Europe

What are Japanese sushi chefs take on fresh raw materials?

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A Japanese sushi chef in Japan have a different view of raw materials.
If a fish is still alive or caught the same day when the restaurant collects raw materials from the supplier then the raw material is considered fresh.

In 2010, I visited the exclusive sushi restaurant Kyubey in Tokyo where I had a sushi dinner.

At one point the sushi chef came out into the sushi bar with a big shrimp sitting on a leaf on his hand and was looking.

He looked at me and asked, “Do you want it fresh or cooked?”
I thought “I can always get cooked shrimps in Denmark”. “I want it fresh,” I said.

2 seconds later the chefs broke the head of the shrimp and removed the skull and intestine. A few seconds later, the sushi chef made a nigiri. The shripm that lay on the nigiri was still moving it was the nerves that moved.

I looked with big eyes and thought “that might be fresh enough.”
I ate it and I have never eaten a nigiri with shrimp that tasted so good. It still had body temperature and it was so good.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Which criteria is the most important thing when Japanese buy sushi in Tokyo?

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Every year I travel to Brussels in December and spend a few days in the company a delgation of high-grade Japanese Kendo teacher.

A couple of years ago I asked them,

What is the most important thing when you buy sushi?

They all said that sushi rice cooked to perfection is the most important thing for them. None of them are interested in eating sushi rice which has a consistency like pudding. They are also not interested in eating sushi rice that is still uncooked in the middle.

For Japanese, they are the perfect sushi ripe firm but soft in consistency. It is consistency that can be difficult to hit if you are not used to boiling sushi rice.

At Sushi course for beginners the attendants learn what it takes to achieve perfect sushi rice.

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Tuna is just tuna

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TunaIn 2012 I visited my Japanese sushi chef instructor Toshi in Los Angeles. I got some private lessons in his restaurant where he introduced to a nigiri technique that takes 20 years to master. 

One day one of his talented Japanese sushi chefs showed me 2 different kinds of tuna. Tuna is called  toro and the piece on the left side is matured up to 3 weeks before it is used for sushi.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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Can all types of seafood be used for sushi?

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For that I have to say both Yes and No.

It depends a lot on how it is used in sushi.
You have to think that seafood has a completely different texture than fish. Most fish fillets are quite firm in the meat.

If you look entirely at seafood they remind you most about a bag of mixed candy. Seafood comes in many different sizes, tastes and texture. It is the raw material that is the hardest to use for sushi.

Some seafood used in sushi restaurants outside Europe are very difficult to prepare for sushi, it requires you as a sushi chef to use many different Japanese cooking techniques.

The consistency of seafood is also very different. Some shellfish have a very hard surface while others are very soft. In order for this type of raw material to become a gastronomic experience, you need to know which Japanese cooking techniques are best suited to it.

At the Sushi course for beginners the attendance learns to prepare the most sought after raw materials for sushi.

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Why seaweed used for sushi is so healthy?

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The Japanese are the population of the world who live the longest in the world and for good reason. The Japanese eat large amounts of seaweed and it is not only when they are having sushi.

There are many different types of seaweed depending on whether it is to be used for soups, cold dishes, hot dishes, a starter or a salad.
The different types of seaweed produced to be consumed are very healthy. Seaweed used for sushi is the vegetable in the world that contains the most minerals and vitamins.

So with a very small amount of money the Japanese can eat large quantities of vegetables.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Who is Toshi my sushi chef teacher?

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Toshi is a well known Executive sushi chef and sushi instructor in Los Angeles. He has almost all the movie companies in Hollywood as customers and do also have celebrities as private clients. He has 40 years of experience as a Executive sushi chef.

Toshi has a Japanese approach to sushi and a way of life. The Japanese culture is very result-oriented when it comes to work and sport. If I pracise kendo in Japan my progress will be tested every day.

When having af teacher like Toshi there are a few Japanese rules that I must follow. When I address him I must call him Toshi sensei or sensei. Sensei means teacher in Japanese.

When I show up in his restaurant I have to say “Ohayogozaimasu” which is a way greeting each other in Japan. Toshi speaks a little English and when he speaks you must be quite. When answering Toshi you say “Hai” which means yes in Japanese. He do not wants to hear the word Yes.

Toshi will test your skills or creativity every 14 days.

In a skill test you are tested on the following,

How sharp your sushi knife is?
The level of your sushi techniques?
The presentation of the sushi you have madee?
How long it took you to make the sushi?
How clean your chef uniform is?
How clean you have kept your work space?

The result of such tests is placed on a wall in the kitchen so everyone can read it.

He will also test your performance in the sushi bar. He will look at how you work as a sushi chef and how you handle customers.

Beside thay you will also have to learn all the ingredients and raw materials in Japanese.

In 2012 I was in LA where he introduced me to a nigiri technique that takes 20 years to master.

I have learned a lot from him. When I go to LA in September I look forward to learn new things.

Read more about Sushi chef & Sake sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has held sushi courses and cooking classes for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

What is one of the biggest challenges of a knife?

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NigiriWhen making sushi the knife play an important role.

The secret to tasty nigiri include your ability to cut fish to perfection.
The more a clean cut you can make the more tasty is nigiri pieces too. The reason is that even the smallest “wrong” section of a fish or vegetables can be tasted.

It is also important to know the structure of the fish as it has a direct impact on how clean a cut you can make. If you cut the filet the wrong way the whole filet can fall apart.

The Japanese use very few ingredients when they make nigiri and because of that you will be able to taste everything because nothing can be hidden.

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Zoë har holdt foredrag og afholdt sushikurser for A.P. Møller – Mærsk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis,Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup og mange flere.

Have you made sushi with black rice?

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Zoë EsccherIt is a question I sometimes get on my sushi classes.

Black rice is whole-grain rice that is healthier than white rice. Black rice contains several vitamins and minerals. I have never used black rice and I am not going to. There are several reasons for that.

Black rice is much harder to cook than white rice. Nor do they have the same consistency as cooked white rice. Rice plays the main role in sushi if the rice is not cooked properly it affects the dining experience.

The disadvantage of black rice is that it is harder to see if the rice is dirty. Of course you can wash the rice but you can never be sure that there is no hiding somewhere in the rice.

There is sushi a dish where I can adjust the amount of white rice when I make sushi. I can just choose to use less rice thus becoming sushi automatically healthier.

Please read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Can brown rice be used for sushi?

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Brown rice can be used for sushi.

In the US there are restaurants that specialize in making sushi with brown rice. In 2006, I once made brown rice sushi it was during the training for Japanese sushi chef in Los Angeles.

Sushi with brown rice has a nice taste.

However, I think there are a little too many challenges when cooking brown rice to start making sushi with brown rice.

As most people know sushi rice is already hard to cook to perfection. Sushi ris should be soft but firm. It is a texture that is hard to get right.

Brown rice is even harder to cook to perfection since the pre-cooked rice will never have the consistency the same as white sushi.

Read more about Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher
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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Why is local fish not used for sushi?

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FiskIt’s really good questions that I sometimes get on my sushi courses.

In Denmark we have a lot of fish of very high quality suitable for sushi. It is especially whitefish found in Danish waters.

In Denmark most people are familiar with salmon, tuna and tiger prawns. Seafood is to find on any menu regardless of where in the world you are.

In different parts of the world have local seafood which can be advantageously to use for sushi. In Japan you can find sea urchin which is a fine and delicate shellfish.

Why there are no more local fish that has found its way to the menu is a good question. The consumers do also have the courage to eat sushi prepared with local fish.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.