Making sushi with your own hands is not only a way to save money, but also a great leisure time. And to make the sushi tasty, you need to choose high-quality products - first of all, fish. Of course, the Japanese themselves often use raw, freshly caught, and sometimes even live sea fish. However, decent sushi can also be made from more affordable options - shock-frozen or smoked fish. The main thing is to cut it correctly.
It is necessary
-
- well sharpened knife (special knife for sushi or fillet);
- cutting board;
- frozen tuna fillet;
- smoked salmon;
- smoked eel.
Instructions
Step 1
Tuna, salmon and conger eel are most commonly used for sushi. Beginners should not cut whole fish carcasses on their own - buy a ready-made fillet. Shock-frozen tuna fillet, smoked eel and smoked salmon are suitable for most types of sushi. The first two options can be purchased at specialty sushi stores, and salmon is sold all over the place. Choose whole fillets, peeled or skinned.
Step 2
Examine the selected fish. Remove dried edges, small bones. Frozen fillets should be defrosted a little by placing the vacuum-packed fish in salted water. Do not defrost the fillet all the way - this will make it easier to chop. Remove the smoked eel from the packaging. Cut the fillet in half along the back. If the skin feels too tough for you, you can take it off. But some sushi men suggest simply placing the fish in the microwave for a couple of minutes - the skin will become softer.
Step 3
Start slicing fish. How you cut it depends on the sushi you intend to make. The general rule is that for nigiri sushi (sushi with fish laid on top of a rice bun), you need thicker slices, for rolls you need thin plates of fish, for temaki (nori cones) - slices in the form of thin bars.
Step 4
Place the fillet on a cutting board, press it firmly with your left hand, and cut with your right hand, holding the knife at an angle of 30-40 degrees. Do not cut the fish; slide the knife gently and smoothly in one slow motion. Do not try to slice the fish lengthwise - it will creep into fibers. You can’t cut the fillets across. Such fish will be dry and tough.
For rolls, layers of fish with a width of 3 mm or more are suitable. For nigiri, you need slices from 5 mm to 1 cm wide. However, the thickness of the slices depends not only on the type of sushi, but also on personal taste. Experiment!
Step 5
Do not discard any torn pieces or scraps. They will be used to make gunka-maki (boats rolled from nori. Finely chop the fish with a knife. Before filling the boats, mix the fish with chopped green onions.
