In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to steam in its own vapour for another 10 minutes to gently cook through. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil stirring from time to time to avoid clumping.
Leave the rice to soak for 20 minutes (to achieve a better texture). Drain and repeat four or five times, until the water is no longer milky and trending towards limpid.ĭrain completely then add the sake and water. Swirl the rice gently around with your hand in the pan to remove the loose starch. Photograph: Mark BestĪdd the rice to the saucepan it will be cooked in, and cover with clear, cool water. Not just to achieve the distinctive sushi flavour but to add the stickiness and sheen. To make the riceĪdd the vinegar mixture gradually, by folding it through the rice with a large wooden spoon. Finish with small blobs of Kewpie for comfort and shichimi togarashi (seven spice blend) for heat. Slice the fish according to its type and merit, and treat the veg similarly. Once you have your ingredients, some rehydrated packet wakame effectively evokes the ocean on the plate. But when it comes to whole fish, it is probably best to ask your fishmonger to fillet it for you: the lateral pin bones will have to be removed with the purchase of fish tweezers, a knife blade scraped from head to tail along the fillet will expose the ends. A fillet of fish is easily dispatched with a sharp knife and a measuring eye – for guidance, imagine Jiro is standing behind you. Photograph: Mark BestĪ good fishmonger is a very good friend, and you should lean on them a little in search of the freshest catch, and advice on what to do with it.
For vegetables, you can use a selection currently in season, such as snow peas and thin asparagus spears. If you live near a fish market, as I do, this is the perfect framework for the less noble fish, (like small mackerel, that are cheap but truly spectacular when chosen bent with rigour).Ĭhirashi sushi. The choice is to your preference, but my firm caveat is that every choice should be in service to beauty. It is the foundation for the successful meeting of any ingredients you have that, in your considered opinion, will go together. The literal translation of chirashi is “scattered” which aptly describes the method of manufacture and presentation. The approach should be to create a garden, rather than assembling it brick by brick like a pre-fab house.Ĭhirashi is a home-style fish and rice dish that is readily adaptable for any occasion, from eating alone, to a more festive (subjective of course) family affair. They may be efficient and inoffensive, but with a little more time and effort, you can take the same basic concept and transform it into something quite beautiful. They’re fish recipes for people who are afraid of anything “fishy”. These paeans to the food industrial complex are undoubtedly popular because they promise speed and ease (with a fashionable Japanese inflection) untroubled by anything resembling actual fish. Recently, the most popular of these, though by no means the first or the last, is from lifestyle influencer Emily Mariko, who finishes off a leftover slab of salmon with a two-fisted squirt of soy, Kewpie and Sriracha. Pinterest and Google also offer an infinite scroll of salmon bowls and tray bakes.
On TikTok, the hashtags #salmonrice and #salmonricebowl have in combination garnered close to 1bn views.