How much salmon is eaten in Japan?

Salmon
Salmon is a fish that lives in Scandinavia.
The climate in Japan is tropical which means different type of fish is living at those latitudes.

One of the fish that lives naturally in the oceans around Japan is the tuna. Tuna has been and still is one of the Japanese’s favorite fish for centuries. The tuna is having a hard time. The demand for tuna is very high, but there are quotas for how many can be caught per year.

In Japan, the interest in salmon has been steadily rising.
In 2017, Scandinavian salmon filled refrigerated display cases in local Japanese supermarkets. The Scandinavian salmon is of such good quality that Japanese fish buyers visit Denmark and other countries to assess the quality of salmon.

Among Japanese children and adults, salmon has become a sought-after fish. It is a fish that are suitable for many different types of dishes. Some prefer to eat raw salmon, while others enjoy cooking the salmon on a pan or in the oven. The possibilities are many.

At Traditional Japanese food course for beginners and Sushi course for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty dishes with salmon.

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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 many types of tuna can be used for sushi?

Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier
There are several types of tuna that can be used for sushi, depending on where in the world you work as a sushi chef. Some types of tuna are not available in Europe.

Bluefin tuna is one of the most sought-after types of tuna for sushi because of its flavorful meat and fine texture. It is usually divided into different grades based on fat content, with the fattest part known as otoro and the leaner part as chutoro.

Yellowfin tuna is another popular type of tuna for sushi. It has a slightly milder flavor than bluefin tuna, but still a bit fatty with a firm texture.

Bigeye tuna is similar to yellowfin tuna and is also often used in sushi. It has a rich flavor and a firm meaty texture, but with a little more fat.

Skipjack tuna is also known as bonito. It has a meatier and firmer texture, but tends to have less fat compared to other types of tuna.

These are just some of the types of tuna that are popular in sushi.

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.

The reason why your kitchen knives should Always be sharp!


In the last 10 years, I have seen several thousand kitchen knives that are used in private homes. Many of these knives are not quite as sharp as they should be for you to get the full enjoyment.

I can give an example.

If you imagine that you have prepared a roast in the oven. The roast has now been sitting in your kitchen counter for 20 minutes to rest.
In the meantime, you have found your best knife to cut the meat. With the knife you cut the roast into slices, but it is not that easy. The knife you have used is not quite as sharp as when you bought it.
When you have finished, you look at the slices and see that some of the slices are a little uneven and that the meat has also pulled a little. Most people do not think about it, because the roast is enjoyed with side dishes and a delicious sauce.

In Japanese cuisine, it is very important to use a very sharp knife. It is very important that the functionality of the kitchen utensils is as good as possible, as this affects the quality of the food.

The picture shows a tuna steak, which has an even and smooth surface due to the sharpness of the knife.

On the Sushi course for beginners, you learn step by step how to make tasty sushi with kitchen tools that are already in your kitchen.

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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 are bonito flakes?


More and more people have become aware of bonito flakes.

In 2004, I first encountered bonito flakes in Tokyo.
At that time, in Tokyo I was practising the martial art kendo. After evening training, I was invited to the home of my teacher and his family, where we ate dishes from the classic Japanese cuisine. There I noticed the thin flakes with a smoky fish flavor, which was used as a kind of topping on the dishes.

In 2006 when I was trained as a sushi chef abroad, I got to know bonito flakes very well. I found out that the fish Bonito is related to tuna. It is a fish that is filleted, smoked and dried for a long period of time. The dried bonito is than shaved into thin flakes.

Bonito flakes are a solid ingredient in Japanese cuisine, which is used in many different ways. The fish bonito together with other Japanese ingredients form the foundation of Japanese cuisine.

In the Noodle Soup course for beginners, you learn, among other things how bonito flakes are used in Japanese soups in Tokyo.

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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 tuna caught in Europe be used for sushi?


There are more and more people who have noticed that the tuna has returned to Danish waters.

No one really knows why, but it may have something to do with climate change. The temperature has risen slightly and, of course, it also affects the temperature in the sea.

There are lots of tuna in the world, not all types of tuna are suitable for sushi. Fish is divided into different grades so that the restaurants know what quality they have bought. Only the best quality tuna should be used for sushi.

Tuna are caught and end up in the international fish markets the quality of the tuna assessed by tuna experts, who divide the tuna into quality grades.
In Japan, many sushi restaurants visit their regular tuna supplier in the early morning hours. The tuna is then sold to sushi restaurants and classic restaurants, which usually use the tuna on the same day.

On the Sushi course for beginners, the best quality tuna is used and it is caught in the east.

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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.

In Japan, which fish is most popular for sushi?

The most sought after fish for sushi in Japan is tuna. Japan is the country in the world that eats the most tuna.

The largest fish market Tsukiji is located in Tokyo. Every day, large quantities of seafood are sold in the morning. Many sushi restaurants go directly to the Tsukiji fish market in the early morning hours to pick up fish for the restaurant.

Many sushi restaurants know in advance which fish they should have at the fish market. It happens regularly that they come home with other fish than what was on the shopping list. Their regular fish supplier can surprise with new and exciting fish that they did not anticipated.

The tuna is the big attraction at Tsukiji fish market.

Every day, large quantities of tuna land in different age groups. The quality of the fish is assessed by tuna buyers. Sushi restaurants will, on their advice, purchase the best tuna for just their particular restaurant.

At Sushi course for beginners, of course, tuna of the best quality from Japan is used.

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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 many different kinds of tuna do sushi restaurants have in Japan?


In Japan, sushi restaurants have several different kinds of tuna on the menu. In Japan, fish is the main source of protein and fish oil. During a week, the Japanese eat a lot of fish. They eat as much fish as meat is eaten in Europe.

Like so many others, the Japanese are happy to be able to choose from several different fish. One of the fish that stands out is the tuna. The meat on the tuna tastes very different depending on where it sits on the fish. Tuna from the stomach is called toro, it is fat light pink tuna and, is an exclusive eat.
Low-fat tuna which is bright red in color is called Akami, it sits at the spine. That piece is used for sashimi and nigiri pieces. That way, the meat pieces can be prepared and eaten in different ways.

The reason why sushi restaurants in Japan have several different pieces of tuna to choose from is that most of the tuna in the world lands at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, which is the largest in the world.

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.

How often is the menu replaced at sushi restaurants in Japan?


At sushi restaurants in Japan, the menu is changed quite often.
The Japanese restaurants follow the season for ingredients and so do sushi restaurants.

What few people think about, there is also seasonal fish.
In Japan, not all types of fish are available all year. Most fish swim many kilometers either to seek warmer water in winter
or to spawn in spring.
All fish have their very own life cycle for when they are born, where they grow, some are caught and other swimmers continue to spawn.

Japanese sushi restaurants prefer to use fish on the menu when they are in season that tastes best and has the most flavor. It also means the menuis changed continuously.

Some sushi restaurants also have the fish of the day on the menu. It often happens that the fishing boats catch a little different when they are out with the boats at sea.

At Japanese sushi course for beginners, you will learn which fish are most often used for sushi in Denmark. You will also learn how to handle and prepare the fish for sushi. You can read more about Japanese 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.

 

How many different kinds of tuna cuts are there?


There are several tuna cuts.

An adult tuna weighs 225-250 kilos. Just like on other animals, the quality of the meat is different depending on where on the animal it sits.

Tuna meat from the stomach is called toro. It is fatter than meat from other places on the animal. In Japan, toro is an exclusive and expensive piece, which is full of flavor and umami. The meat is pink in color it is a piece used to make nigiri sushi.

Along the backbone of the tuna sits lean tuna, which is called Akama. The flesh is very red in color and the taste is similar to beef. In Japan, it is used for both nigiri and sashimi.

Then of course there are many other cuts where the fat content and taste are different. No two tuna are alike, so the quality and taste will vary from fish to fish.

In Europe, the selection of tuna cuts is not that big. The fishmongers sell one type of tuna cut that is often suitable both for sushi and for a delicious steak to be on the grill.

At the Sushi course for beginners, you will learn more fish 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.

What are the two main ingredients in Japanese cuisine?

The two main ingredients in Japanese cuisine are kombu and bonito flakes.

Kombu is a Japanese type of seaweed that is grown on the ocean bottom. It is a tall seaweed with thick and broad leaves. In Japanese cuisine, seaweed is dried and used in many different dishes. Kombu is part of the foundation of Japanese cuisine. It is not dried seaweed that is eaten in the same way as sushi seaweed. It is not suitable for that.

Bonito flakes come from a fish called Bonito. It is a fish that is related to tuna. The fish is cleaned, filleted and smoked. The fish fillets are then dried at certain temperatures for several months. Eventually, it is cut into ultra-thin strips. Like kombu, it is the foundation of Japanese cuisine.

Read more about Japanese noodle soup 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.