How big is the selection of fish in a Japanese supermarket?


In Japanese supermarkets the fridge counter looks completely different than in Europe.
In the supermarket most of the products are written in Japanese characters and they have other products in the range.
The big difference in the selection of food products can be seen in the fridge counter. In Japan, fish is eaten as much as meat is eaten in Europe. This means that the selection of fish in fridge counter is large and varied. Every supermarket has high-quality filleted and whole fish packaged in a way that suits the average Japanese family.

In Japan, the season for raw materials is followed and, this means that the selection of fish changes from season to season. Japanese children learn from a very young age to eat many different kinds of fish prepared in many different ways.
That is why you find many unknown fish of different sizes in the fridge counter fish. Some of the fish are from Asia, while others come from the north, such as  salmon, which are known for their very high quality.

On the Sushi course for beginners you will learn about the most popular fish for sushi in our latitudes. Step by step, you learn from scratch to make tasty pieces of 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.

Can all types of vinegar be used for sushi?

Not all types of vinegar are suitable for sushi.

There are many different kinds of vinegar in Denmark. There are some vinegar made in Denmark, others in Thailand, China or Japan.

It is always best to use Japanese vinegar for sushi and there are several reasons for that.

Japanese vinegar is made of rice grains. Since the Japanese vinegar is made on rice, the sour / sweet vinegar flavor suits the sushi rice.
If the vinegar were made on, for example apple the rice vinegar would have a completely different taste.

Rice vinegar is also used to preserve sushi rice so it can be kept at room temperature. Beside that, vinegar is also used as a kind of spice.

The aromas and fine flavors found in Japanese rice vinegar help to give the sushi rice the unique taste that characterizes Japanese sushi rice.

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.

What kind of sushi do the Japanese prefer to order as take-away?


Well, both nigiri sushi and the large futomaki sushi rolls are popular among the Japanese. When it comes to take-away, many choose sushi rolls. However, it is not just any sushi roll.

There are many people who buy the large futomaki rolls. In the large rolls, there is room for several different types of filling. With just a few futomaki rolls you embrace the entire food pyramid.
Due to the size of the pieces, they are also easy to transport, they do not tip over so easily.

Nirigi sushi is very popular among the Japanese who are interested in eating several different fish during a meal.
Most often, nigiri sushi boxes are sold with 8 pieces of sushi.
3 of the pieces will be with 3 different kinds of fish. One will be with squid.
The last 2 will most often be vegetarian; it can be Japanese omelet and tofu.
A mixed Japanese nigiri box ensures that proteins come from several different sources without compromising on the healthy fish oil.

On the Sushi Course for Beginners, you learn step by step how to make tasty sushi that can be enjoyed on a daily basis and on special occasions.

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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 to transport take-away sushi on a hot summer day!

Sushi is a nice eating especially in the summer.
It is healthy and nutritious and it’s not very heavy in your stomach. In the summer, you should pay extra attention to how to transport sushi home. Sushi should not stay very long in a warm paper bag before the temperature raise and shelf life will be shorter.

The best way to transport take-away sushi during these hot summer days is to bring a freezer to the restaurant. In the restaurant you should make sure that the sushi box is placed on the freezer and you are ready to transport the food without compromising its durability.

Read more about 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.

Why is soy sauce served for sushi?

There is a definite reason why soy sauce is served for sushi.

In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice. It’s a way to taste the sushi pieces. It is used in much the same way as we use spices in Europe.

However, there is a difference.
It is not equally valid what type of soy sauce is used for sushi or other Japanese dishes.

Some dishes are delicious and mild like sushi while others are stronger have a stronger flavor such as hotpot.
It is important that you use a soy sauce that goes well with sushi, so that the sushi pieces do not suddenly become too salty to eat. It can ruin the dining experience.

At the Sushi Course for Beginners, you will learn how to use as Japanese sushi chefs in Tokyo use.

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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 is best to drink to sushi?

What is best to drink for sushi depends on where in the world you are.

Denmark is a country where wonderful wines are enjoyed all year round. Wines that go well with heavier dishes with meat or fish and seafood dishes that is lighter.

On a warm summer evening, I would suggest that you drink cold white wine that goes well with seafood. There are several different white wines and, I would recommend that you look past a wine merchant, they will be able to make the perfect match.

Champagne is also a very delicious wine to drink for sushi. The fine bubbles go really well with sushi. In Denmark, bubbles are most often drunk at special events. White wine and/or champagne are good choices for sushi.

In Japan, sushi restaurants most often serve cold beer for sushi. At the exclusive restaurants such as Michelin restaurants, you as a guest are offered sake. Sake is not just sake. Of course, it is important to sake wine that goes well with sushi.

When it comes to sushi, the selection of drinks is huge.

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 it a must to buy a rice cooker for cooking sushi rice?

You do not a must to buy a rice cooker to cook sushi rice.

Rice cooker is a great tool for cooking all types of rice. However, it is not a “must” to go out and buy a rice cooker if sushi rice is only to be cooked for 2-4 people. You can cook tasty sushi rice by only using an ordinary pot. However, you need to keep a little more eye on a pot than a rice cooker.

The disadvantage of a rice cooker is that the rice can burn and the pot in the rice cooker can be difficult to clean.

Where a rice cooker is a must is in a sushi restaurant. Most sushi restaurants in Denmark cook approx. 10 kilos of rice a day. When cooking such large amounts of rice, it is important that the rice is cooked in a pot, where the heat is evenly distributed throughout the pot. A rice cooker really comes into its own.

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 is the Japanese view of soy sauce?

White soya sauce plate with sushi
The Japanese have a slightly different view of soy sauce.
In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice, it is a way to season the dish. In Japan, there are as many different kinds of soy sauce, just as many as cheese in a Danish supermarket.

Not only that. It is quite common in traditional Japanese cuisine to use different types of soy sauces in one dish. This is because soy sauce are produced and matured in different ways and that gives each soy sauce an unique flavour.

It does matter which soy sauce is used for sushi or for traditional Japanese noodle soup. These are 2 very different dishes, where it is important to choose a soy sauce which gives the dish an extra spice without compromising the good taste.

In the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn which soy sauce is best suited 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.

Can sushi rice be used the next day?


There are many people who store cooked rice for the next day. It’s a really bad idea to save sushi rice for the next day.

Sushi differs from other rice dishes such as the dish meatballs and Curry.
Sushi is not a dish that is cooked on a pan or in the oven and, this means that the quality of the ingredients used for sushi should be as good as possible.
If sushi rice is more than 1 day old or that vegetables have become a bit slack, then it can be tasted when used for sushi. You will make sushi of a poorer quality.

What happens to sushi rice when stored for the next day is that they become drier and looser in consistency while the rice kernel itself becomes harder.
Besides the fact that it is harder to make sushi with day-old sushi rice, it can also be tasted if the sushi rice is not freshly made.
This is not necessarily the case with day-old rice which is used for Meatball and Curry, as it is the sauce that hides the rice and its taste.

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.

That is why seaweed is a regular ingredient in Japanese cuisine!

Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher
In Japan, seaweed has always been part of Japanese cuisine. It is a staple food like grains in European cuisine.
Just like in Europe, there is not just one type of grains. There are many types of grains and some of them are better suited for pasta than bread.

The same applies to seaweed. In Europe, most people have opened their eyes to sushi seaweed, which is a booster when it comes to the amount of vitamins and minerals.

Seaweed has its origins in the Japanese cuisine of the poor. At that time, it was Japanese fishermen who collected the seaweed for use in cooking. The fishermen had no refrigerator, so to extend shelf life the seaweed was dried. Afterwards it was eaten with raw fish and rice.

In Japan, there are many different types of seaweed, which are used in many different dishes in Japanese cuisine. Nori is used for sushi, which is a specific type of seaweed that is primarily used for sushi.

On the Sushi Course for Beginners you will learn which type of sushi nori is best suited for sushi. You will also learn step by step how to make tasty 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.