Are there sushi courses for beginners in Copenhagen?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
Yes!

If you dream of learning how to make authentic, delicious sushi, and you want to do it right here in Copenhagen, then my Sushi course for beginners is perfect for you.
The courses are held on weekends, making it easy for everyone to participate, whether you come alone, as a couple, with friends, or with your child

What will you get out of the sushi course?

In the course, you’ll receive a thorough yet accessible introduction to the Japanese art of sushi making.
We begin with the sushi rice, which is the key to great sushi. You’ll learn the entire process from preparation to cooking using Japanese techniques.
We also work with ingredients that create authentic flavour, including fish, vegetables, and Japanese staples.
You’ll learn how to evaluate quality at the fishmonger, and how to handle and cut both fish and vegetables to achieve the best results.

During the course, we will roll several types of sushi, and you’ll receive practical tips that make it easier to create beautiful and tasty rolls you can be proud of.
The goal is that after the course, you’ll feel confident making sushi at home and know exactly what to look for when shopping for ingredients.

Small classes with focus on you

Classes are small, giving you plenty of room and time to immerse yourself.
You’ll have your own workstation and the opportunity to receive personal feedback along the way, even though the teaching takes place in a group.
The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, and the course is also suitable for families and adults bringing a child.

When you go home, you’ll have the techniques, knowledge, and confidence to make Japanese-inspired sushi in your own kitchen.

The course is taught by Japanese trained Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher, who has 19 years of experience.

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.

What’s the difference between sushi in Denmark and Japan?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher

Sushi in Denmark: Full of Variety and Flavor

There’s a big difference between the sushi you’ll find in Denmark and the traditional sushi served in Japan.

In Denmark, sushi is typically made with 3–6 different types of fish and seafood, used to create both sushi rolls and nigiri. The selection of rolls is large, and at most restaurants, there’s something for every taste.

It’s also very common for Danish sushi to be topped with various ingredients anything from chili mayo to seaweed adding extra flavor and visual appeal.

Most sushi chefs in Denmark are trained locally, which means that the techniques, ingredients, and overall approach differ from what’s used in Japan. That’s why sushi in Denmark often tastes quite different from the kind you’d find in, say, Tokyo.

Sushi in Japan: Focused on Quality and Simplicity

In Japan, sushi is all about quality and simplicity. The focus is first and foremost on perfectly prepared rice and the freshest, highest-quality fish.

That’s one reason why it takes many years to become a skilled sushi chef in Japan, because there’s nothing to hide behind. Every detail must be just right and in perfect balance.

Japanese sushi restaurants follow the seasons closely and use fish, seafood, and vegetables that are in season. You’ll often find 15–25 different types of fish and seafood used for nigiri, which is the most popular type of sushi in Japan.

Toppings are used sparingly perhaps just a touch of salt or a bit of grated lime to enhance the flavor without overpowering the fish.

Japanese sushi chefs are trained in Japan and use different techniques and ingredients to highlight the pure, delicate flavors. This is exactly why sushi tastes different in Japan.

Learn to Make Sushi Like in Tokyo

At our Beginner Sushi Course, you’ll learn step-by-step how to make sushi using the same ingredients and techniques as Japanese chefs in Tokyo and with the most popular types of fish for sushi.

That way, you can enjoy delicious, homemade sushi whenever you’re in the mood!

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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.

Sushi is the easiest way to get more vegetables eaten!

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher

Did you know that sushi can be one of the easiest ways to eat more vegetables without getting tired of your food?

One of the main ingredients in sushi is seaweed. This type of seaweed is cultivated on the seabed in countries such as Japan, Korea, and China, in much the same way as we grow oats and wheat here at home. The flavor varies depending on where it is grown, and in Japan it is typically harvested in the autumn.

After harvesting, the seaweed goes through a thorough process, it is washed, cleaned, dried, pressed, and cut to the right size. In Japan, you can find both everyday seaweed and exclusive quality seaweed for gourmet sushi.

Sushi seaweed is actually the vegetable in the world that contains the most vitamins and minerals. You therefore don’t need to eat much before covering a large part of your body’s needs.

Would you like to learn how to make delicious sushi at home in your own kitchen?

At our Sushi course for beginners, you will be guided step by step through all the techniques.

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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 fish from the supermarket be used for sushi?

The short answer is no, you should not use frozen fish from the supermarket for sushi. There are several good reasons for this.

  1. You don’t know the quality

    For sushi, the fish must be of the absolute highest quality, because it is eaten raw. When you buy a frozen pack of fish at the supermarket, you cannot tell what quality the fish had before it was frozen.
  2. You don’t know where the fish was caught

    The marine environment has a major impact on the quality of the fish. Polluted waters can affect both taste and safety. On most frozen packages, it is not clearly stated under what conditions the fish was caught or lived.
  3. You don’t know when the fish was caught

    When making sushi, freshness is crucial. But on frozen packages, you rarely see the catch date – only an expiration date. That means you lose important information about the fish’s freshness.

Making sushi requires the right ingredients especially when it comes to fish. It can be difficult to assess on your own which fish are fresh enough, where they come from, and whether they are suitable for sushi.

That’s why we recommend learning it in a course, where you gain both knowledge and practical skills.

In our Sushi course for beginners, you’ll learn, among other things, how to choose the right fish and how to safely make delicious sushi at home.

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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.

How much seaweed do the Japanese eat?

The Japanese eat a lot of seaweed.

In the sea around Japan, many different types of seaweed grow. Seaweed used for sushi and seaweed used for various kinds of Japanese dishes. Many thousands of years ago, the Japanese began drying seaweed. Seaweed was dried in such a way that vitamins and minerals remained intact. It was also a way to extend the shelf life.

Today, seaweed is grown on the sea bottom like as wheat is grown in other parts of the world. It is an agriculture that takes place on the sea bottom. The companies that produce seaweed have facilities that can dry large quantities of seaweed every single day.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners, where you learn about nori seaweed used for sushi.

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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.

How fresh can seafood be?


Seafood can be so fresh that it is still at body temperature when eaten.

Japan is a country surrounded by sea. Fresh fish and rice have been the most important raw materials in Japanese cuisine for centuries.

Japanese food culture is still based on raw materials being as fresh as possible. There are several reasons for this.

The Japanese population has grown up with shellfish being no more than a day old before it is cooked into tasty dishes. This applies to both fish bought from a fishmonger or in a supermarket.

Japanese cuisine has several iconic dishes where fish and shellfish are eaten raw, such as sushi.

The Japanese have the opportunity to buy raw materials that are either caught or harvested the same day.

The Japanese are very focused on eating healthy and fresh ingredients of the highest quality. It gives joy in life, but also healthy health. It is no coincidence that the Japanese are the population in the world that live the longest.

On the Sushi Course for Beginners, you learn to make tasty sushi step by step with a focus on how to get the most value without compromising on quality.

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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.

Is there a big difference in rice for sushi?

There is a big difference in sushi rice.

There are many countries that grow sushi rice. Japan, the United States, China and Korea grow large quantities of sushi rice every single year.

Within each country there are many different types of sushi rice. It can be compared to if you buy a bottle of white wine from France. In France, there is not just one who produces white wines. No, there are many different types of grape and wineries that produce white wines.

Like grapes for white wines, there are also types of sushi rice that are complex, ie. very difficult to cook and that has an impact on sushi restaurants, but also for you at home who want to make cook quality sushi rice.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step how to cook sushi rice, so that the rice you cook at home is of a quality that is suitable for sushi.

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.

When do Japanese children learn to eat fish?


Japanese children are being bottled up with fish. It’s quite literal.
In Denmark, Danish children learn to eat moss and oatmeal at an early age. Healthy and nutritious food. Most people eat oatmeal to some extent for the rest of their lives.

In Japan, children also learn to eat a kind of porridge. The Japanese porridge differs in that fish is added. No, it is not fish pieces that are immediately the first thought. The porridge is supplemented with fish stock, a fish stock that both tastes and smells of fish. In this way, the children learn to eat fish quietly.

When the Japanese children are a little older, it will often be salmon that they prefer. The older they get and their taste buds develop, the more fish they learn to eat with great pleasure.

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.

Is porridge suitable for sushi?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher

There are many different types of rice, and pudding rice is just one of them.
A question I am frequently asked is whether pudding rice can be used for sushi. My immediate answer is no even though pudding rice also falls into the category of short-grain rice.

That said, I should mention that I have not personally tried making sushi with pudding rice. However, I have made rice pudding many times, and the texture of cooked pudding rice is noticeably different from that of properly cooked sushi rice.

While it might not be something most people think about, the texture of the rice has a significant impact on the overall taste experience. If the sushi rice does not have the right consistency, it can affect the entire dish. Sushi rice plays a key role in the quality of sushi. It should be tender yet firm, never undercooked in the center, and certainly not overcooked. Achieving this requires a specific type of short-grain rice that is cultivated especially for sushi.

In our beginner sushi course, you will learn which types of rice are best suited for sushi and how to cook them properly to achieve sushi rice of the highest quality.

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.

Warm evenings, sunshine and sushi

Spring are here and summer is approaching with rapid steps.

The warm evenings offer barbecues, salads, fruit pies and not least sushi. There are quite a few people who prefers to eat dishes are not as heavy in the stomach as winter food.
Sushi is a diner that is ideal for the warm evenings with a good glass of white wine. With sushi, it will never be boring there are unlimited possibilities in the composition of a dinner.

More and more people are on making their own sushi with their favorite ingredients. At the Sushi course for beginners the attendances learn to use Japanese cooking techniques for preparing sushi.
They learn and about Japanese food stages they have to go through from raw materials, cooking of sushi rice, preparation of vegetables and fish, and step by step to making tasty sushi rolls.

You can read more about the class Sushi 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.