What To Look For In Quality Sushi

With so many sushi bars popping up all over the place and our palates sometimes used to the pre-packaged sushi we buy from the supermarket, it’s good to take a quick reminder course on what quality sushi is.  Whether you’re a first-timer or a long-time sushi expert, it’s helpful to keep the following criteria in mind when looking for quality sushi:

Before Sitting Down:

• Look for red bloodlines in the yellowtail and snapper, making sure they aren’t brown or cut away
• The tuna should be top-notch as that’s the most expensive fish in the place
• Make sure the albacore, escolar, shrimp and salmon are NOT on display as they should be kept in a freezer
• Ask to make sure that the Tamago, Anago and shrimp rolls are all made in house, not pre-packaged
• Engage the sushi chef, making sure they are knowledgeable and can steer you in the right direction for the catch of the day and what’s good there
• Look for an open kitchen so you can see what the chefs are doing.  Make sure the workspaces are clean and in order

^{by Yuri Samoilov Photo}

Inspecting The Sushi: When the sushi arrives, make sure of the following:

• The rice should be Calrose and properly cooked and seasoned.  It should be sticky and firm as well as a little sweet.  Bad rice equals bad sushi.
• Start with namesake, Hamachi and tuna.  If they taste good, move onto the Uni and Saba, then try Unagi and tuna rolls.
• Mackerel should be smooth and buttery
• Saba should not be rubbery or smell
• Almost everything you eat should be odorless, missing the fishy smell, or at the very least have a fresh sea smell.  No sour tastes should linger in the mouth (an exception could be Saba which is marinated with vinegar)
• The colors should be vibrant and pop out; salmon should be orange, not purplish-brown; Maguro should be blood red; Toro should be marbled pink.
• Shisho leaf should be fresh and minty, not bitter
• Salmon should be sweet
• Tamago should be sweet and salty
• Unagi should always be served hot
• Ikura should be slightly salty, but not brined
• Tako and Ika should be crisp when you first bite into it, but then slightly chewy
• Wasabi should be freshly grated from the root, not the green horseradish.  It should have zing, but not make you cry
• Stay away from florescent pink Gari
• The cut should be smooth, with one motion with no jagged edges; it should not be more than one or two finger lengths

Discover the different variety of Sushi in our Sushi section.