Sea Snail

Sea Snail/Tsubugai

Large sea snails, specifically whelks, can be easily bought from most Japanese fish markets. Their size allows a large piece of mantle meat to be used for sushi. Sea snail has a very firm texture, but not quite as firm as squid or octopus. The taste is very fresh as it is always alive just prior to being sliced for use as sushi. Some people may feel a little uneasy about eating this snail, but it is really no different from any eating any other kind of molluscan shellfish.

Sea snail is also eaten as sashimi, they can also be grilled in their shells on a barbecue. The end of the animal that is found deepest into the shell is rarely eaten as it has a very bitter taste, and in some species can be poisonous.

Sea Bream

Sea Bream/Tai

Sea Bream does not seem to have the same high reputation in the west as it does in Japan. Perhaps this is due to the fact that its flesh is not so brightly coloured like tuna or salmon, nor does it have an intriguing appearance like many shellfish. It just seems to be a very simple fish, this is a shame as good fresh sea bream has a magnificent softness and a clean, smooth flavour. The best season to eat sea bream is in the spring.

The sea bream has a very prestigious place in Japanese cuisine and there are numerous ways of eating it including as sashimi, steamed and grilled. It is often eaten during new year and for other celebrations.

Tuna

Tuna/Maguro

Tuna is the undisputed king fish of sushi. High quality blue-fin tuna can demand an extremely high price in fish market auctions. Blue-fin tuna populations are currently very low. The rarity has the cruel effect of increasing demand, providing fisherman further intensive to hunt what little is left. Other species of tuna are of course available and are also delicious. Tuna meat is categorised into three grades based in the fat content. The lean dark red meat is comparatively the least expensive, and the creamy pink coloured fatty meat from the lower belly is the most expensive. The greater the fat content the softer the texture and smother the taste. The high content of iron present in the meat of these muscular, open ocean predatory fish gives a rich flavour that is typically associated with high quality beef.

Grilled tuna steak is available in Japan, although many would prefer to serve high quality tuna raw. Grilled tuna neck can also be eaten and there are many ways of serving the various cuts or raw tuna as sashimi, or in other raw tuna dishes.

Salmon

Salmon/sake

Salmon is perhaps the most familiar item on a sushi menu to a western palate. It has a pleasing orange/pink colour and it is commonly eaten in many countries so people are seldom unused to this fish. Also the taste of raw salmon is quite close to its cooked counterpart. If someone feels uncomfortable eating raw fish in sushi then using smoked salmon as an alternative is a good way to help them lose their inhibitions about eating raw fish. There are some concerns with the presence of parasites in salmon, especially in salmon that has been intensively farmed. If you are eating in a reputable sushi restaurant with high standards then they will almost certainly source their salmon from a supplier that does not suffer from these problems, so you shouldn't worry.

In Japan salted, grilled salmon is cheap and extremely popular, it is also sometimes deep-fried or dried and eaten as a snack.

Mackerel

Mackerel/Saba

The mackerel is an abundant fish with a rich taste. It is quite closely related to tuna and shares some similar tastes. If mackerel is to be used for sushi it is not usually eaten raw. This is because mackerel will often have some parasites that will make the fish unpalatable. To prepare mackerel for sushi it is often marinated in vinegar for several hours. The acidity of the vinegar actually cooks the fish. It is common to not eat this fish with wasabi, but instead to have a small amount of grated ginger.

Mackerel is also often eaten grilled, sometimes with a miso sauce.

Sea Urchin

Sea Urchin/Uni

The sea urchin is one of the more unusual flavours to a western pallet that is found in sushi restaurants. It is prepared by carefully cracking open the top of the urchins outer shell. The orange brown meat that is served in sushi are the urchin's ovaries. The rest of the animal is inedible. The taste of sea urchin is rather difficult to describe. My personal response when first tasting it was “It tastes like the sea!” It has a slightly alkaline taste that some people may dislike.

In Japanese cooking sea urchin is only eaten raw as cannot withstand cooking.

Surf Clam

Surf Clam/Hokkigai

Surf clam is a fairly large clam with a large muscular foot that is eaten. The foot has a distinctive pattern, it is half beige and half red. It is perhaps the largest clam you can easily find at a sushi restaurant and has a firm texture. It is rarely served raw, it is usually slightly blanched as it is know to harbour flatworm parasites. It is most commonly fished in northern Japan.

Surf clam can also be served as sashimi and is sometimes used in soups.

Monkfish Liver

Monkfish Liver/Ankimo

Although eating monkfish is not uncommon in western countries, eating the liver is very rare. In Japan it is also quite rare, but it is highly regarded as one of the great sushi delicacies. Monkfish liver has often been compared to fois gras. It has a very soft, delicate and creamy flavour. The taste is slightly fishy and extremely rich. It is not eaten with soy sauce as the flavour of the liver is too delicate to balance the strong soy taste. Sometimes ponzu sauce is used instead. In Japanese fish-markets where monkfish is sold the belly is often cut open so the size and quality of the liver can be observed.

Monkfish liver has been eaten in Japan for hundreds of years and is also eaten steamed or in stews.

Salmon Eggs

Salmon Roe/Ikura

Ikura is the eggs of salmon. It has a orange/red colour and each egg is fairly large. The name Ikura is taken from the Russian word for caviar. The taste is very strong and intense and is also very salty. Salmon eggs are also quite juicy and can have an interesting taste as you chew them to bite into the eggs and release the juices inside.

Salmon roe is also eaten is a topping for a bowl of rice, sometimes with minced tuna.

Herring Roe

Herring Roe/Kazunoko

The ovaries of herring have a yellow colour and a rough texture as they contain many thousands of eggs. The taste is different to many other fish ovaries, it is firm and slightly crunchy. It has a very different texture to most other items on a sushi menu and so can provide an interesting contrast. The taste is, to be honest, slightly flavourless, it is a little nutty and not very strong.

In Japan herring roe is a symbol of fertility (as it contains many eggs) and is eaten eaten on new year's day for good luck.

Abalone

Abalone/Awabi

Abalone is more well known for being extremely expensive than extremely delicious. It can command very high prices due to being overfished and it is unobtainable in many countries. Furthermore as its growth rate is very slow companies will rarely attempt to culture it. Abalone are closely related to snails and it has a rather soft and rubbery texture and tastes a little like butter. If you can find it and afford it I recommend trying this at least once.

Abalone is also eaten as sashimi, in soups or grilled.

Squid and Cuttlefish

Squid and Cuttlefish/Ika

Although it is usally translated into English as squid, the ika used in sushi is more often cuttlefish as it has a softer taste. Strips of cuttlefish flesh are cleand so that only the pristine white meat remains. Some chefs like to score the flesh to create pleasing patterns. Some people may find the taste of raw cuttlefish tough and rubbery, but its firm texture can provide an interesting contrast to the typically soft textured fish that are typically eaten in sushi.

Squid and cuttlefish are often eaten grilled or dried as a snack to have with drinks. Thin strips of raw squid called "squid noodles" are also popular.

Scallop

Scallop/Hotate

Scallop is not an uncommon ingredient for sushi. The adductor muscle of the scallop, which is the large, pale beige muscle used to clasp the shell shut, is the part that is eaten. It has a soft texture and a creamy, easily palatable taste. Most scallops in Japan come from Aomori, Miyagi or Hiroshima. In south Japan where the sea is warmer, it is common to eat a species called “Akazara scallop” that is smaller and has a slightly sweeter taste.

Scallops are also commonly used in Japanese cooking for sashimi or they can be deep fried of grilled. It is an extremely versatile shellfish that can be kept frozen for a long time.

Salmon

Salmon/sake

Salmon is perhaps the most familiar item on a sushi menu to a western palate. It has a pleasing orange/pink colour and it is commonly eaten in many countries so people are seldom unused to this fish. Also the taste of raw salmon is quite close to its cooked counterpart. If someone feels uncomfortable eating raw fish in sushi then using smoked salmon as an alternative is a good way to help someone lose their inhibitions about eating raw fish. There are some concerns with the presence of parasites in salmon, especially in salmon that has been intensively farmed. If you are eating in a reputable sushi restaurant with high standards then they will almost certainly source their salmon from a supplier that does not suffer from these problems, so you shouldn't worry.

In Japan salted, grilled salmon is cheap and extremely popular, it is also sometimes deep-fried or dried and eaten as a snack.

Scallop

Scallop/Hotate


Scallop is not an uncommon ingredient for sushi. The adductor muscle of the scallop, which is the large, pale beige muscle used to clasp the shell shut, is the part used to make sushi. It has a soft texture and creamy, easily palatable taste. Most scallops in Japan come from Aomori, Miyagi or Hiroshima. In south Japan where the sea is warmer, it is common to eat a species called “Akazara scallop” that is smaller and has a slightly sweeter taste.



Scallops are also commonly used in Japanese cooking for sashimi or they can be deep fried of grilled. It is an extremely versatile shellfish that can be kept frozen for a long time.