Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish, now popular worldwide, associated with raw fish. However, it is a dish so stereotypical yet diverse that it turns out to be both raw and cooked.
Raw Sushi
- Sashimi:
Sashimi is raw fish or seafood that has been sliced very thin and served without rice. Often it is dipped in soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
Common Varieties: Tuna, salmon, and yellowtail are popular ones. This dish is well-known for the delicate flavors of the fish of great quality.
- Nigiri:
A small mound of seasoned rice topped with a slice of raw fish or seafood. The rice is often seasoned with a touch of wasabi and soy sauce.
Common Varieties:
Salmon nigiri, tuna nigiri, eel nigiri. Nigiri simply brings out the freshness and quality of the fish. This is the minimum preparation to identify the natural flavor of the fish.
- Maki Rolls:
Maki rolls are types of sushi rolls that may have raw fish as one of the fillings, wrapped in rice and seaweed. Popular raw varieties include the Spicy Tuna Roll and the Dragon Roll.
Common Varieties: California Roll is one that more often has imitation crab instead of raw fish, Spicy Tuna Roll, and Rainbow Roll with an assortment of raw fish on top.
Cooked Sushi
- Temaki — Hand Rolls:
Temaki is a cone-shaped hand roll full of different ingredients, which may include cooked items such as shrimp tempura or teriyaki chicken. The roll mainly comprises rice and seaweed.
Common Varieties: Shrimp Tempura Roll and Teriyaki Chicken Roll. They are suitable for those people who prefer cooked ingredients or are having sushi for the first time in their lives.
- Ebi Nigiri:
Ebi Nigiri uses cooked shrimp on top of a small ball of flavored rice. It’s often served with a light touch of wasabi and soy sauce.
Common Varieties: Ebi Nigiri. This style of sushi has a very mild, sweet flavor and is nice for those who are squeamish about raw fish.
- Unagi Grilled Eel Nigiri:
Grilled eel glazed with a sweet soy-based sauce, on top of seasoned rice—Unagi nigiri.
Common Varieties: Unagi Nigiri
The eel is cooked, caramelized, rich, savory flavor in balance with the sweetness of the sauce.
- Cooked Maki Rolls:
Most of the ingredients in maki rolls are cooked, such as tempura, crab, or cooked eel. All these rolls are rice and seaweed wrapped and added with vegetables like avocado and cucumber.
Common Varieties: Tempura Roll, Dragon Roll, and Philadelphia Roll, with added smoked salmon.
The Balance Between Raw and Cooked
- Health and Safety:
- Raw Fish: While this is the most common factor across most sushi variations, it becomes extremely crucial that the used fish is fresh and handled well enough to minimize health risks. Sushi-grade fish has been taken through a proper examination and is frozen to kill parasites.
- Cooked Fish: Cooked sushi versions take away any worries regarding raw fish and are considered better, in general, for those with weaker immune systems or specific dietary preferences.
This post was written by a professional at Suhi Inc. Sushi Inc. is a vibrant restaurant that offers what is considered the best sushi st Petersburg FL It opened its doors in 2013. Offering live music, traditional hand-rolled sushi, and a friendly atmosphere, our guests always have a top-notch experience. Customers love our award-winning, fresh, and creative Sushi rolls, Nigiri, and Sashimi. With a larger selection of tempura, non-sushi, and teriyaki options, we can accommodate every taste.
