaurants how to add sushi to their menu. Etc.)
In Tokyo it's much more varied, quite a bit less emphasis on sushi as it's just one more thing on the menu. And they never give you wasabi at the good places, because the chef is Master and he knows exactly how much wasabi is supposed to be on there - no more, no less.
But I know why it's there - to "disguise the 'fish stuff'" from newbies...