Sunday, March 29, 2015

rolls are for rookies



Sushi is an absolute favorite of mine. It's also an incredibly healthy genre of food, when you know how to order it. Fortunately, the healthiest stuff is actually the most delicious. Below I'll share some, by which I mean a lot, of our favorite dishes. I'd love for all of you to enjoy all of the wonderfulness that under the sea has to offer, and avoid the unnecessary junk along the way.

For starters, and I don't mean appetizers, rolls are for rookies.  Whenever we go to sushi, it seems that everyone is ordering rolls of some kind. It makes me sad, because while yes they're leaving more of the goods for me to order, they're missing out on the best the restaurant has to offer. Please know that I'm not knocking all rolls, but a great majority of them include the ingredients you don't want to consume. They also tend to stick to the basics as far as sea food goes. Lots of crab mix, some shrimp here and there, and maybe some salmon or tuna on occasion. It's a waste of sushi night not to be adventurous, and in turn healthy. Here are the key words of what NOT to order:
 
Cream Cheese: 
I love cream cheese as much as the next normal human, but I also know that it not a health conscious choice. If you absolutely must have it, stick to one piece and make all of the other ingredients in said choice great for you.
 
Mayonnaise:
I absolutely despise the stuff, so it's easy for me to avoid. However, I know it's popular amongst others, and in a lot of the rolls. It may be listed as spicy mayo, creamy sriracha, or disguised as "mix", meaning it's mixed into whatever seafood filling is in the roll. It's obviously not a light option, and totally gross at that.
 
Tempura:
This is Japanese for battered and deep fried. Need I say more? Fried foods are a big no-no.
 
Evil attracts evil, so naturally these three options tend to go together on a lot of the dishes, only making them three times worse for you. One that isn't as awful for you, but still not great is the white rice in a lot of rolls and sushi dishes, the best way to avoid it is to order everything as sashimi. You're not missing much by deleting the above ingredients from your order. After all, you're there for the sea food right? Speaking of which let's dive in under the sea and talk about the treasure chest full of sashimi and sushi gold.


Seaweed sashimi salad, miso soup, oysters, and edamame all make great starters. Then we tend to order quite a few of the following... (We are incredibly adventurous eaters and enjoy eating things out of the bento box.)
Amaebi Sushi aka Sweet Shrimp (sushi bodies & fried heads)
Hamachi Kama aka Yellowtail Cheek/Collar (cooked)
Aji Sashimi aka Japanese Mackeral (sashimi & then they fry the bones)
Hiramasa Sashimi aka Amberjack
Toro &/or Chutoro Sashimi aka Tuna
Sake Sashimi aka Salmon
Unagi aka Freshwater Eel (broiled)
Hamachi Sashimi aka Yellowtail
Ika Sashimi aka Cuttlefish or Squid
Tako Sashimi aka Octopus
Tako Wasabi aka Octopus Tentacles in Wasabi Root
Hotate Sashimi aka Live Scallops
Ikura Roe aka Salmon Eggs
Uni aka Sea Urchin
MMM. Drooling yet? I hope this provides you with a whole new perspective of deep sea dishes and that you're encouraged to try something new the next time you go. Or if you're really daring try "Omakase" meaning in the chef's hands. Where he'll surprise you with a variety of everything over several courses.

Arigato!