You have managed to master chopsticks as if you were from the very center of Osaka; You already know what a nigiri and an ura maki are ; You have read our guide on the essential dishes of Japanese cuisine ; and even Chinese restaurants that are Japanese don’t even sneak it in. Although when there is no budget, you end up there to calm the craving for sushi or something similar sushi near me.
On the verge of becoming a true expert in the field, there are some tips that are good to know when facing a tray of sushi . Especially if we want to pretend to be experts or master the always delicate subject of Japanese etiquette and protocol.
- It can be done by hand. Although I’m sure you’re an ace with chopsticks, if they resist you, you don’t have to ask for a fork and knife to destroy the sushi . This is a food originally meant to be eaten with your fingers, so it’s not frowned upon to use them, even in the most exclusive sushi restaurant in Tokyo.
- Soy, better little. Drowning sushi in soy is a bad idea. This sauce is quite salty and brings out the flavor and nuances of rice and fish, especially when it comes to good sushi . So better in moderation. And to begin with, nothing better than pouring just a little into the small saucer that each diner will have on the table, instead of an Olympic pool of soy.
- Flip the chopsticks. One of those tricks that looks great: when we go to take a piece from a shared tray, it is your thing to turn the chopsticks around and use them on the side that we have not put in our mouths. We serve it to our plate, and that’s it.
- No mixing wasabi in soy. Another common bad habit is to dissolve a little wasabi in the soy sauce. Wasabi -yes, that green thing that is so itchy but slightly addictive- has a very nuanced flavor, and combining it with soy is absurd . Also, the result is not aesthetically pretty, and that detail is very important in Japanese gastronomy.
- One bite. It does not matter if it is with the chopsticks or with the fingers, the sushi is designed to be eaten in one bite. If it is too big a piece, nothing happens if it is done in two steps, but always leaving the remaining half on the toothpicks and without returning it to the plate. Of course, trying to cut it on the plate before eating it is a crime.
- Ginger never in sushi . The pickled ginger that is served with the sushi -and whose flavor many compare to cologne, yes- is designed to cleanse the palate between bites. Putting it on top of the sushi to eat it at the same time is a nice way to kill the taste of the fish, so it is better not to do it or the cook may take it badly. By the way, moderation also with the wasabi , because it is assumed that the sushiman has already put the precise amount. And surely he knows more than us.
- The order of the sushi . From softer fish to fattier fish, and from mild to more intense flavors. This is the basic rule so that -exactly as happens with cheeses, for example- we do not start with a strong piece that annuls the flavor of what we eat later. It also usually starts with the nigiris and larger pieces, and ends with the smaller makis .
- On the fish side. Another important piece of information so as not to screw up when eating sushi : if we are going to dip the piece in soy, it must be done on the fish side, never on the rice. This one is already seasoned, so you don’t need the soy at all. Also, if we leave it there absorbing soybeans -a classic- it is possible that it will disassemble. So back to the nigiri and, by the way, it is in that same position that you have to put it in your mouth, with the fish touching your tongue.
- Use ginger to put soy on sushi . In addition to cleansing the palate, ginger has another use that you must know to graduate from this sushi master’s degree : applying soy to the pieces that we cannot dip directly into the sauce, such as those with roe on top. In this case we use the ginger as if it were a sponge, dipping it a little in the soybeans and then applying it to the sushi .
- Chopsticks on the plate to finish. You have finished? Then you can leave the crossed chopsticks on the plate or on the bowl that you are using. In the meantime, the correct thing to do is to leave it resting on that small piece that should be there, and that is designed so that the tip does not touch the table.