My family is a sushi lover. However, we do not enjoy sushi without sashimi. A beautifully plated tuna and sliced fresh salmon complete our beloved sushi platter. However, wait! We do not visit restaurants to eat our sushi platter. Instead, we make it at home. Although it is time-consuming and challenging, requiring precision, concentration, and culinary skills, it is ultimately fruitful. The time when we make sashimi is the best for us. We enjoy working together. Thanks to my family for their guidance, I have mastered the art of making homemade sashimi. Thus, I thought, why not help home cooks make a perfect restaurant-style sashimi from scratch? In addition to sharing its recipe, I will share tips to help you make the best lip-smacking sashimi. So, shall we start?

What is Sashimi?

Sashimi is an age-old Japanese delicacy that uses raw fish slices as its prime ingredient. Serving sashimi with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi takes the dish to another level. At present, sashimi has become an integral part of Japanese cuisine. Though Japanese eateries charge heavily for luscious sashimi, you can make the best sashimi if you use the best ingredients and tools and follow the pro tips.

If you are inviting guests to your home, serve them sashimi – a showstopper. They will not believe it is homemade. I know! You have several questions in mind, such as which fish to use, how to slice it precisely, and what tools to use. I understand – When I made sashimi for the first time, I felt the same. However, trust yourselves and consider yourselves no less than a seasoned pro. So, let us see how I became a pro at making homemade sashimi.

How to make the best sashimi at home?

Choosing a high-quality sushi-grade fish is a prerequisite to making the best homemade sashimi.

You get the best sushi-grade fish in the Japanese supermarket. Place the fish in the refrigerator. Remove the fish from the fridge only before slicing it, and then remove the skin or bones (if present). Rinse it under cold water and later, dry it with a paper towel. The best way to identify the freshness of fish is through its colour and odour. Fresh fish has a bright colour. Never go for fish with an unpleasant odour. The fish used in making sashimi include :

• Mackerel
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Yellowtail

Tools required to make homemade sashimi:

• Cutting board
• Ice water
• High-quality, sharp Japanese knife

Ingredients required to make homemade sashimi:

• Sushi-grade fish
• Pickled ginger
• Soy sauce
• Wasabi
• Shiso leaves
• Kewpie mayonnaise
• Panko
• Sesame oil
• Tempura flour
• Toasted sesame oil

Popular toppings

• Ikura
• Masago
• Tobiko

How to slice the fish?

• When ready to slice, place the chilled fish on the chopping board.

If you are holding the fish with your left hand and the knife with your right hand, use your right hand to slice it across the fish’s grain. The thinner you slice the fish, the more delicious it will be.

Is making homemade sashimi expensive?

If you have high-quality tools and fish, homemade sashimi is less costly than restaurant-bought sashimi.

Sashimi preparation

• Peel the skin of the daikon radish and chop it into thin slices.
• Now, keep the sliced radish in water. Let the radish stay in water for a while (say, twenty minutes). It makes the daikon radish crispy.
• Cut yellowtail and tuna into thick pieces (around 5-8 mm) and salmon into thin slices.

Serving Options

Presentation is key when discussing serving sashimi. Thus, consider these when serving sashimi:

• Refrigerate the plate for a while before serving sashimi to keep the fish fresh
• Use a decorative plate and place the fish slices in an attention-grabbing manner.
• Place the fish pieces diagonally, starting from the thick slices and gradually transitioning to thin slices.
• Garnish it with thinly sliced daikon radish, shiso leaves, pickled ginger and wasabi. And yes, do not forget to place the beloved dip (soy sauce) in the dipping cup.