Sashimi, you either love it or hate it.
If your primary source of food is provided by your fishing rods you cannot eat better, fresher or more nutritiously than, straight out of the sea, raw, Sashimi.
The best Japanese Sashimi chefs are artists that take the presentation of the fish to a level that most non-Japanese diners cannot perhaps fully appreciate. That said, when you have the very best of fresh Tuna or Dorado to work with, and in a volume that is ten times greater than one would normally be able to afford, you’re already 90% there.
It’s quick and easy to prepare sashimi that’s to die for. It is the finest fish that money can’t actually buy since no fish you need to buy can ever be this fresh.
Immediately after the fish is caught it should be bled by cutting it behind the pectoral fins to reduce the blood in the flesh.
Before you start, you need a very sharp filleting knife that is sharpened and honed such that it will cut silk. The best are Japanese.
Since the fish is so fresh it can be filleted leaving the guts in, which
is easier.
Tuna Anatomy
Once you’ve taken off the fillets, as shown above, fillet out the dark red meat, this is bitter and will spoil the flavour of the fillets if left in. Once the fillets are taken off I prefer to wrap it in film or greaseproof paper and put in the freezer to chill it down for max 30 mins, but It must not freeze at all.
Because it is so expensive, Sashimi is often presented very thinly cut, but I prefer it in small slabs 3 – 4 cm x 2 – 3 cm and 5 mm thick.
In my mind, Sashimi must have two accompanying side dishes:
• A healthy portion of Wasabi/Soy Sauce (recipe below)
• A generous helping of pink sliced pickled ginger.
Recipe: Wasabi/Soy Sauce
There are many variations of this sauce, you can include sesame seeds and squeezed orange:
4 x tablespoons light soy sauce
1 x teaspoon Wasabi paste
1 x teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
½ squeezed lemon or lime
Serve with steamed rice and Sake, hot or cold as you prefer.
