You Don't Know S**t About Sushi

Edamame

Tempura

California Roll

Spicy Tuna Roll

Don't order red wine

I know, I know. I’m a HUGE red wine drinker, but it’ll ruin your experience for sure.

The body and tannins in red wine will swamp and overrun all of your fish.

Escape the common

Just because you know and are familiar with Sapporo, Kirin, and Asahi doesn’t mean that no other Japanese beers exist.

Take a look at the other options and take a risk on something you haven’t tried before.

Echigo

Koshihikari Echigo is served at the restaurant I work at and is a great example. It is a great Japanese beer and compliments the sushi well. But you’d never know unless you tried it . . .

Ankimo (Ahn-kee-mo)

This delicacy is actually the liver of a monkfish. If that bothers you, it shouldn’t.

There’s no reason to deprive yourself of this rich treat. The flavor and texture are amazing. It is frequently served as nigiri; as pictured above it is wrapped with a base of seaweed and garnished.

photo credit: www.kats9lives.com

Aji (Adjee)

Aji is a Spanish Mackerel. Frequently you can get Aji Tataki.

This is a two-course dish, the first course is chopped raw Aji served on top of the fish itself. When you have eaten the chopped pieces, the remainder of the fish is taken to the kitchen and fried so you can savor the ricj taste of the skin and bones. Don’t freak out – the bones are so small that they are soft to eat.

Escolar (aka "Butterfish")

A very dense and buttery fish. The flavor is amazing when uberfresh. Shown nigiri-style.

photo credit: www.umisf.com

Chu-toro (Chew-tore-oh)

Wisegeek.com says it best:

“Toro comes from the underbelly of the tuna, and is itself divided into grades which are distinguished based on the marbling of the meat, much like in grading beef.

The most valuable toro, otoro, is from the underside of the fish close to the head. Chutoro, a lesser grade, comes from the belly in the middle and back of the fish, and is less marbled than otoro.

The unmistakable and delightful flavor of toro seduces most consumers once they try it. The cool, meaty texture of raw tuna combines with the fat of the belly to create a buttery sensation in the mouth, with the flesh of the tuna melting as you eat it.

Toro is often used in sashimi and nigiri sushi, because the delicate flavor, outstanding texture, and beautiful marbling are clearly distinguishable in these two raw fish dishes. It is also sometimes used to make seared rare tuna, which has a delicious warm grilled exterior and a creamy cool interior."

photo credit: wealthofwords.tumblr.com

Ask for "hon" (hone) wasabi

This is real wasabi. After you’ve tried it, you will realize that the common wasabi used here is a horseradishy, pasty, pile of crud.

The real thing is specially grated from the root, and tastes a tiny bit sweeter without the fake “kick”. It’s delicious.

They might charge you a little bit for the upgrade, but it’ll be worth it, as your fish will taste better and your sushi cred will be increased.

photo credit: www.appetites.us