Raw fish
Instructions:
- To be served raw, fish must be impeccably fresh. It is possible to purchase special sashimi-quality fish, and while it is expensive, there can be no compromise. Tuna, salmon, bonito, kingfish, bream or dhufish are all suitable, provided they have been caught the same day and have not been frozen. The quantities are for one serve.
- 125 g (4 oz) fish, skin and bones removed;
- 1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce (shoyu);
- mirin or dry sherry;
- ½ teaspoon prepared wasabi paste;
- lime juice;
- 1 teaspoon finely sliced spring onions (optional);
- 1 tablespoon finely shredded white radish (daikon);
- a few slices of pickled ginger (beni shoga).
- A sharp knife is essential for removing skin from fish and for slicing cleanly. Handle the fish as little as possible, but make sure there are no bones in it. Cut the fillet into thin slices and arrange on a serving plate, overlapping the slices or curving them into flower shapes. Soft-fleshed fish such as tuna and bonito may be presented in small cubes. Artistic arrangement is part of the appeal of sashimi.
- Place a small dish holding shoyu or a mixture of shoyu and mirin alongside the fish, and also a small mound of wasabi. To eat, mix the wasabi with the shoyu for dipping the fish into. If you like, you can add a little lime juice and spring onions for extra flavour. Garnish the plate with the white radish and pickled ginger.
- Note: Wasabi is also known as Japanese horseradish. Though it is not of the same family as horseradish it has the same pungency. Wasabi is sold in powdered form in small tins, and has to be mixed with cold water and allowed to stand for 10 minutes for its full flavour to develop. Use very sparingly. Wasabi is also sold ready mixed in tubes.