Sashimi
Sashimi is a common Japanese dish that can be found in supermarkets, local markets, izekayas and restaurants. When I first arrived here, the idea of eating raw fish turned my stomach, now it is a delicacy that I love. Should you try it? If you want a truly Japanese experience during your Tokyo stay, this is one way to get it.
Sashimi chefs are a highly revered profession in Japan and those who serve you in the more expensive restaurants in Tokyo will have trained long and hard to reach their position. Each slice of raw fish is perfectly cut to ensure you have the freshest and tastiest morsels on your plate.
Different Kinds of Sashimi
First, sashimi is considered to be safest if saltwater fish are used. The reason is that freshwater fish are susceptible to carry parasites that are not present in the saltwater variety. It is these parasites that sometimes cause reactions and an upset stomach. I personally love salmon sashimi so I break this rule, but if you want to avoid this risk, stick to the saltwater variety.
Some people get confused with the difference between sushi and sashimi. This one's easy to explain. Sushi must be served with rice. Sashimi, on the other hand, should be presented to you on a plate as individual slices of fish.
Sashimi is often served with daikon, a Japanese root vegetable similar to a radish, and shiso leaves. Both of these can be eaten to accompany the raw fish although you won't be offending anyone's feelings if you decide you'd rather they stay as decoration. Personally, it's the fish I'm after, although my friends like the daikon and shiso.
Also on your plate you will find a portion of the green wasabi or Japanese horseradish. Sometimes this is shaped like in the picture below. Other times it is just a ball on the plate. Mix as much as you want with some soy sauce, provided on the table, and dip your sashimi before eating. Fantastic.
Names of Common Sashimi
Here's a list of the most common types of sashimi you may find yourself wanting to try. We have provided the Japanese translation next to the name.
- Katsuo = Bonito - usually served with ginger instead of wasabi.
- Maguro = Tuna - loved by Japanese and Westerners alike.
- Ika = Squid - this one is an acquired taste but a personal favourite of mine.
- Prawn = Ebi - sometimes with, sometimes without the shell.
- Saba = Mackerel - one of the more salty choices.
- Unagi = Freshwater eel - considered to be a power food by Japanese people.
- Tako = Octopus - a chewy delicacy for the connoisseur.
- Ikura = Salmon roe - these are the eggs, orange in colour, that come from salmon.
Fugu or Blow Fish
This guy deserves a special mention for a couple of reasons, the first being their appearance when angered as you can see in the photo. Yes, they look how we feel sometimes! The second reason is the poisonous nature of this fish.
The fugu, blow fish or puffer fish - like most deadly assassins they have more than one passport! - has to be prepared with the utmost care. For a chef handling fugu, it is a minimum of 3 years training with no guarantee of passing at the end. Well I guess it depends what kind of passing you mean - sorry very bad joke! One of the final tests is eating the fish they themselves have prepared.
Fugu is full of a poison called tetrodotoxin. If eaten it will firstly numb your lips and mouth and slowly kill nerve tissue until your muscles become paralyzed and breathing stops. The average time from consumption to death is 4 - 6 hours. There is no known antidote.
Needless to say, for a restaurant to be able to prepare and serve fugu, a license is required and checks are reguarly carried out. As a result, the numbers of deaths each year has fallen although there are still some regular annual casualties of fugu sashimi or other fugu concoctions.
Call me a chicken but this is one I've never tried yet. If you're a thrill seeker you might want to include it on your Tokyo menu of adventure.
