Serve Me Sashimi
People in trendy restaurants are prepared to pay a great deal of money for sashimi, yet the advantage of being a fisherman is that we catch our own. Afterall we have access to the very best and the freshest ingredients - and that's what you really need for sashimi. The traditional ingredient for sashimi is tuna. However, whilst it is undoubtedly delicious tuna isn't always available for us to catch. But don't despair, because just about any of the popular eating fish we enjoy can be prepared in this manner. In fact, some of the fish you wouldn't bother to cook can be used for sashimi because it is much nicer to eat when cut into small, thin slices.
This includes fish such as yellowtail. And you don't have to limit yourself to fish either, because you can successful use squid or prawns as well.
For this recipe, I have used some squid, yellowfin tuna and a fillet of kingfish.
I have stressed in previous articles the importance of correct handling of the fish from the point of capture. This improves the eating qualities for cooked seafood, but with sashimi, it is absolutely imperative to follow this rule.
Normally we rely on the cooking process to kill the majority of bacteria, but obviously we can't take this chance when the food is prepared raw.
The Steps
The first step is to bleed the fish immediately and place it on ice in the boat. The catch should then be kept below five degrees at all times, except for bringing it up to room temperature just before serving.
You must also be certain that you wash the fish thoroughly in clean water.
1. If you are using fillets of fish, wash and dry. For squid, remove the insides and the thin transparent film on the outside and wash very thoroughly getting rid of all traces of ink. Prawns should be shelled and de-veined and washed.
2. Using a very sharp knife with a thin blade, slice the fillets or whatever, into thin slices. If you or your guests are new to sashimi, I would suggest keeping them really thin, say 3 or 4 mm only to start with. You can move onto the bigger chunks later. The squid also should be in fine strips.
3. The sauce for dipping is made from a small dish of soy sauce and mixing in a quantity of Wasabi. The latter is a very spicy green sauce, made from Japanese horseradish and is purchased in small tubes from good delicatessens or seafood shops.
Wasabi can be a potent taste at first, so start with a small quantity and add more to the soy sauce to suit your taste.
Each person should have their own dish and wasabi to mix to a temperature they prefer.
The tube of wasabi, after opening, should be kept refrigerated and it does seem to lose it's potency after awhile.
Sashimi is a little different and the taste and texture seem a little strange at first, but give it a try maybe just as an entree. Once you get over the idea you're eating raw fish you may find you really do savour the new flavours and taste.
Oh yes, it really goes down great with heated saki (Japanese alcohol).
