The Fine Art of Sashimi Preparation and Japanese Fugu

[Roccus7]

I'm pretty sure "They" wouldn't like you using a scallop drag. Diving is the way to go. Anywhere to the Westerd of the river right down to Bald Head not very far off 15- 17 fathoms. Ledges and kelp nearly all the way.

No, meant dredge for actually dredging up some scallops... As for the urchins, I'd need to find a spot I could dip net them, which was possible on the ledge I mentioned before they cleaned it out. Hoping time will bring them back...

 

[Old Mud]

No, meant dredge for actually dredging up some scallops... As for the urchins, I'd need to find a spot I could dip net them, which was possible on the ledge I mentioned before they cleaned it out. Hoping time will bring them back...

Ah yes Scallops, Well you wouldn't want to be in the ledges dragging for scallops. You would be hung down every 2 feet. Besides i don't think you would like the urchins after you picked them up with a drag.

 

[MakoMike]

I'm pretty sure "They" wouldn't like you using a scallop drag. Diving is the way to go. Anywhere to the Westerd of the river right down to Bald Head not very far off 15- 17 fathoms. Ledges and kelp nearly all the way.

Mt friend Herbie and his brother used to dive for urchins up there.

 

[MakoMike]

MakoMike, while I believe you have found O Toro available in some of the high end Japanese restaurants you know, I have never seen it in NY or other cities where I have visited And I have eaten in some really fancy places like "Iron Chef" Morimoto's place in lower Manhattan. What I have seen on some menus is a premium cut of Tuna referred to as "Belly Tuna" which was superior to the standard offerings. However none matched the O Toro I recall from Tokyo. If you can suggest a place in the NY metro or LI area that does have O Toro please let me know.

IMHO, Roccus is quite right about Uni (sea urchin). It can be terrific or really terrible depending upon the freshness and preparation. Harkening back to my comment about "Gas Station Sushi" for the folks who have been to Japan, there is a fish snack sold in the 7/11 style convenience stores there known as dried Cuttlefish. It was a sort of fish jerky. Man you had to have a lot of tolerance to eat that stuff. Personally I thought that belonged in the category I refer to as "Cat Food"!

I've had it at Masa, Nobu and Sushi Zo. But it's not available all the time, and its not on the menu, you have to ask for it, even if you're having the omakase.

Personally I like the dried cuttlefish, I often buy it when I'm in the Asian markets in Flushing.

 

[MakoMike]

3rd Time for the oilier fish, but they have to be ABSOLUTELY FRESH: Saba (Mackerel), Ika (raw Squid), Unagi (cooked Eel)

Saba should absolutely NOT be served fresh, it needs to be marinaded or frozen or both to kill the parasites. Mackerel are loaded with parasites! Obviously cooked eel is not "fresh."

 

[Roccus7]

Saba should absolutely NOT be served fresh, it needs to be marinaded or frozen or both to kill the parasites. Mackerel are loaded with parasites! Obviously cooked eel is not "fresh."

True enough, most sushi served in the US is flash frozen for the parasite issue. I only serve Roccus-caught and prepped Saba...

 

[wader]

there is a fish snack sold in the 7/11 style convenience stores there

they have 7/11's in Japan?

Don't they have issues pronouncing that???

 

[crabby]

We have to try this.

 

[MakoMike]

True enough, most sushi served in the US is flash frozen for the parasite issue. I only serve Roccus-caught and prepped Saba...

If you are preparing self-caught mackerel at home, you had better learn how to treat it to kill parasites. As I said earlier, mackerel is loaded with parasites. Even in Traditional sushi/sashimi saba is marinated to kill the parasites. I'd tell you how to do it, but I honestly don't know. Should be easy enough to look up. Please don't eat raw untreated mackerel.

 

[Roccus7]

We have to try this.

Been there, seen it, done it and I couldn't wait for the show to end so I start start dining. Love raw squid so I enjoyed, and thankfully, mine didn't have that bed of ikura (salmon eggs), which I'm not very fond of...

I've never been a fan of dinner shows, this is about how "campy" as Japanese dining gets. At least there aren't any Benihana-like shows at the hibachi restaurants in Japan. The biggest difference between Japanese and US hibachi besides none of the BS "flying food" and "onion volcanoes" that goes on here, the food in Japan is excellent!! At one meal when I thought things couldn't get any better the chef takes 3 large abalones and plops them meat side down on the grill, the result was just amazing!!

 

[MakoMike]

We have to try this.

I think they serve that in that Korean restaurant, that we went to. I had something similar at a dinner I hosted in Tokyo, but it was done with a whole lobster.

 

[wader]

I don't eat anything that's moving. Sort of a principle of mine.












btw - I don't have many principles..........

 

[crabby]

I think they serve that in that Korean restaurant, that we went to. I had something similar at a dinner I hosted in Tokyo, but it was done with a whole lobster.

I'm ready for another round of Korean BBQ.

 

[Roccus7]

If you are preparing self-caught mackerel at home, you had better learn how to treat it to kill parasites. As I said earlier, mackerel is loaded with parasites. Even in Traditional sushi/sashimi saba is marinated to kill the parasites. I'd tell you how to do it, but I honestly don't know. Should be easy enough to look up. Please don't eat raw untreated mackerel.

Thanks Mike, looks like we all have to revert to flash freezing to really kill the little buggers per SUSHIMODERN.COM.

SHIME-SABA / PICKLED SABA
It is a widespread myth that the salt and vinegar techniques used in shime-saba kill any parasites the fish may have. This is simply not true. Research into the topic tells us that these methods make little, if any, impact on parasites. Parasites are quite common in saba (as high as 98% infection rate in one study), so it is important that you only source fish for sushi from suppliers who took measures to destroy them by freezing.

 

[crabby]

many of the fish we catch locally have parasites.

 

[crabby]

Uni is the Sea Urchin version of Rocky Mountain Oysters.

 

[Roccus7]

Uni is the Sea Urchin version of Rocky Mountain Oysters.

For the record, Uni is female, not male like Rocky Mountain Oysters...

And your point?? I love Uni and I love "male parts", especially sauteed in a garlic butter sauce. See them all over in Mexico city...

You seem squeamish for somebody of our ancestry Joe. Didn't your grandmother ever make the Italian equivalent of haggis for you, taking the stomach of a freshly killed lamb and filling it with all the chopper parts? I'm spelling how I phonetically remember it, O-goots-a-ma-dea and that's probably in Neapolitan. An amazing dish!!!!

 

[MakoMike]

I'm ready for another round of Korean BBQ.

Cool! Maybe in a week or two. Did someone tell Johnny about this new site?

 

[MakoMike]

Thanks Mike, looks like we all have to revert to flash freezing to really kill the little buggers per SUSHIMODERN.COM.

SHIME-SABA / PICKLED SABA
It is a widespread myth that the salt and vinegar techniques used in shime-saba kill any parasites the fish may have. This is simply not true. Research into the topic tells us that these methods make little, if any, impact on parasites. Parasites are quite common in saba (as high as 98% infection rate in one study), so it is important that you only source fish for sushi from suppliers who took measures to destroy them by freezing.

Dom, do you have the ability to freeze anything at the required temperature for the required time? Most home refrigerators can't freeze stuff at -31 degrees F.

 

[Roccus7]

Got a small, surplus -80 °C from work years ago, which is -112 °F, but I keep it at the "crossover point" where both scales meet, at -40 ° so yes. I use this to freeze all of my fish and then transfer to a conventional freezer.

In a pinch, one can always get a chunk of dry ice, put it in a cooler with a cookie sheet on it and freeze the fish. The ice will stay for 2-3 days in a "Omaha Steak" styrofoam cooler and probably much longer if you have a Yeti-type one. Just make sure you do this in a well-ventilated area!!

I know, the recommended time is 72 hrs...