how to make sushi

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.

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.

How strict are Japanese sushi chefs in their handling of food?

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Japanese sushi chefs are stricter when it comes to handling raw materials to sushi.

There are several reasons for this.

Japanese sushi chefs have a completely different view of sushi and, the ingredients used for sushi. Sushi is a dish that you do not fry or cook as we know from dishes such as lasagna.

Sushi is a dish that is cooked as little as possible, which means that it places greater demands on the way in which food is prepared. This applies right from the purchase of fish and vegetables, storage, freezing, preparation of raw materials and preparing the food.

Japanese sushi chefs have a more in-depth knowledge of the different fish species for sushi because it takes longer to be trained for sushi.

At Sushi course for beginners you will learn how to handle raw materials and make sushi like Japanese sushi chefs in Japan.

Read more about the Sushi course for beginners

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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.

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.

Do Japanese sushi chefs use different types of fish than sushi restaurants in Europe?

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Japanese sushi chefs use many different types of fish than European sushi restaurants. Fish is a very popular raw material in Japanese cuisine. The Japanese learn to enjoy fish from when they are small. The Japanese eat as much fish as we eat meat in Europe.

The selection of fresh fish suitable for sushi is bigger in Japan than in Europe. This also means that it is very normal for sushi restaurants in Japan to have 15-20 different fish on the menu.

Some of the fish which is on a Japanese menu such as salmon, tuna and squid. The Japanese menu also contains local fish that can only be caught in local sea in Japan

Read more about the Sushi course for beginners

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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 raw materials do Japanese sushi chefs prefer to use for sushi?

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In Tokyo, the Japanese have a slightly different approach to sushi.

Most Japanese prefer to eat nigiri rather than sushi rolls.

If you are dining at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo the rolls will often contain something different from what we know about in Europe. In Japan, it is very normal to serve a hosomaki (small roll) to end a sushi meal.

It may contain pickled plum or tuna.

When it comes to sushi there is nothing right or wrong. Most restaurants have their own style. When it comes to raw materials Japanese sushi chefs in Tokyo and I are in favor of using local produce that is in season.

Read more about the Sushi course for beginners

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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.

Is there a difference between Japanese knives?

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Yes, there is a huge difference between Japanese knives.

In Denmark most Japanese knives are made of stainless steel. These knives are of good quality that do not need much maintenance. But, they will never be as sharp as Japanese knives which are made in a different type of steel.

The knife blade of Japanese knives has a special design and they can become very sharp if sharpened the right way. The steel used for that type of knives affects the various raw materials. By using various cutting techniques you can emphasize the aromas, taste and quality of the raw materials for sushi.

At Sushi course for beginners you will learn how to apply the basic Japanese cutting techniques.

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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.

Do you know how use Japanese knife techniques?

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The level of gastronomy in Japan is very high one reason for that is that Japanese chefs spend several years learning how to use different cutting techniques.
In Japan the quality of the dishes depends on your ability to prepare raw materials by using different cutting techniques.

If you do not know how to use your knife you will find it difficult to make a extraordinaire tasty dishes.
You will not be able to bring out the unique flavors of the ingredients and create unique dishes.

Using a knife the right way is just as important when making sushi as in making traditional Japanese dishes.

Read more about Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners
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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 types of fish be used for sushi?

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Basically all types of fish can be used for sushi.

However not all types of fish are suitable for being used for sushi. There are many types of fish which do have a high enough quality for sushi. For fish to approved for sushi the fish has to meet specific requirements. Fish used for sushi have the finest quality and the reason that is that fish is eaten raw.

Most people know that the tuna is a threatened fish species.
It is partly true. The tuna used for sushi is threatened. There is plenty of tuna in the sea which just cannot be used for sushi because the quality is not high enough.

It is the fishmongers who know if the fish is suitable for sushi. This is because they know where they bought the fish.

On the Sushi course for beginners you learn more about the fish used 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.