Nigiri-zushi nyuu-engurando-fishaaman-mae

"Hey, Dave."

"Yeah, Rico?"

"Ya know Yoshi?"

"Of course I know Yoshi. Guy pays half my salary."

"Okay, so we catch tuna, he buys it. Why's he pay so damn much?"

"Rico, lemme ask you something. How long you been fishin the Grand Banks for tuna?"

"Twenny=two yeahs, why?"

"We pull into the dock in Boston tomorrah. Yoshi's standin theah, offerin us half what we pull in for a yeah just foah two fish. An you don' know what he's doin with it?"

"I guess he's eatin it, Dave. I just don' know how."

(shaking head) "Look. You know if we got any rice an vinegah in the galley?"

"Yeah, I guess we do..."

"Look, I seen what the Japanese do with it. Sheez, you act like you nevah heard of sushi befoah..."

And that, my friends, is the approximate level of expertise that my very first attempt at making my own sushi came out. The flavors were wildly out of balance (a bit too sweet), I didn't have wasabi or pickled ginger (couldn't find real wasabi, and the ginger didn't look too good), the tamago (omelet) was too, well, lumpy and dinerish, and the rice was not just sticky but gooey, but the end result was still pretty good. I don't think I'll be hanging out my itamae shingle anytime soon, but I might try making it for friends some time.

This is how I made it. I took pictures, but they're on film so it'll be a while until I can post them.

Sushi Rice

This recipe needs serious work. I imagine the result will be better next time I make it; meantime, this is only for reference, and I do suggest you find a more professional recipe for sushi rice. That said, it still tastes pretty good, and the squishy/gooey texture might go over pretty well if you're teaching kids to make temaki rolls. It would get laughed out of any good sushi joint, though.

In a bowl, rinse rice in water and drain once (don't do it too many times). Drain rice and place in a saucepan with water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to warm and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, spread out in a shallow bowl and refrigerate for about twenty minutes to a half hour, stirring occasionally to spread out the heat so it dissipates better.

In the meantime, mix vinegar, sugar, and salt until everything is dissolved. Once the rice is cool enough to work with, pour vinegar mixture over rice and fold in with a spatula or rice paddle.

Tamago (sweet omelet)

Milk is all wrong for this, but the end result is still the best omelet I've ever personally made (a major gap in my culinary skills I admit). If you want to do this really right mix up a batch of dashi.

Beat egg, making sure to remove chalazae (the fibrous part of the white). Add sugar, salt, and milk, and beat together until you get a thin, pale yellow egg mix (you might need more milk). In a non-stick pan (a small skillet or crepe pan) over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and then pour in just enough egg mix to cover the bottom. Cook until the layer of egg is coagulated enough to fold over into the side of the pan, then add more egg and repeat until you run out of egg mixture (probably about twice in a 10" omelet pan). Continue until (ideally) you have a log of rolled egg (or in my case a lumpy, broken semicircle).

Making the sushi

This is nigiri-zushi, the finger style. I wanted to make maki as well, but the prices for nori on the Cape are obscene and it just wasn't worth the trouble; I'll probably grab a bag of it next time I'm up in the Boston area.

I didn't have wasabi or gari, as I mentioned earlier; it didn't really taste right without it, but it was still pretty good.

Know a little about your fish. Tuna (maguro) and salmon (sake) are good choices; grilled unagi (freshwater eel with a bit of teriyaki sauce on it) is very good, but you're probably going to have to filet the eel yourself. Local fish are always a good idea, too; freshwater fish, however, should always be grilled, as IMHO should swordfish (which is very prone to harboring parasitic worms). Hmmm... I bet there's someone in the National Wildlife Service wondering how good snakehead sushi tastes...

I'm also inclined to think that the following would make good nontraditional sushi toppings: fresh mozzarella, Vidalia onion cut Lyonnaise style, thinly sliced marinated and grilled sirloin tips, grilled eggplant (and perhaps baba ghannouj as a substitute for uni?), prosciutto and/or pancetta...

You'll need a small container of acidulated water to rinse your hands off so the rice doesn't stick quite so much.

Grab a small handful of rice and make a football-shaped glob of it about the size of a golfball (or a bit smaller). Place a dab of wasabi on it, and on top of that place your fish or omelet (or whatever else you're putting on there). Serve with a wad of wasabi (freshly grated; on no account are you to use that horseradish-mustard mixture they sell as wasabi unless you can't do any better), a small pile of gari, and some good soy sauce. Remember to dip the fish side first.

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