Many people don’t recognize the difference between sashimi and sushi because both are made out of raw fish. However, you can only call your raw seafood sushi when you add vinegared rice to the thin slices. Sashimi is thinly sliced raw food, typically fish or other seafood. People mostly enjoy sashimi made from tuna or salmon because when it’s prepared this way, it allows you to savor the aroma. So here’s how to sashimi tuna in easy steps:
- Pick the best sashimi-grade tuna when buying,
- Keep the tuna in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve it,
- Prepare a really sharp knife and make thin slices and approximately domino-sized,
- Pour your favorite soy sauce into a small bowl for dipping,
- Optionally, prepare garnishes like daikon radish or condiments (other options will also be listed below).
Now, follow this simple step-by-step guide and listen to some additional ideas, and you’ll be on the right path to mastering sashimi making.
The Required Ingredients and Tools
- Buy 1lb of sashimi-grade tuna (Bluefin tuna is the best out there),
- Prepare your sashimi knife (bocho) – a long thin knife perfect for cutting thin slices of fish,
- Buy your favorite soy sauce to dip the sashimi in (preferably tamari, the thick soy sauce),
- Add some garnishes to the shopping list, like daikon radish and shiso leaves.
Step 1 – Pick the Best Sashimi-Grade Tuna
Although bluefin tuna is the best choice for sashimi, you can also buy skipjack, bonito, yellowfin, bigeye, and albacore. To keep everything on the safe side, choose fish that is farmed in the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Canada, Norway, or Japan.
The other thing you should check is the freshness – tuna prepared for sashimi and sushi is quickly caught, bled, gutted, and iced in an instant.
Step 2 – Keep the Tuna in the Refrigerator
In order to make proper sashimi, you will need to store the tuna steaks properly in your refrigerator. Take each steak and some paper towels, and make sure all the excess moisture is removed. Take a food container and line it with more paper towels. Place your tuna steaks in one layer, or you can stack them between paper towels.
Place another paper towel on top, seal the container and store it in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t wrap the steaks in plastic wrap. Additionally, you can store the container inside a larger one that you have filled with crushed ice.
Step 3 – Prepare a Really Sharp Knife and Make Thin Slices
Slicing sashimi to perfect pieces may seem easy, but in order to keep the juices and the right taste, you should use a specialized knife (if possible) or an extremely sharpened one. The tuna steak should be cut across the grain. It will ensure that there are no stringy slices.
If your tuna steaks are not cut in blocks or fillets, you will need to improvise a bit. Cut the fish into blocks 1.2″x1.6″. Then, turn it, so the grain is lined horizontally to the cutting board. While each block could be sliced into just a few pieces, you will get enough out of all the steaks.
Step 4 – Pour Your Favorite Soy Sauce
Sashimi wouldn’t be the same without soy sauce to dip the tuna slices into, and while you can take tamari and simply pour it into a dipping bowl, you can certainly make something more interesting.
Take two tablespoons of your favorite sauce and add half a spoon of chili-garlic sauce (Sriracha could do the trick,) ¼ of a teaspoon of sesame oil, a pinch of garlic powder, and one thin slice of lemon. After you mix these ingredients in a bowl, add the lemon at the end.
Step 5 – Prepare Garnishes and Condiments
Shredded daikon radish can be the perfect garnish for your sashimi. Once you peel it, you should cut it with a vegetable-slicing knife. The slices should be very thin. Separate them and place them into a bowl of water, and leave them for 15 minutes. After you have drained them, place them on the plate in a decorative way, then add sashimi slices.
The usual addition on the plate can be the most popular condiments, such as wasabi and ginger. Don’t overdo it with the wasabi because it’s quite spicy, and each slice of sashimi should be eaten with wasabi the size of a rice grain. Pickled ginger is used to cleanse the palate in between different kinds of sashimi or sushi. It has the spiciness of ginger and sweet vinegar taste.
How to Sashimi Tuna in Another Way
Instead of wondering where you can buy sashimi, you can add different ideas and recipes to your menu. There are optional ways you can mix your soy sauce and make it less or more spicy, depending on your preferences. There are also additional garnishes you can serve your tuna with.
Prepare the Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for another way you could prepare and serve your perfect tuna slices:
- 1lb of sashimi-grade fresh tuna steaks,
- Buy two regular-sized avocados,
- Four spring onions,
- Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
- One tablespoon of lime juice and a whole lime for serving,
- Half a cup of light soy sauce.
Step 1 – Slice Everything
Take the avocado, peel it, and cut its flesh into thick slices, perfect for serving. The spring onions should be more finely sliced right on the diagonal. Then, prepare the tuna by taking a sharp knife and cutting it into thin slices.
Step 2 – Place It on the Platter
Take the serving platter and place the slices of avocado and then the tuna sashimi on top. Use a small bowl to mix the extra virgin olive oil with some lime juice. When you’re ready to serve the platter, use the olive oil/lime dressing to dress the tuna and avocado. Take the spring onions that you’ve seasoned with pepper and sea salt, and use them as a garnish on the platter. The light soy sauce should then be poured into the bowl and served for dipping. Slices of fresh lime are optional.
Final Thoughts
Sashimi is a great delicacy, both for its rich taste and aroma and for the ease of preparation. If you decide to use fresh seafood to make a meal, you won’t have to worry about how much rice vinegar you should put in sushi rice because you will only need a few ingredients. Enjoy these simple yet delicious recipes!
