Is it difficult to cut fish for nigiri?

FiskIt is difficult to cut fish nigiri and there are several reasons.

There are not two species that are exactly alike.
Even within one species there is a big difference such as tuna.
The size of the fish will be different and the structure and the fibers of the fish meat is also different. That will have a direct impact on how you slice the fillet.

You can always tell if a fish for nigiri is cut the right way. The the fish slice is silky and almost melts in your mouth.
To get the experience it is important to have knowledge of the fish and Japanese cutting technique to fillet the best way possible.

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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Why should fish for sushi be frozen?

Fish to eat raw should always freeze. This is because fish contain parasites and the only way to kill them is to freeze the fish.

A small side jump. You should also fresh beef to tartar cows get parasites in the body like fish. Unfortunately, I do not know if beef to tartar is frozen. But I do not think so.

Now back to the fish. It is not the same type of parasite found in e.g. in tuna as in the salmon. This is because there are 2 very different fish species that primarily eat very differently.

In addition, the fish structure of the salmon and the tuna is very different and also affects the parasites found in the two different fish.

How long the fish should freeze is not the same and it depend again whether there is a whitefish, salmon or tuna.

At Sushi course for beginners I will talk more about the Japanese rules for freezing fish. The Japanese rules are more strict then the Danish rules. I choose to follow the Japanese rules as they know more about fish for sushi. In addition, I would also like to be on the safe side.

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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.

Can all kind of fish be used for sushi?

FiskBasically all fish used for sushi.
The fish must have the ‘right’ quality before it can be used for sushi. You do also need to know how to filet a fish without ruin the structure of the fish and taste.

You cannot find two fish species that are alike. The fish structure and whether it is silky or more coarse in meat depends 100% of the sushi chef’s ability to fillet and cut fish for sushi. A fish is usually silky, can, with a few wrong cuts turn into an unpleasant experience.

Some fish species have fish skin which can eat and is very delicate if it is prepared in a delicate way.

Some fish are so small for fileting which mean that the whole fish is included in the sushi.
The sushi chef must draw on its experience and knowledge in order to give their customers the best possible experience.

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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

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How do I fillet a fish?

Zoë EsccherThat is a question I get on my courses.

Unfortunately, there is no one single way to do it.
When you fillet a fish for sushi you must be even more careful than what you normally see at a fishmonger. The reason for this is that if a fish is filleted sloppy you can actually taste it when you use it later for Nigiri.

There is a big difference in how a fish is filleted, depending on if it is a flatfish, white fish, salmon, tuna or very small fish. The skin of a fish does also have an impact on how to filet a fish.

If you do not know to fillet a fish you can always ask the fishmonger if he will do all the hard work first. It is important to remember only to purchase fish suitable for sushi.

Please read more about Nigiri 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.

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Why does it take so long to become a sushi chef?

Zoë EsccherIt takes several years to become a skilled Japanese sushi chef.
Since sushi is a dish that you don not boil, fry or cook sushi you have to be very conscious to every detail.

In Japan sushi chefs only use a few ingredients to make sushi such as rice, fish, the restaurant’s homemade soy sauce and in some cases topping to suit the fish.

A sushi chef must master the following,

Cook the rice to perfection.
A knowledge of the various fish, their age, fat content, the structure of the meat and which parts of the fish are regarded as a delicacy.
A knowledge of which vegetables and Japanese ingredients used for sushi.
To be able to transform the very few ingredients into a gourmet experience the sushi chef knowledge and experience to highlighting the fish aromas and flavors by using different cutting techniques.
The vegetables and topping is used for sushi, lift and flavor experience an extra dimension.

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, Accenture audit Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem