MR. SUSHI the foodie

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FISH : There are many different ways to prepare fish for sushi; this is how i was taught. First and Foremost if you’re going to eat this fish raw make sure it's FRESH, bright eyes, firm flesh, bright red gills. Now if you don't have the whole fish to tell by these methods take a good whiff of the filet, Also if in doubt ask the seller if you should consume this product raw, if they are honest you are ok. After buying your fish store in a cool place preferably a beer cooler iced to Temperatures 35 ° F or lower all fish should be kept at this temp for safety issues. Fish Preparation For Sushi SALMON (sake) Get the salmon whole, remove guts, cut off head and filet the fish season the fish meat with a cup of salt and let stand in fridge for 30 min to one hour remove and wash of salt, remove bones (a de-boner is a must! no pliers cause texture of meat is essential) portion at 2 1/2 inches cutting vertically with skin on of course wrap air tight in plastic wrap. Place in freezer, salmon should be frozen for 12 hours before eating raw or up to 1 month taking out one filet at a time and defrosting it in the fridge for 4 hours. Freezing the salmon kills certain bacteria and doesn’t harm the texture of the fish. Cut into any shape for any sushi recipe you wish, saving the skin of course to make the famous salmon skin roll. (salmon video coming soon) Flounder\Fluke\Halibut (Hirame,karei,ohyo) Filet fish, make a strong cut down the center of the fish where the back bones run straight down start with a filet knife or just a thinner chef’s knife is good, try to make a cut while the fish is in its natural position. after filleting, remove skin the standard skin removal way (skin side down on cutting board and with the knife at a 30 degree angle remove skin) removing bones and skin making a stock would be nice with these items, deep frying the back bones are good too, just like fish chips. Save the corner (engevare) for sashimi which is the most tender and fatty part. Now make your favorite sushi and maki. (flounder video coming soon) Tuna (maguro) buying tuna can be hard and darn expensive 20 dollars a pound. if you buy 15 pounds like the picture above, section the tuna into three making at least 2 pieces 10 inches long, just cut straight through the skin. its easier removing the skin when they are cut into shorter sections, lay tuna chain side up and start removing the skin 1/8 inch away from the skin. when skin is removed don’t throw away, save. remove chain from tuna, lay tuna skin side down and cut the top most sinew free area horizontally, very good for nigiri, the part closer to skin is mostly used for sashimi. then remove blood line, now take that left over skin and chain, use a spoon too scrape meat off, use for spicy tuna roll or ghunkan zhu maki. tip: the skin has a lot of micro scales that are inedible so try not to combine them in your meal. (tuna video coming soon) Striped Bass Suzuki also known as the little brother of rockfish. sever the head and cut a line from the exit hole to two fins right before the head. cut out gills and throw head in stock save for a nice fish soup, also if roe is present sautee or bake in oven for a nice treat. continue fileting the fish, remove belly fat throw in with stock with bones. remove skin and bloodline use for sashimi or nigiri. try panko crusting and fry, then make a futomaki roll with some spicy aioli. Shrimp (ebi) if frozen get from Thailand, no Mexico or China thank you very much get your shrimp head on and cut head straight off and throw in stock, skewer shrimp from tail to head as straight as possible. meanwhile set a pot of salted water to boil, when boiling add shrimp and cook for 2 min for 21-25 shrimp (21 to 25 shrimp per pound) set in ice bath, when cooled down remove skewers, peel leaving tail on, clean and marinate in sushi vinegar for 20 min. if marinated too long iodine will color the shrimp red, (and it will taste like crap) freeze up to 1 month or eat fresh. Tip: if frozen, only thaw out desired amount. try not to refreeze food that has been previously frozen, as the quality becomes poorer and you will give everybody a stomach ache. (video coming soon) tempura shrimp do same as above but peel shrimp, clean and cut 5 small cuts on the shrimp belly and lay cut side down on a plastic covered maki su, squeeze gently till your shrimp are 3 times the length. (video coming soon) _____________________________________________________________ © 2010 karinevarga.com